CHAPEL HILL– The North Carolina High School Athletic Association Board of Directors completed its winter Board meeting on Thursday with a large number of changes and adjustments, including television as well as off-season football regulations.
In one major move, the board approved the concept of live regular season television on a specific, limited basis as part of the exclusive NCHSAA agreement with Time Warner Cable. The proposal would include a 12-week window of regular season games in football for Thursday live telecasts, and then a similar window for 10 weeks on a non-traditional night (Wednesday or Thursday) for live telecasts in basketball. Schools may elect not to participate in the live telecasts if they have a game chosen, and other details on the proposal will be worked out.
The Board also voted to allow 10 days of skill development sessions with unlimited numbers in football, immediately prior to the last five days of the school year. Practice would have a two and one half hour limit, including stretching and cool down, Monday through Friday (Saturday as make up day), no body to body contact, a first responder/licensed athletic trainer must be prsent, and any student-athlete still involved in a spring sport will not be allowed to participate until the end of that sport’s season.
No other skill development would be allowed in football during the school year prior to this 10-day period. This policy goes into effect December 8, so no other skill development in football can occur until the 10-day window in the spring of 2015, although conditioning and weight lifting are allowed.
There were realignment appeals, which always occur at the mid point of the four-year alignment period, and two of the seven which the Board heard were approved. Jay Robinson was approved to move from 4-A to 3-A, due a change in the district lines which have occurred and reduced its numbers, and to move from the MeCKa 4-A to the South Piedmont 3-A.
Cardinal Gibbons was approved for a move from 3-A to 4-A due to a substantial increase in its numbers. The school will move from the Big Eight 3-A conference to the PAC-6 in 4-A.
In other items:
–for playoffs and automatic qualifiers—recommend to tweak automatic qualifiers for split conferences in bracketed sports so that number two seed from split conference must have overall winning percentage of 34 percent to receive automatic bid
–eliminated split squad rule in cross country and track and field
–increased qualifiers to state cross country championship meet, allowing top seven runners not on a qualifying team to advance to state from regionals
–moved start date of indoor track to that of other winter sports, starting next year
–made change in state championship track meets, with all classes on same weekend (3rd weekend of May) with 1-A and 3-A on Friday, 2-A and 4-A, effective with 2016 championships
— softball (team and individuals) will now be limited to three games on a non-school day, to clarify the participation regulation
— approved recommendation that all head coaches as well as other paid coaches be CPR/AED certified by August 1, 2017
–800-meter relay will be added to indoor track lineup of championships events for 2014-15, since it is part of NFHS approved events.
–approved sanctions for non-compliance with Gfeller-Waller Act; a fine and penalty may be imposed if member schools are not compliant with the act, upon State Board of Education action
–noted summary of money back to member schools—in last four years, an average of $1,032,131 has been distributed back to member schools, and in excess of $8 million shared by schools participating in Endowment games since 1994-95 academic year
–recommended additional funds to be returned to member schools as follows, including Increasing one dollar surcharge amount back to schools from 25% to 35%, increasing percentage of earned interest on endowment back to schools from 50 to 60%, maintain distribution of the 50% of operating budget overage, and a forthcoming Carolina Panthers grant proposal for Heads Up program through USA Football ($55,000 for schools whose staff are trained in this area)
–approved Robin Forehand as baseball/softball regional supervisor for Northeastern Officials Association (formerly Outer Banks Association) and approved Don Carr as softball regional supervisor for Jacksonville Officials Association
NCHSAA commissioner Davis Whitfield said, "We addressed a number of challenging issues over the last two days, and our Board gave great thought and consideration to determine the best course of action for our Association moving forward. I applaud their work on behalf of our membership.”
