INDIANAPOLIS — Religious headwear will now be permitted without state association approval in high school soccer, effective with the 2021-22 season.
This change in Rule 4-2 of the NFHS Soccer Rules Book was recommended by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Soccer Rules Committee at its January 18-20 meeting, which was held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The two recommended revisions to Rule 4 were subsequently approved by the NFHS Board of Directors.
Acting on an earlier recommendation to all sports rules committee by the Board of Directors, the Soccer Rules Committee adopted the following new language for Rule 4-2-10: “Head coverings worn for religious reasons shall not be made of abrasive or hard material and must fit securely.”
Theresia Wynns, NFHS director of sports and officials and liaison to the Soccer Rules Committee, said the new rule will allow student-athletes to express their religious beliefs through the wearing of headwear without the approval of the respective state association.
Language regarding religious headwear was deleted from Rule 4-2-11, which now refers solely to head coverings for medical or cosmetic reasons. Head coverings for these usages still require a physician’s statement before a state association can grant approval.
With many states that play soccer in the fall affected by the pandemic, there were fewer rules proposals this year, so the committee turned much of its discussion to points of emphasis for the 2021-22 season. Eight states that normally conduct boys soccer in the fall were unable to play due to restrictions from COVID-19, and 18 other states had to modify their seasons in some way. On the girls side, six states were unable to play in the fall, and 15 states modified seasons.
“In addition to addressing the religious headwear situation, the committee agreed to continue three points of emphasis from last year and approved two new ones for the coming season,” Wynns said. “One of the points we are continuing is to emphasize that high school athletics, and high school soccer, is education-based. Improving skills and winning games is a part of the overall goal; however, the quest to win games, events and championships cannot come at the expense of providing these educational opportunities.”
In addition to this point of emphasis, others being continued from last year are reckless and serious foul play, and properly worn uniforms and marked fields.
The new points of emphasis for 2021-22 are sportsmanship and professional responsibilities for officials.
With regard to sportsmanship, the committee noted that the message of good sportsmanship should be addressed by school administration with their students, coaches, parents and spectators alike, which includes a message that prohibits taunting and the use of profanity during games.
A complete listing of the soccer 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 “Soccer.”
According to the most recent NFHS High School Athletics Participation Survey, soccer is the fifth most popular high school sport for boys with 459,077 participants in 12,552 schools nationwide. Soccer is the fourth most popular sport for girls with 394,105 participants in 12,107 schools.
INDIANAPOLIS — Guidance for the use of face masks and the allowance of religious headwear to be worn during play without state association consent are among the most significant rules changes that will take effect with the 2021 high school field hockey season.
During its virtual meeting held January 11-13, the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Field Hockey Rules Committee included these subjects in its list of eight proposed rules changes that were reviewed and later approved by the NFHS Board of Directors.
“Given that many schools played a modified or shortened season with the 2020 rules and some have not yet played or may not play, the committee thought it wise to limit changes to the 2021 rules,” said Anna Saccoccio, chair of the NFHS Field Hockey Rules Committee. “Safety of players is always a main concern, and the 2021 rules will clarify any confusion and concerns around the use of face masks during play.”
Face masks were addressed as an addition to Rule 1-6-5, which now permits field players to wear face masks throughout the game provided they are smooth, rounded, preferably transparent or single-colored and fit flush with the face. Players may not affix masks to hard, unyielding headgear – even if padded – and are prohibited from using them to endanger opposing players.
“With the NFHS Board of Directors making changes to the rules book pertaining to goggles in June of 2020, it was important for the Field Hockey Rules Committee to offer guidance for the state associations on the wearing of face masks,” said Julie Cochran, NFHS director of sports and liaison to the Field Hockey Rules Committee. “The committee’s continued focus has been to make sure the rules book is organized effectively for high school officials.”
To promote the participation of student-athletes from all religious backgrounds, Rule 1-5-4 was amended to include religious headwear that is secured to the body and made of non-abrasive, soft materials as acceptable player uniform attire. As a result of this change, which was first recommended by the NFHS Board of Directors, players are no longer required to seek permission from their state associations to wear religious head coverings and have a better ability to exercise their freedom of religion without increased injury risk to themselves or others.
Schools may now display their team names and/or logos on the 18-inch goal boards at the base of the field hockey net, with the caveat the boards must remain predominantly dark-colored. Goal board decals are an optional customization element for schools and are strictly limited to team name and logo; advertisements are not permitted.
Substitution procedures were edited to assist officials in managing field entries. Previously, players could join the game from the designated substitution area or the equivalent space on the opposite side of the field. Rule 1-4-5 now states that participants may only be substituted at the designated area, and the corresponding access point across the field has been eliminated.
The 2021 Field Hockey Rules Book will also feature three new definitions that will provide necessary clarification of key terms. Two new articles in Rule 3-3 (Rule 3-3-10 and 3-3-11) define an “aerial ball” as “an intentional pass in the air above players, using a flick or scoop” and a “sweep” as “a legal stroke which involves a swinging movement of the stick, maintained horizontal and close to the ground, towards the ball.” The official definition of a “dangerous ball” is outlined in Rule 3-4-4 as “a ball that causes legitimate evasive action by a player.”
Finally, minor changes were made to remove redundant language from Rules 8-1-1 and 8-1-1c, which deal with fouls and penalties.
A complete listing of the field hockey 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 “Field Hockey.”
Sixteen NFHS member state associations conduct state championships in girls field hockey, a sport that includes 60,824 participants in 1,768 schools nationwide according to the most recent NFHS High School Athletics Participation Survey.
INDIANAPOLIS – The rule regarding blocking below the waist in the free-blocking zone in high school football has been revised for the upcoming 2021 season.
This rule change was recommended by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Football Rules Committee at its January 10-12 meeting, which was held virtually this year. This change to the 2021 NFHS Football Rules Book was subsequently approved by the NFHS Board of Directors.
As a result of numerous interpretations of current language regarding blocking below the waist in the free-blocking zone, the committee approved another condition in Rule 2-17-2 that must be met for a legal block below the waist in the free-blocking zone, which is a rectangular area extending laterally 4 yards either side of the spot of the snap and 3 yards behind each line of scrimmage.
The new requirement (2-17-2c) is that the block must be an immediate, initial action following the snap. Under the current rule, an offensive lineman can delay and then block below the waist if the ball is still in the zone. In the committee’s ongoing quest to minimize risk in high school football, the change was approved to require the block to be immediate.
“This change makes it easier for game officials to judge the legality of blocks below the waist and minimizes risk of injury for participants,” said Bob Colgate, NFHS director of sports and sports medicine and liaison to the Football Rules Committee. “This change lets game officials observe the block and make a call without having to determine where the ball is and what formation the offense lined up in.”
Blocking in the back continues to be legal in the free-blocking zone by offensive linemen who are on the line of scrimmage and in the zone at the snap, against defensive players who are in the zone at the snap and the contact is in the zone.
The committee noted there has been no criticism of the current rules governing blocks in the back as they are delayed blocks by nature, above the waist and considered to be a safe and necessary legal block.
“I believe this rule change will help make the interpretation of blocking below the waist consistent across the country starting next football season,” said Richard McWhirter, chair of the NFHS Football Rules Committee and assistant executive director of the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association.
The Football Rules Committee is composed of one representative from each of the NFHS member state associations that use NFHS playing rules, along with representatives from the NFHS Coaches Association, NFHS Officials Association and NFHS Sports Medicine Advisory Committee.
A complete listing of the football 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 “Football.”
According to the most recent NFHS High School Athletics Participation Survey, 11-player football is the most popular high school sport for boys with 1,006,013 participants in 14,247 schools nationwide. In addition, there were 31,221 boys who participated in 6-, 8- and 9-player football, along with 2,604 girls in all four versions of the game for a grand total of 1,039,828.
DENVER — With the 2020-21 high school football calendar being altered by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Denver Broncos and the Colorado High School Activities Association (CHSAA) have launched the Denver Broncos High School Virtual Combine, an online program designed to assist Colorado student athletes with aspirations of playing college football.
In partnership with GMTM, an athlete exposure platform, the all-virtual combine provides student athletes the opportunity to create a player profile, upload highlights and statistics and display individual skills and talents while building an online recruiting brand platform.
Participation in the program is free, and prospective athletes are able to connect with collegiate recruiters — Division I FBS through Division III — and participate in 11 pre-set combine tests to showcase their abilities through athletic, football and character challenges.
In addition, the combine features footage of Denver Broncos NFL Combine performances and video presentations from Broncos Director of Team Nutrition Bryan Snyder, Head Strength and Conditioning Coach Loren Landow and members of the football operations staff. The 11 pre-set combine tests include:
Athletic highlight challenge
Football highlight challenge
40-yard dash
3 cone drill
20-yard shuttle
Broad jump
Bench press or pushups
Your position, your drill demonstration
Character challenge – What does character mean to you?
Character challenge – What does football mean to you?
Nutrition challenge – How do you fuel your workouts?
High school students of all ages are eligible to participate, and submissions for combine-specific elements will remain open for an eight-week period.
PURPOSE The CHSAA Sports Medicine Advisory Committee is a collective group of medical and educational professionals whose expertise provides current information to the association membership. It is designed to reflect and evaluate information provided throughout several resources.
MISSION The mission of the Sports Medicine Advisory Committee (SMAC) is to provide information, vision, and guidance to the Colorado High School Activities Association (CHSAA), while emphasizing the health and safety of students participating in interscholastic sports and activities.
Athlete Hygiene/Skin Infections
The transmission of infections such as Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Herpes Gladiatorum, blood-borne pathogens such as HIV and Hepatitis B, and other infectious diseases can often be greatly reduced through proper hygiene.
UNIVERSAL HYGIENE PROTOCOL FOR ALL SPORTS
Shower immediately after every competition and practice, using liquid soap and not a shared bar of soap
Wash all workout clothing after each practice, washing in hot water and drying on a high heat setting
Clean and/or wash all personal gear (knee pads, head gear, braces, etc.) and gym bags at least weekly
Do not share towels or personal hygiene products (razors) with others
Refrain from full body and/or cosmetic shaving of head, chest, arms, legs, abdomen and groin
Prevention – Remind athletes to shower immediately after practice/meets, change workout clothes/socks daily and do not share equipment or towels.
Be Vigilant – Look at athletes’ skin daily for wounds or lesions, clean and cover open wounds or scrapes so they don’t get infected and let athletes know they should report skin lesions to the coaches or athletic trainer immediately.
Seek Treatment – Get athletes to a health care provider immediately for diagnosis and treatment of skin lesions. Many of these skin infections require minimum treatment times in order for the athletes to be eligible.
For complete CHSAA Athlete Hygiene and Skin Infection information, please click HERE.
Spine Injury
MANAGEMENT
Immediately stabilize the Cervical spine.
If a helmet is present it should not be removed unless proper personnel are onsite (3 or more with proper training in equipment removal).
If helmet remains in place, ATC or EMS should remove facemask using appropriate tools while maintaining the head and neck in a neutral position.
Stabilization of the neck in a neutral position is performed by grasping behind the ears and cupping the back of the head and simply supporting the head, preventing side to side, forward or backward motion or rotation of the neck.
Under no circumstances should traction be applied to the athlete’s head or neck.
If the athlete is in a sport without protective gear or protective gear has been removed, a cervical collar should be placed by ATC. Cervical collar alone is not enough to protect the neck, continue to hold stabilization.
The athlete’s head should be moved into the neutral position unless moving the athlete’s head/neck causes increased pain, muscle spasm, loss of neurological function or restriction in range of motion.
A player found in the prone position (on stomach/facedown) must be returned to the supine position (on back/faceup) for evaluation.
The proper technique for transitioning the prone patient to supine is the “prone log roll technique”
This means that the body, arms, legs and head, with 4-6 people helping, are all rolled together as a unit at the same speed.
Emergency cards should be easily accessible, and parents of the athlete should be contacted ASAP.
It is the responsibility of the school to contact their local EMS services and to have a protocol in place for management of suspected spine injuries. This is a vital part of EAP and training.
Once EMS arrives, they will assume responsibility of the situation and may add or remove equipment as they see necessary. There should continue to be teamwork between ATC, on-field staff and EMS.
For complete CHSAA Spine Injury information, please click HERE.
Head Trauma & Concussions
A concussion is a type of traumatic brain injury, or TBI, caused by a bump, blow, or jolt to the head or neck that can change the way your brain normally works.
Call the toll-free National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (NSPL) at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The service is available to everyone. The deaf and hard of hearing can contact the Lifeline via TTY by dialing 711 then 1-800-273-8255. All calls are confidential. Dial 911 in an emergency.
SYMPTOMS All individuals may not exhibit every symptom
These symptoms may indicate depression, particularly when lasting for more than two weeks:
• Poor performance in school
• Withdrawal from friends and activities
• Sadness and hopelessness
• Lack of enthusiasm, energy or motivation
• Loss of interest in activities they used to enjoy
• Anger and rage
• Overreaction to criticism
• Feelings of being unable to satisfy ideals
• Poor self-esteem or guilt
• Indecision, lack of concentration or forgetfulness
• Restlessness or agitation
• Changes in eating or sleeping patterns
• Substance abuse
• Sexual promiscuity
• Risk-taking behaviors
• Problems with authority
• Suicidal thoughts or actions
TEEN SUICIDE WARNING SIGNS • Suicide threats (direct and indirect)
• Obsession with death
• Poems, essays or drawings that refer to death
• Giving away belongings
• A sense of “hopelessness” and/or no
future vision
• Dramatic change in personality or appearance
• Irrational, bizarre behavior
• Overwhelming sense of guilt, shame or rejection
• Significantly changed eating patterns (including drastic weight gains or losses)
• Significantly changed sleeping patterns (especially contributing to school truancy)
• Severe drop in school performance or social interest
GOAL SETTING: As our student athletes’ transition to a new year, this can be a natural time to think about setting goals, perhaps for their specific sport, academics or areas of interest. This may be especially true after a very challenging year like we’ve had. When psychologists work with athletes, they often use a variety of different methods to help athletes achieve their goals. One of the most commonly used strategies is setting SMART goals. SMART stands for:
Specific: Write out clear, concise goals Measurable: Make sure to track you progress…write it out! Achievable: Set challenging yet achievable goals. Relevant: Set goals that are relevant to your plan, be it sports, academics, etc. Timely: Make sure your goal has a target finish time.
Some common pitfalls that can happen in goal setting:
Focusing only on the outcome of winning or losing. It is really important for individuals to set goals based on their own levels of performance. When you focus on the performance goal, you’re chances of winning increase.
Don’t set too many goals at once. The more you set, the more difficult it can be to evaluate your goals or change them if an injury or other life situation happens.
Setting unspecific or unmeasurable goals: the less specific, the harder it will be to measure. For example, “Improving my passing in soccer” is a difficult goal to measure. A baseball catcher wanting to improve his throws to 2nd base when a runner is stealing is much more specific and measurable.
As a reminder, if your child, teen or athlete appear to be struggling with symptoms of anger, stress, depression or anxiety, let them you know you are there to support them. Scheduling an appointment with their pediatrician or family doctor can be an important step to getting them the help they need. Students can also reach out to the Colorado Crisis Line and text or talk with a professional. Text “Talk” to 38255 or call 1-844-493-8255.
Information provided by: Alex J. Reed, PsyD, MPH Assistant Professor, University of Colorado School of Medicine
The Colorado High School Activities Association (CHSAA) does not have the authority to interpret or change CDPHE, Local Health Departments or the Governor’s Executive Orders in regards to capacity limitations for sport arenas, gyms, pools, recreational facilities, ice rinks, classrooms, restaurants, theaters, and so on.
CHSAA is required to follow CDPHE’s dial level guidance which dictates the capacity restrictions followed by your school, districts and local county health departments unless CDPHE issues specific variances to the dial for certain activities.
In these unprecedented times, we understand the amount of miscommunication and misdirected angst that develops through our member school communities as the CHSAA resumes athletics and activities in 2021 for student-participants statewide. Setting public or private capacity limitations which may include players, officials, event workers, spectators are not made or interpreted at the Association level.
We celebrate the start of Season B programs today. Tireless work and hours happen behind the scenes, so I would like to personally thank the CHSAA administrators, directors and their executive assistants, member school administrators, coaches, officials, volunteers and state officials, that have worked through the many challenges to provide these opportunities, which are not taken for granted or owed on behalf of Colorado High School student-participants.
Class 6A may once again be part of football’s future.
During their annual meeting on Thursday, the football committee voted to recommend the addition of an eighth classification. This recommendation will need to be voted upon and approved by the Legislative Council this spring in order to be implemented.
If approved there, 6A would join the other seven classes — 5A, 4A, 3A, 2A, 1A, 8-man, and 6-man — in the fall of 2022.
“I think it’s a start to the process,” said committee member Bruce Grose, the athletic director at Vista Ridge, during discussion. “It’s the start of creating classifications that are like programs, and not just [enrollment] numbers. All along, we’ve divided pretty much just by numbers, and I think we need to reevaluate that process. I think this is the right step forward to create more equity.”
CHSAA assistant commissioner Adam Bright mentioned that his overarching goal for football is to “figure out how we can have like programs competing against one another, and create some equity amongst our classifications.”
“It’s not simply about the number of kids that walk in the door,” Bright added. “Let’s look at programs, and like programs.”
Football has had a 6A classification before, from 1990-93, but this would look different for a number of reasons, most notable that it would be larger than it was back then, which will reduce the size of all classes — and not just large schools.
With 287 schools declaring that they will have football teams in 2022, it means each classification could be comprised of roughly 36 teams or so. Currently, they are in the 40-42 range.
Additionally, the membership has empowered the CHSAA office in recent years with the ability to classify schools with criteria other than just the traditional factor of enrollment. This includes factors such as on-field success of programs, participation rate, geography, enrollment trend, and socioeconomics of school’s population.
“Adding the 6A classification gives us the platform … to really reinvent football and allow for that competitive equity that we keep talking about. I think this is a step in the right direction,” said Steamboat Springs athletic director Luke DeWolfe, a committee member who is also on the CHSAA Board of Directors.
Said committee chair Chris Noll, the district athletic director for District 11 in Colorado Springs: “For the last 6 or 7 years, we continue to talk about the same problem, and we continue to kick the can down the road. … We’ve talked a lot today about Championship Weekend, and ‘state championship this,’ and ‘league champion that’ — I think we also have to focus a little bit of our time on those teams that struggle.”
Added committee member Ryan Goddard, the coach at Pueblo South: “Looking at this globally, I think our biggest problem across the state in each classification is our top-8 teams in each classification and the bottom-8 teams in each classification are nowhere near each other. Is it how we classify teams, or how our classifications are structured? I think ‘both’ answers that question.”
Other sports, such as basketball and volleyball, are also considering whether not to to add a Class 6A in the near future.
The idea of 6A football has been brought up a few times in recent years. Various proposals to add an eighth classification were shot down at Legislative Council in 2015 and again in 2019. It was also discussed in 2017, but no proposal materialized.
It is worth noting, however, that the 2015 and 2019 proposals looked much different than this current plan. In 2019, for example, the 6A classification would have been created solely for the postseason.
And, perhaps most notably, in both 2015 and 2019, the football committee not only did not endorse or recommend the plans, but instead actively spoke out against them.
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Postseason
The football committee made a series of moves that sets the sport up to have all championship games on one weekend. It also opens the potential for a single site to host all championship games in the future — something that was done this past fall for the first time in the sport’s history, and has been met with great enthusiasm around the state.
First, they voted to have a 10-week regular season in all classes, with each class having the option of playing 9 or 10 games. Then, they voted to have the same number of playoff qualifiers in each classification.
“I think they should all be equal,” said committee member Greg Jones, the athletic director at Monte Vista. “If everybody’s the same across the board, it goes along with what we just did with 6A.”
Following a long discussion, the committee voted to have each classification have 24 teams make the postseason.
“If we’re talking about kids, kids want that experience, kids want to be part of something,” said committee member Marty Tonjes, the athletic director at Horizon. “If it’s what’s best for kids, we should create opportunity for kids.”
Currently, 5A and 4A have 24 qualifiers, while 6-man through 3A have 16 teams make the postseason. In the past, there had been three weekends of state championship games.
Finally, the football committee also passed a motion to have semifinal games hosted by the higher seed in the semifinals, and championship games at neutral sites in all classes.
Seeding will be done by the CHSAA Seeding Index: CHSAA RPI, MaxPreps Rankings, Packard Rankings and the CHSAANow coaches poll. Teams can only be moved due to geography.
As with 6A, these recommendations need to be approved by the Legislative Council in order to take effect. If approved, these changes would take effect in 2022.
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Fall 2021 championship sites
Following overwhelming positive feedback about a single-site state championship, the committee moved to have the 6-man, 8-man, 1A and 2A title games at CSU-Pueblo for the fall 2021 season. Those games are scheduled for the weekend of Nov. 27.
“There was a lot of discussion and positivity about how each game had their own moment and their own spotlight,” Goddard said.
Added Regis Jesuit coach Danny Filleman, another committee member: “It just makes that state championship a little more special for those kids and players.”
The 3A game will remain at CSU-Pueblo the following weekend, on Dec. 4. And 4A and 5A are set to return to Mile High that same date.
Going forward, “we will explore all options” for a single-site state championship for all games, Bright said.
Earlier, the committee voted to add a 10th game in 6-man for the 2021 season, so that the alignment of championship games with 2A, 1A, and 8-man would be possible.
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Summer camps
With 48 schools set to play football this spring in Season C, the decision was made to change the usual 10-day summer contact camps to an extra week of practice in the fall.
There was concern from the national Sports Medicine Advisory Committee for states that are playing spring football seasons surrounding a lack of rest.
If approved, football teams would begin practice on Aug. 2 rather than Aug. 9, and ramp up their contact from there.
“This provides us to get the work in we would in the padded camps, but also provide our athletes who compete in the spring the chance to rest, and avoid any equity issues of some teams being allowed to have camps while others cannot,” Bright said.
CHSAA associate commissioner Tom Robinson served as the replay coordinator during college football’s National Championship game on Monday.
Robinson oversees officials, boys and girls golf and sportsmanship in the CHSAA office, and has worked for the Association for the past 19 years. He also serves as the replay coordinator for the Big XII Conference, and oversees the replay operation each weekend during the fall at the conference’s Replay Operations Center.
A Big XII officiating crew was assigned to work the national title game. So as part of that, Robinson served as the replay coordinator of the National Championship game, which saw Alabama beat Ohio State.
“I’m blessed, man,” Robinson said last week.
Robinson also served in the same capacity for the national semifinal game between Ohio State and Clemson.
“Not as nerve-wracking as the first one,” Robinson said. “It feels like you’re back in the hot seat, for sure. There’s just not a lot of people that get to do it, that get to go, that get to be in the front row. It’s pretty amazing that I’m the one walking through the door.”
Prior to becoming the replay coordinator for the Big XII, Robinson worked in the Replay Operations Center for two years.
Robinson was an on-field official in the Western Athletic Conference and Mountain West from 1975-2000, and worked the Bluebonnet, Fiesta, Rose, Cotton, Gator, Independence and Citrus Bowls during his career. He was also a high school official from 1969-75.
He was named CHSAA’s associate commissioner in 2014, and is in charge of golf and sportsmanship for the Association. He has served on the football and basketball rules committees for the National Federation of State High School Associations.
Robinson is a 1969 graduate of Colorado State University where he ran track, played basketball and football.
Prior to joining CHSAA in 2001, he was a math teacher and coach at Regis Jesuit for 30 years, and also served as the school’s director of diversity for six years.
