The total number of student participating in high school activities in Colorado hit an all-time high in 2018-19, and total trends continued on an upward trajectory.
The total participants and athletic participants are both the most in the history of the association, which has been tracking participation data each year since 1988-89. The activity participants are the most since the 2003-04 school year.
“We’re very happy to see that the opportunities for students continues to grow in Colorado,” said CHSAA commissioner Rhonda Blanford-Green. “Colorado schools provide diverse and broad-based activities and athletics for students of all interests.”
The method through which the data was gathered this past school year was done so at the individual student level on CHSAA’s digital registration platform, as opposed to the overall school level, which makes for more complete information.
“We are excited to now be using the CHSAA Digital Platform as the source of the data,” said CHSAA assistant commissioner Bethany Brookens, who oversees the participation survey. “It has lifted a huge burden off of our schools, and the information collected is now even more accurate than it has been in the past.”
This year, a total of 82.53% of the total membership enrollment participated in high school activities in one form or another. That includes 59.35% in sports, and 23.18% in activities. This marks the 21st consecutive year that sports participation has been above 54% of the total membership enrollment, and eighth of the past nine that it has surpassed 58%.
CHSAA’s largest activity is music, with 41,499 participants. Football is the second-largest with 16,888 participants, the sport’s highest figure since 2012-13, and is followed by boys basketball (11,723), girls volleyball (11,672), boys track (10,243), and girls basketball (9,045).
Boys basketball saw the largest increase in terms of percentage, growing 27% from 2017-18 to 2018-19. Girls basketball had the second-biggest growth, jumping up 24%.
Girls volleyball showed the third-fastest growth (23%) and hockey and spirit (both 13%) were fourth.
Overall, 14 sports and two activities showed growth from the previous season.
INDIANAPOLIS — The role of the designated hitter in high school baseball has been expanded to give coaches an additional option for the 2020 season.
The revision to Rule 3-1-4 was the only change recommended by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Baseball Rules Committee at its June 2-4 meeting in Indianapolis. The change was subsequently approved by the NFHS Board of Directors.
“The game is in the best shape it has ever been in the history of high school baseball,” said Elliot Hopkins, NFHS director of sports and student services and liaison to the NFHS Baseball Rules Committee. “This has allowed coaches to coach, players to play and umpires to umpire. This change, which was organic and intuitive, expands the role of the designated hitter and meets the desires of the high school baseball community.”
There are now two scenarios in which a designated hitter may be used.
The first scenario is the traditional use where the designated hitter may be a 10th starter who hits for any one of the nine starting defensive players. The team begins the game with 10 starters: nine defensive players and nine hitters in the batting order, one of whom is the designated hitter hitting for a defensive player.
“The traditional designated hitter role remains intact,” Hopkins said. “However, the committee felt it was necessary to make an additional option available to coaches that could be strategic but also maximize participation.”
The change to Rule 3-1-4 now allows the starting designated hitter to also be a starting defensive player. Utilizing this option, the player has two positions: defensive player and designated hitter. The team would begin the game with nine starters — nine defensive players — one of whom also assumes the role of the designated hitter.
“With the change adding pitch-count restrictions to high school baseball, this will allow pitchers to remain in the game as a hitter while removing them from pitching,” Hopkins said. “Typically, pitchers are stronger hitters as well. However, the intent of the rule is not for it to become strictly a pitcher-designated hitter role. The rule provides additional avenues for other position players as well. The change allows coaches to strategize how to keep players in the game to contribute offensively while allowing another player a chance to participate on defense.”
Additionally, a prior rules change involving baseballs and chest and body protectors will take effect on January 1, 2020. As of that date, all baseballs and chest and body protectors used in high school baseball competition shall meet the NOCSAE (National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment) standard at the time of manufacture.
According to the 2017-18 NFHS High School Athletics Participation Survey, there are 487,097 boys participating in baseball at 16,196 schools across the country, and 1,762 girls playing the sport in 317 schools.
All baseball rules information will be available on the NFHS website at www.nfhs.org. Click on “Activities & Sports” at the top of the home page and select “Baseball.”
INDIANAPOLIS — The expansion of exchange zones in short relay events, which does not require tracks to be repainted/resurfaced, as well as assisting injured athletes, are among the rules changes for high school track and field and cross country.
Seven rules changes were recommended by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Track and Field and Cross Country Rules Committee at its June 10-12 meeting in Indianapolis, and all changes were subsequently approved by the NFHS Board of Directors.
The first change amends notes in Rule 4 (Competitors and Competition) and Rule 8 (Cross Country) which reads, “A competitor who provides assistance to an injured or ill competitor should not be disqualified if neither the individual competitor providing the assistance nor his/her team gains an advantage as a result of providing the assistance.”
“Previous changes to the NFHS rules created the exception that allows a competitor to assist an injured or ill competitor without being disqualified when medical staff is not present,” said Julie Cochran, NFHS director of sports and liaison to the Track and Field/Cross Country Rules Committee. “In a clear majority of these types of situations, the action is intended to be an act of good sportsmanship and not an attempt to circumvent the rules or gain an advantage.”
While the injured or ill competitor is disqualified for receiving help, the competitor helping will not be disqualified, unless that competitor – or his/her team – gains an advantage. In all cases, the final decision rests with the meet referee, who has the sole authority to rule on infractions, irregularities and disqualifications in a meet.
Changes to Rules 5-3-3 and 5-3-4 expand the exchange zone in relays with legs of 200 meters or less from 20 to 30 meters. All exchange zones for races with legs longer than 200 meters will remain at 20 meters.
“The acceleration zone is now incorporated into the existing exchange zone, thus a 30-meter exchange zone for relay races with legs of 200 meters or less,” Cochran said. “The rule change does not require that tracks be repainted or resurfaced in order to follow the new NFHS rules. Existing acceleration zone markings, such as triangles, squares or colored tape, placed at that location may be used to denote the beginning of the exchange zones on a track.”
Rule 6-2-6 has been amended to prohibit athletes from running backwards or in the opposite direction (non-legal direction) during warm-ups on horizontal jumps, pole vault and javelin runways.
“This change promotes a more organized and efficient warm-up period,” Cochran said. “Competitors should now be more aware of their surroundings.”
Two changes to Rule 6 provide equivalent metric increments for tiebreaking jump-offs in vertical jumps, as well as clarify distance requirements for long jump and triple jump pits. For long jump and triple jump pits constructed after 2019, the length of the pit shall be at least 23 feet (seven meters).
In cross country, Rule 8-1-1 has been reorganized to clarify that a cross country course may be marked with any or all methods listed in the rule.
An additional change to cross country rules adds language to Rule 8-1-3 regarding straightaways at the start of a course. The change provides a recommended minimum distance of 100 meters for beginning straightaways, and states that no narrow section of a course should be longer than 10 feet (three meters) long. Small cones of the appropriate color, at least 12 inches (30 centimeters) high, are also now permitted to be used in lieu of painted lines or survey chalk.
According to the 2017-18 NFHS High School Athletics Participation Survey, track and field is the most popular sport for girls with 488,592 participants and is No. 2 for boys with 600,097. Cross country ranks sixth for girls with 223,518 participants and sixth for boys with 270,095.
A complete listing of the track and field and cross country rules changes will be available on the NFHS website at www.nfhs.org. Click on “Activities & Sports” at the top of the home page and select “Track and Field/Cross Country.”
INDIANAPOLIS — A new definition for a damaged bat is one of three high school softball rules changes for the 2020 season.
The three rules changes recommended by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Softball Rules Committee at its June 10-12 meeting in Indianapolis were subsequently approved by the NFHS Board of Directors.
A damaged bat will now be defined as a bat that was once legal, but is broken, cracked, dented, rattles or has sharp edges that might deface the ball (Rules 1-5-1, 7-4-2, 2-4-3).
Previously, a damaged bat was considered an illegal bat, with the penalty being an out when the batter entered the batter’s box. Now, damaged bats are simply removed from the game without penalty.
“This rule defines damaged bats and distinguishes them from non-approved and altered bats,” said Sandy Searcy, NFHS director of sports and liaison to the NFHS Softball Rules Committee. “The committee clarified the course of action that should be taken when a damaged bat is discovered in the game.”
Additionally, in Rule 1-5-1, the USA Softball All Games certification mark is now acceptable on bats. The new mark is in addition to the current ASA 2000 and ASA 2004 certification marks. Bats must bear one of these three marks and must not be listed on USA Softball’s Non-Approved Bats With Certification Marks, a list that is available on www.usasoftball.com.
“Bats bearing the 2000 and 2004 certification marks are still permissible, provided they meet specifications in Rule 1-5-1 and do not appear on USA Softball’s Non-Approved Bats with Certification Marks list,” Searcy said.
Another rules change is an adjustment to Rule 6-1-1 regarding fast-pitch pitching regulations. Pitchers must now take a position with the pivot foot in contact with the pitcher’s plate. Previously, pitchers were required to have the pivot foot on or partially on the top surface of the pitcher’s plate.
“The change allows for different styles of pitching and permits them to place their feet where pitchers feel most comfortable,” Searcy said. “The rule now clarifies that part of the foot must simply be in contact with the pitcher’s plate.”
The final change is a tweak to Rule 9-1-1 involving the scoring of runs. Under Exception “C,” a run is not scored when the third out is obtained by a preceding runner who is declared out on an appeal play. Previously, the rule only covered runners who were declared out for failing to touch one of the bases.
“There are two types of appeal plays that can be affected in this exception: failing to touch one of the bases and leaving the base too soon on a fly ball that is caught,” Searcy said. “The previous rule did not include both scenarios. The use of the phrase ‘a runner who is declared out on an appeal play’ addresses both situations.”
According to the 2017-18 NFHS High School Athletics Participation Survey, there are 367,861 girls participating in fast-pitch softball at 15,544 schools across the country, and 1,589 boys playing the sport in 35 schools.
A complete listing of the softball rules changes will be available on the NFHS website at www.nfhs.org. Click on “Activities & Sports” at the top of the home page and select “Softball.”
INDIANAPOLIS — The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) will conduct its 100th Summer Meeting June 28-July 2 in its hometown of Indianapolis, Indiana.
It will be the first Summer Meeting in Indianapolis and the first in Indiana since the 1966 conference in French Lick. The meeting will be held at the JW Marriott in downtown Indianapolis.
The CHSAA administrative staff and Board of Directors will be in attendance, and some will be serving as presenters or moderators.
Several of the key events during the NFHS Summer Meeting will be streamed live on the NFHS Network (NFHSNetwork.com). All Summer Meeting events can be accessed on the NFHS Network at no cost.
In addition to normal workshops and sessions, this year’s Summer Meeting will feature the Centennial Celebration of the NFHS, which has been providing leadership for high school athletics and performing arts since its founding in 1920.
The NFHS is composed of state high school associations in the 50 states plus the District of Columbia. About 1,000 individuals are expected to attend the Summer Meeting, including staff members and board members from the 51-member state associations.
The #NFHS100 Centennial Celebration, the 37th annual induction ceremony of the National High School Hall of Fame and discussion of several key issues affecting high school sports and performing arts highlight this year’s agenda.
The Hall of Fame Press Conference will be held at 12 p.m. EDT on Saturday, June 29, followed by the Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony at 6 p.m. EDT on Sunday, June 30.
Twelve individuals will be inducted into the National High School Hall of Fame on June 30, including Dusty Baker,Seimone Augustus, Derrick Brooks, Damon Bailey and Tracey Fuchs.
Baker was one of California’s top four-sport athletes at Del Campo High School in Sacramento prior to his outstanding 19-year baseball playing career and 22 years as a manager with four professional teams. Augustus led Capitol High School in Baton Rouge to a 138-7 record and two Louisiana girls basketball state titles in four years before her exemplary career at Louisiana State University and professional career with the Minnesota Lynx.
Brooks was selected National Defensive Player of the Year by USA Today as a high school senior at Pensacola (Florida) Washington before his stardom at Florida State University and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Bailey, Indiana’s all-time leading boys basketball scorer, also led Bedford (Indiana) North Lawrence High School to a state basketball championship in 1990 while earning National Player of the Year and Indiana Mr. Basketball honors. Fuchs was one of field hockey’s top stars at all levels, setting national records at Centereach (New York) High School before leading the University of Connecticut to a national championship and playing in four World Championships.
Three outstanding coaches will be inducted in the 2019 class, including Joe Gilbert, who has won nearly 4,000 games in softball, baseball, girls basketball, boys basketball and football in 65 years at Barnsdall (Oklahoma) High School and is still active at the age of 86.
Other coaches who will be honored this year are D. W. Rutledge, who led Converse (Texas) Judson High School to four Texas University Interscholastic League (UIL) Conference 5A state football titles prior to becoming executive director of the Texas High School Coaches Association (THSCA), and Jerry Boatner, who retired last year after leading Collinsville (Mississippi) West Lauderdale High School to 14 state baseball titles and setting the state record with 1,202 victories.
The two administrators in the 2019 class are former executive directors of the NFHS – the late Charles W. Whitten of Illinois and Bob Gardner of Indiana. Whitten led the National Federation from 1927 to 1940 prior to the establishment of a full-time office, and Gardner retired last year after 18 years on the NFHS staff, including the final eight years as executive director.
The other two members of the 2019 class are the late Ralph Stout, who was involved with football and basketball officiating with the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association (TSSAA) for 65 years; and Ginny Honomichl, a longtime coach, administrator and national coaching leader from Baldwin City (Kansas) High School who was the first female to serve as president of the Kansas Coaches Association and the NFHS Coaches Association.
Among the topics that will be discussed at the 52 workshops during the NFHS Summer Meeting are inclusion of students with a disability, competitive equity in classification alignments, minorities in leadership, mental health, retaining sports officials, hazing prevention and adjudication for music administration.
In addition, the Legal/Sports Medicine Workshop – one of the most popular workshops each year – will be held at 1 p.m. on June 30. This event provides an ideal opportunity to discuss current legal and medical issues.
The Summer Meeting will kick off on June 29 at 3 p.m. EDT with the Opening Ceremony and “We Are High School®” student program, featuring performances by two Indiana high schools – Noblesville High School and Whiteland Community High School. In addition, the NFHS will present the National High School Spirit of Sport Award and the National High School Heart of the Arts Award.
Amanda Merrell of Huntingtown (Maryland) High School will receive the National High School Spirit of Sport Award, and LaRaine Fess and the Beaufort High School Theatre Students of Beaufort (South Carolina) High School will receive the National High School Heart of the Arts Award.
The First General Session will follow the Opening Ceremony on June 29 at 4:15 p.m. EDT and features Siri Lindley, world champion triathlete, high-performance coach and author.
The Second General Session on June 30 will feature NFHS President David Jackson, NFHS Executive Director Karissa Niehoff and other staff members, and the Closing General Session on July 2 will feature speaker Alex Sheen, founder of “Because I Said I Would,” a social movement and nonprofit organization dedicated to the betterment of humanity through promises made and kept.
The Summer Meeting Luncheon will be held at 12 p.m. EDT on July 1 and will feature the presentation of NFHS Citations to 12 individuals. State association honorees include Dick Durost of Maine, Jill Masterman of Maryland, Joyce Franklin of Mississippi, Chris Kaufman of Indiana, Sue Carlsrud of North Dakota, Joey Walters of Arkansas, Diane Marshall-Freeman of California and Mike Colbrese of Washington.
Other Citation recipients are Dana Pappas of New Mexico (NFHS Officials Association), Tex Williams of West Virginia (NFHS Coaches Association), Gerald Kreitzer of Iowa (NFHS Music Association) and Gail Naylor of Kansas (NFHS Speech/Debate/Theatre Association).
The main feature of this year’s Summer Meeting is the Centennial Celebration at 6 p.m. EDT on July 2. This celebration of the 100 years of the NFHS will be held in the Sagamore Ballroom at the Indiana Convention Center.
The #NFHS100 Centennial Celebration will recognize six former executive directors of the NFHS and will celebrate the organization’s years in Chicago, Elgin, Kansas City and Indianapolis.
Former executive directors who will be recognized are the late Charles W. Whitten (1927-40), the late H. V. Porter (1940-58), the late Cliff Fagan (1958-77), Brice Durbin (1977-93), Bob Kanaby (1993-2010) and Bob Gardner (2010-18). Current NFHS Executive Director Karissa Niehoff will close the evening’s festivities.
The following events during the NFHS Summer Meeting will be streamed live on the NFHS Network (www.NFHSNetwork.com). All Summer Meeting events can be accessed on the NFHS Network at no cost.
Hall of Fame Press Conference (Saturday, June 29, 12 p.m. EDT)
INDIANAPOLIS — The nine rules changes approved for the 2019-20 high school ice hockey season focus on consistency and clarity.
The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Ice Hockey Rules Committee recommended the changes at its April 29-30 meeting in Indianapolis, and all changes were subsequently approved by the NFHS Board of Directors.
Three changes in Rule 3 related to equipment expand the maximum length of a player’s stick from 63 to 65 inches and the goalkeeper’s stick from 26 to 28 inches. Additionally, Rule 3-4-5 now emphasizes the requirement that all players, including goalkeepers, must wear helmets and facemasks that meet HECC/ASTM standards at the time of manufacture.
“From an awareness and educational standpoint, the committee continues to push the importance of wearing proper equipment for the health and safety of our participants,” said Dan Schuster, NFHS director of educational services and liaison to the Ice Hockey Rules Committee. “The committee has done a great job over the past several years and has put the rules in a good place.”
Rule 7-10-3 now clarifies that striking an opponent with the stick above the opponent’s shoulders is prohibited, regardless of whether the action was intentional or not. The change also eliminates repetitive language to allow the official to assess the appropriate penalty for an infraction.
“This creates consistency with other fouls of this nature,” Schuster said. “It gives officials flexibility to call what they see. Officials can call a minor penalty or if flagrant, a major penalty or game disqualification, depending on the severity of the infraction.”
Changes to Rules 4-7-5 and 9-2-1 make it clear that only goalkeepers can defend a penalty shot and establish that only players in goalkeeper equipment are given goalkeeper privileges, regardless of when they are substituted.
“The intent of the rules is to have goalkeepers defend the goal cage,” Schuster said. “Goalkeepers have specific equipment for a reason. This change cleans up language that other players should not be defending the goal cage.”
Two revisions to Rule 9 involve game flow. Prior to a faceoff, officials will now present the puck to the players before dropping the puck, allowing players to better see the puck before it is dropped and increasing the chance of a clean faceoff. The second change moves 9-1-11k to 9-1-9e since there is no offending team in 9-1-11, which covers when a puck deflects off an official and is illegally scored. The faceoff will now take place where the puck was last fairly played.
“It doesn’t happen often, but the committee did not like seeing the faceoff come outside of the zone in that situation,” Schuster said.
In Rule 5-3i, referees will now suspend the game – as opposed to terminating the game – if playing conditions become unsatisfactory. Suspending a contest allows it to be resumed, restarted or ended, with the decision resting with the schools, leagues and administration rather than solely with the referee.
A complete listing of all rules changes will be available on the NFHS website at www.nfhs.org.
Click on “Activities & Sports” at the top of the home page and select “Ice Hockey.”
More than 35,000 boys participate in ice hockey across the country in 1,610 high schools, and more than 9,500 girls participate in the sport in 622 schools, according to the 2017-18 NFHS Athletics Participation Survey.
INDIANAPOLIS — Five of the seven rules changes in high school basketball concern player equipment, including new uniform provisions that will be required in the 2024-25 season.
All seven rules revisions recommended by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Basketball Rules Committee at its April 23-25 meeting in Indianapolis were subsequently approved by the NFHS Board of Directors.
Effective with the 2024-25 season, the number on the jersey can no longer be the same color as the jersey itself. Currently, the number can be the same color as the jersey if it is bordered by a contrasting color. Despite the contrasting-color border, the committee said the number is still difficult to see in many cases. The other two options in Rule 3-4-3e regarding the color of the number remain in effect.
A five-year implementation date was approved to allow schools time to budget for purchasing new uniforms.
Four other changes were approved in Rule 3 – Players, Substitutes and Equipment. A new rule, 3-5-8, provides recommendations for use of a mouthguard. Though not required, the committee noted that state associations may deem a tooth and mouth protector required equipment.
A note was added to Rule 3-5-5 to permit folding or rolling the shorts at the natural waistband seam. The new language does state that the shorts have to be in compliance with Rule 3-4-5, which restricts uniform pants/skirts to one visible manufacturer’s logo/trademark/reference.
Theresia Wynns, NFHS director of sports and officials and liaison to the Basketball Rules Committee, said this addition to Rule 3-5-5 modernizes the rule and allows players to adjust the shorts in a manner that serves no harm to the game or its integrity.
The other equipment changes deal with headbands and hair-control devices in Rule 3-5-4. The maximum width of the headband was expanded from 2 inches to 3 inches to be consistent with the rules for volleyball and accommodate athletes who play both sports. In addition, in 3-5-4d, hair-control devices are not required to meet color restrictions. Wynns noted that a hair-control device goes around the hair only, while a headband goes around the entire head.
In another change, assistant coaches now will be able to go onto the court with the head coach in an effort to restore order when a fight breaks out among players.
“It can be difficult for officials to separate players involved in a fight on the court,” Wynns said. “This change will allow assistant coaches to enter the court with the head coach to assist officials in regaining control of the situation and restoring player safety.”
The final change approved by the Basketball Rules Committee is a change in the signal when a held ball occurs. Now, when a held ball occurs, the covering official(s) shall stop the clock using Signal #2 (straight arm, open palm extended) while simultaneously sounding the whistle.
“This change should help to alleviate conflicting calls by officials when a held ball occurs,” Wynns said. “We currently raise one arm to stop the clock for everything except the jump/held ball.”
According to the 2018-19 NFHS High School Athletics Participation Survey, basketball is the third-most popular sport for boys with 551,373 participants in 18,510 schools and the third-most popular sport for girls with 412,407 participants in 18,171 schools.
Colorado High School Activities Association Commissioner Rhonda Blanford-Green is one of seven inductees into the University of Nebraska Hall of Fame, joining “pioneer inductees” Carol Frost, Ed Weir, Greichaly Cepero (volleyball/basketball, 1999-2003), Wes Suter (gymnastics 1983-86), Grant Winstrom (football, 1994-97) and Francis Allen (gymnastics coach, 1970-2009).
Commissioner Blanford-Green competed for the Huskers from 1982-85 and was an 18-time Big Eight champion and eight-time All-American. She holds the school mark in the 50-meter hurdles, 60-yard hurdles and the 55-meter hurdles. A member of three national championship teams, the Huskers swept the indoor and outdoor Big Eight titles throughout her career. She was one of the first athletes – male or female – to win five gold medals in a conference championship meet.
Blanford-Green worked at CHSAA both as assistant commissioner and associate commissioner from 1996-2012 and was named CHSAA commissioner in 2017. She was executive director at the Nebraska School Activities Association from 2012-15 and was assistant executive director at the Louisiana High School Athletic Association from 2015-2017. At various times in Colorado, she oversaw boys’ soccer, spirit, track and field, cross country, hockey and skiing. She also oversaw equity, marketing, public relations and legislative relations. She started many initiatives at CHSAA, including the creation of the Association’s transgender policy, which has since become a national model used by other states.
In 2012, Blanford-Green was named the executive director of the Nebraska School Activities Association, becoming the first African-American woman in the country to serve in that capacity. She is the first female to serve as CHSAA’s commissioner, as well as the first African-American.
A 1981 graduate of Aurora Central High School, where she starred in track and also competed in spirit and volleyball, Blanford-Green went on to excel in track at the University of Nebraska. She was the national prep leader in the 30-inch hurdles and held three state records in the 100-meter hurdles, 100-meter dash and long jump. After college, she twice qualified for the U.S. Olympic trials. She was coached at the University of Wyoming for several years before joining CHSAA.
Blanford-Green is a member of the CHSAA Hall of Fame as a participant (2012 inductee), the Sportswoman of Colorado Hall of Fame, the Nebraska Black Sports Hall of Fame, and the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame.
The 2019 class will be introduced August 30, then recognized during the university’s football game the next day.
INDIANAPOLIS — In an ongoing effort to minimize the risk of injury in high school wrestling, additional time will be given to evaluate head and neck injuries when an appropriate health-care professional is present at a match.
In addition to the 1½ minutes of injury time allotted for each wrestler, an appropriate health-care professional will have a maximum of five minutes to evaluate injuries to the head and neck involving the cervical column and/or nervous systems. At that point, the wrestler would have to continue or default the match.
This revision in injury time in Rule 8-2-4 is one of 17 rules changes recommended by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Wrestling Rules Committee at its April 3-5 meeting in Indianapolis. All recommendations were subsequently approved by the NFHS Board of Directors.
A second injury to the head and neck involving cervical column and/or central nervous system in the same match shall require the wrestler to default the match. If an appropriate health-care professional is not present, all injuries to the head and neck would be covered by the same timeframe as other injuries. In the case of a wrestler exhibiting signs of a concussion, the individual would be removed from the match and could not return to competition in the absence of an appropriate health-care professional.
In another change geared to increase the level of offensive wrestling, stalling has been removed from the progressive penalty chart and will be penalized separately. In Rule 8-1-4, the first penalty for stalling will be a warning. The opponent will be awarded one match point on the second and third offenses, two match points and choice of position on the next restart for the fourth offense. A fifth offense for stalling will result in disqualification.
“By removing stalling from the progressive penalty sequence, officials will be able to penalize wrestlers more freely without complicating the matter when it is combined with other penalties,” said Elliot Hopkins, director of sports and student services and liaison to the Wrestling Rules Committee. “Removing the stalling call from the penalty progression will allow officials more freedom to call stalling earlier, more consistently and without hesitation when they feel it is warranted.”
Changes were made in several rules dealing with uniform requirements in an effort to ensure that male and female wrestlers are properly attired on the mat during competition.
All contestants wearing a one-piece singlet shall wear a suitable undergarment that completely covers the buttocks and groin area. Female wrestlers wearing a one-piece singlet shall wear a form-fitted compression undergarment that completely covers their breasts.
In other uniform and equipment changes, if shoelaces come undone, the penalty is an automatic stalling call. In Rule 4-2-1, hair-treatment items that are hard and/or abrasive, such as beads, bobby pins, barrettes, pins and hair clips, shall not be permitted. A legal hair-controlled device such as a rubber band shall be secured so as not to come out readily during wrestling.
“Hair that is manipulated poses no threat to either wrestler,” Hopkins said. “It is neither abrasive nor cumbersome. However, physical hair treatments do present a risk to either wrestler due to the hardness, texture or abrasiveness, and should not be allowed.”
In other changes, Rule 7-3-1 now states that “when the referee feels that either wrestler has failed to make every effort to stay inbounds during an imminent scoring situation, the offending wrestler shall be penalized for fleeing the mat. . .”
“This change allows the referee to only apply the technical violation call of fleeing when the action is related specifically to a scoring situation,” Hopkins said. “All other types of leaving the wrestling area as a means of avoiding wrestling would fall under the rule of stalling.”
According to the 2017-18 NFHS High School Athletics Participation Survey, wrestling is the seventh-most popular sport for boys with 245,564 participants in 10,775 schools. In addition, there were 16,562 girls who participated in wrestling in 2,351 schools.
INDIANAPOLIS — Effective with the 2019-20 high school season, a legal finish now requires the competitor to contact either the touchpad or the finish end coinciding with the individual stroke of the race.
With this change, swimmers can legally complete a race by touching the finish end (end wall), regardless of whether the touchpad is activated.
This rules revision, which affects the finish of all strokes used in swimming, was one of two swimming and four diving changes recommended by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Swimming and Diving Rules Committee at its March 24-26 meeting in Indianapolis. All recommendations were subsequently approved by the NFHS Board of Directors.
Rule 8-1-7 now will require swimmers to contact the finish end in the manner prescribed by the individual strokes. Descriptions of the backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly and freestyle finishes in Rule 8-2 state that a legal finish requires contact with either the touchpad or the finish end.
As a result of these changes, a swimmer will no longer be disqualified if the touchpad is not activated in races using automatic-timing systems.
“This change allows for situations in which pools do not have touchpads that stretch the entire width of the lane, or in cases where the touchpad is not activated when the competitor finishes the race,” said Sandy Searcy, NFHS director of sports and liaison to the Swimming and Diving Rules Committee. “In those cases, the competitor legally finishes the race by contacting the finish end.”
The other major swimming rules change involved the protocol for uniform violations, which involved reorganization of Rule 3-3 to specify the penalty protocol for uniform violations. While the penalties associated with an illegal uniform did not change, a new process for communicating any violations to the competitor was approved.
Effective with the 2019-20 season, when an official discovers a competitor wearing illegal attire specifically dealing with suit coverage as described in Rule 3-3-2, the official shall notify the coach of the competitor to make the attire legal before he or she is eligible to compete – if the uniform violation is observed prior to the start of the heat/dive. If the competitor cannot comply without delaying the start of the heat/dive, the competitor is disqualified from the event/dive and is not eligible for further competition until the attire is made legal.
Previously, the official notified the competitor directly when illegal attire was discovered; now the official will notify the coach of the competitor.
“The penalty associated with this rule was written to provide clear indication that the coach of the competitor should be notified when a violation of this nature has occurred,” Searcy said. “In the case of suit construction and cap violations, for practicality and concerns over delay of the meet, the officials may communicate with either the competitor or coach.”
Among the four diving rules changes was a change in degree of difficulty in the diving table in Rule 9-4. In a risk-minimization change, the degree of difficulty for back and reverse double somersaults was lowered to match back and reverse 1½ somersaults. This change is consistent with the degree of difficulty assessed to back and reverse dives versus back and reverse somersaults.
In Rule 9-5-6, descriptions of diving positions were adjusted to maintain consistency with national trends. Language has been updated to clarify requirements of the straight, pike, tuck and free positions.
In Rule 9-7-4, the following Note was approved: “In a championship meet, the diving referee may consult with a designated member of the judging panel concerning a possible unsatisfactory dive.”
“The addition of this Note is consistent with the diving referee’s capability of consulting with a designated member of the judging panel concerning a possible failed dive,” Searcy said. “Because of the severity of the penalty and the judging panels seated on opposite sides of the pool or spread out on one side covering 10-12 feet along the side of the pool, providing the option for the referee to consult with another member of the panel to determine if a dive is satisfactory is appropriate.”
Rule 9-1-3 regarding a fulcrum was updated to comply with industry standards. Searcy said the change aligns with current diving board manufacturers’ installation directions.
According to the 2017-18 NFHS High School Athletic Participation Survey, swimming and diving is the 10th-most popular sport for boys with 138,935 participants in 7,595 schools, and the eighth-most popular sport for girls with 175,594 participants in 7,961 schools.
