Important New Development
(Information from NSAA Assistant Director Jim Angele)
The NSAA Board of Control took action today (Monday, May
11th), amending the approved ruling concerning the starting
date for the 2009 summer baseball season.
Summer baseball teams, coached by high school coaches, can
begin tryouts/practice free of any NSAA restrictions
beginning on Sunday, May 17th. (Instead of Week 47 or May
24th of the NSAA standardized calendar). The Board's
decision will allow organized summer baseball teams the
opportunity to have tryouts, practices and keep their games
as scheduled for Memorial Day weekend.
This should solve many of the problems and concerns caused
by the American Legion program moving up the start of its
season one week and the NSAA rolling back its calendar one
week during the 2008-09 school year. The two schedule
changes caused a conflict with the NSAA's organized practice
and outside participation rules.
The NSAA and the American Legion have a long-standing
agreement, which dates back to the 1950s, to work together
and promote a smooth transition from the spring to the
summer season. Our Board of Control recognizes that, and I
am glad that they were willing to quickly resolve this issue
in a timely manner.
Publisher's Note: this is very good news. Let's
get ready to play summer ball, gentlemen!
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Correspondence from NSAA Assistant Director Jim Angele, who oversees
baseball for the organization, was sent out to high school baseball
coaches across the state after a phone conversation with the American
Legion's Athletic Committee Chairman Don Kiviniemi, Jr. earlier this
week to remind them that NSAA rules impose certain date restrictions on
when teams and players can start preparing for the summer season.
"We began receiving information indicating that some summer teams were
planning to start playing games on Saturday, May 23rd," explained
Angele. "So we sent out an email to coaches to remind them that the
first date when coaches of spring teams can start holding practices in
preparation for organized summer competition is Sunday, May 24th."
There are couple of provisions of the NSAA Bylaws which govern the
transition from spring ball to organized summer competition, according
to Angele. The first of those is known as the "Organized Practice Rule."
This rule prevents high school coaches from working with players outside
of the official season for that sport
during the school year. Most players and coaches are aware that spring
season coaches may not organize practices involving more than four
players at one time before the season begins but may not also be aware
that the same rule prohibits those activities after the season is over
as well.
For purposes of the Organized Practice Rule, the baseball season is over
at the conclusion of the state tournament or the end of school year is
reached, whichever occurs later. The rules also provide that the season
ends for non-varsity teams on the last day of the varsity season.
However, for purposes of the Organized Practice Rule the "out-of-season"
period doesn't continue through the summer months; it ends around the
end of the school year and then resumes around August 1st.
For most sports, the prohibition on out-of-season practices ends on
Memorial Day. From the Tuesday after Memorial Day until July 31 teams
and their coaches can engage in athletic workouts without penalty so
long as the school is not providing any financial support for this
activity.
In the case of baseball, a special "Approved Ruling and Interpretation"
of Article 3.2.8.6 provides for the possibility of an earlier end to the
"out-of-season" period, allowing summer baseball practices to begin:
3.2.8.6 The organized practice rule shall be in effect during the
school year until Memorial Day, except in the case of organized teams
(e.g., Legion baseball, etc.). If a high school coach or other adult
associated with the school program is also the coach of an organized
non-school team, practice and competition involving the coach and
athletes of that non-school team may begin at the conclusion of the
state tournament of that activity or during Week 47 of the standardized
calendar, whichever date is later.
This rule is intended to allow summer baseball teams, in most years, to
start practicing the week before Memorial Day. Most of the time,
according to Angele, Week 47 (which is a date derived from a
standardized calendar promulgated by the National Federation of High
Schools to which the NSAA belongs) falls the week before Memorial Day.
But about every five years, Week 47 corresponds with the week of
Memorial Day, which is the case this year.
"Every few years, Week 47 gets pushed back a week later otherwise it
would just keep falling earlier and earlier every year," explained
Angele. "We're in one of those "roll-back" years this year when Week 47
falls on the week of Memorial Day rather than the week before. This
means that teams have to wait until Sunday, May 24th to start practice
or games. The American Legion also moved up its season by a week, and so
our dates are overlapping, creating the problem. It‘s a fluke in the
scheduling."
The other rule that comes into play is called the Dual Participation
Rule which prevents players from playing for a non-school team during
the season of the sport. "When we're still in the season of the sport,
players cannot compete on a non-school team, including a summer Legion
or reserve team," observed Angele.
Even though Junior Legion and Reserve players may have finished their
seasons in early May, they are still considered to be in the "season of
the sport" until the Varsity team is eliminated or the school year ends,
which is later. If players were to participate in Legion or Reserve team
practice or competition during that period, they would deemed to be in
violation of the prohibition on dual participation. When the season does
end for their varsity team, non-varsity players are no longer affected
by the Dual Participation Rule, but this year the Organized Practice
Rule prevents them from practicing or playing under the supervision of a
coach from their school prior to the beginning of Week 47.
“Summer teams that are coached by someone who is not affiliated with the
high school program can begin tryouts and practice as soon a their high
school teams are eliminated from districts or state,” explained Angele.
“If the high school coaches are involved with the summer teams, they can
hold tryouts with non-high school players. They can also work with four
of their high school players at one time to keep them in shape for the
beginning of the summer season. Once May 24th hit, it is back to normal
summer rules where there are no restriction on high school coaches a
players.”
Here is a brief summary of "do's and don'ts" that represents our best
understanding of the applicable rules based on our conversations with
Mr. Angele. Basically, each of the following scenarios has to be
evaluated for compliance with the "Organized Practice Rule" and the
"Dual Participation Rule" as described above. If a player or coach has
any questions about the following or his specific situation, please
contact Mr. Angele by email at jangele@nsaahome.org.
1. "Select" Team playing in NRBL:
(a) Compliance with "Organized Practice Rule" - The team's coach may
lead practices and coach the team in games immediately unless that coach
was a spring baseball coach at a school attended by four or more of the
players on this team. If the latter is the case, the coach may not lead
practices or coach the team until Sunday, May 24th.
(b) Compliance with "Dual Participation Rule" - If any players on the
team were members of a Nebraska school's spring baseball program, that
player is ineligible to play on a non-school team (i.e., the NRBL team)
until the later of the date when the Varsity team from that school is
eliminated from post-season play or the school year ends.
2. High School Team playing in NRBL:
(a) Compliance with "Organized Practice Rule" - If the coach of this
team was a spring baseball coach at a school attended by four or more of
the players on this team, the coach must wait until Sunday, May 24th to
lead an organized practice of this team or coach this team in a game.
(b) Compliance with "Dual Participation Rule" - If the coach was not a
spring season baseball coach at the school, then the "Organized Practice
Rule" is satisfied, but to satisfy the "Dual Participation Rule" all
players must wait until the later of the date when the Varsity team is
eliminated from post-season play or the end of the school year before
they may participate on a non-school team.
3. High School Team that will play as Junior Legion Team: same as
#2.
4. High School Team that will play as Senior Legion Team: same as
#2.
Note about "complying" with the Organized Practice Rule by having
someone coach the team who is not a spring season coach at the school:
Mr. Angele noted that this is an option, but in order to not violate the
Organized Practice Rule the "real" coach should not be "in the area"
where the practice or game is taking place.
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