Administrative Letters
A065 - Guidelines for Off-Season Athletic Programs
Administrative Letter #65 Guidelines for Off-Season Athletic Programs - Approved 12/9/2003; Updated 8/27/2013
DATE: Reviewed and Updated August 2013 – Craig Hammer
REGARDING: Guidelines for Off-Season Athletic Programs
The success of an athletic program at any high school depends on its coaches and upon their support of each other’s programs. It is imperative there be a cohesive relationship within the school’s coaching staff. Not only does this foster a healthy athletic program, but it also insures a positive and enjoyable work environment for the coaches themselves. Without such an atmosphere, the high-pressure responsibilities of coaching can quickly become frustrating and tiresome. Some specific issues which could threaten the unity of the coaching staff seem to periodically surface. Therefore, the following guidelines have been drafted to address these issues in order to promote good will and help avoid conflict within our athletic departments. In most cases, the guidelines are just a re-affirmation of the present standards of the UHSAA policies or WCSD expectations. Our facilities will not be made available to any program that is not in harmony within this philosophy. These guidelines are based upon the following assumptions:
Coaches will:
- Support other coaches
- Respect the season of every sport by not providing, encouraging, or advertising non-seasonal athletic opportunities which conflict with the in-season sports.
Coaches will not:
- Encourage athletes to remain one-sport (year-round) and discourage participation in other sports during the year.
- Require excess participation by athletes during the summer month or other off-season periods determined by the UHSAA to be acceptable for limited activities.
- Require participation in summer of other off-season activities as an eligibility criterion to team membership or playing time during the season.
Compliance with Dead Times:
Coaches must rigidly comply with dead times and season start/end times as outlined in the UHSAA handbook. It is expected that coaches be proactive in compliance with mandated dead times.
- Open Gyms: Indoor athletic facilities must be supervised at all times and not used for sports specific activities during dead times.
- Outdoor Activities: School equipment or other outdoor areas, which are normally locked, should not be accessible during dead time dates.
Out-of-Season Activities:
In-season sports always have priority over off-season activities. Student athletes should be able to focus on one sport at a time.
- Out-of-season athletic activities should not include students who are participating in an in-season sport.
Summer Camps and Clinics:
In the best interest of both coaches and students, the amount of time spent in summer camps, clinics, or tournaments should not be excessive.
- Camps, clinics, and tournaments are limited to a total of ten days from the end of school through the month of June,
- No athletic activity should be scheduled during the month of July (except football)
- Coaches are expected to submit a proposed summer schedule to their Athletic Director by April 1st to determine if there are conflicts that need to be adjusted.