a quick question concerning rules, regulations and policies of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association

 

Q:  What is the maximum number of seasons that a student can play a sport?

A:  According to Handbook rule 1.1.7, Maximum Number of Seasons, “no student may be approved for a high school contest if he or she has taken part in contests during four separate seasons in a sport (one per year, whether the sport is played in North Carolina or not).”

Playing as a member of a private or another nno-member school team shall be deemed the same as playing as a member of a school team.  Enforcement of this rule is to begin with entry into ninth grade.

One situation to watch with this particular rule is when a student comes from out-of-state to North Carolina, because some states have different sports seasons than North Carolina.  For instance, women’s soccer in one state is a fall sport and a spring sport here; a student could play women’s soccer there in the fall but wouldn’t be able to play the sport again in the spring in North Carolina because she has already has a sport season for that sport during the year.