Page 83 - 2023-24 By-Laws

Rule 15 - Participation

15-2.7 Football
A School, and players from the School’s football program, may participate in Football
Activities (participation in any football related activities while wearing helmets or shoulder
pads) under the following standards:
a. Students may not participate in any Full Contact Football Activities (any intentional football
activity by a player where the goal is to take One (1) or more competing players to the
ground as the result of a collision) during the Summer.
b. Schools may sponsor up to Twelve (12) Football Activity Days (a day when a School’s
football coaching staff coaches Two (2) or more players from the School’s football team
engaged in Football Activities) during the Summer.
c. A School’s Football Activity Days may include up to Five (5) Football Competition Days (a
day when a School’s football coaching staff takes Two (2) or more players from a School’s
football team to either participate with or compete against One (1) or more players from
another School or Non-School Team). The maximum time for a School’s Football Activity
Day held at a member-School facility will be Three and one-half (3 1/2) hours of activity
over a Five (5) hour period.
d. A student’s football equipment during Summer Football Activities is limited to a helmet,
shoes, shoulder pads, a girdle and a mouth piece.
e. A student may engage in no more than One (1) session of Football Activities during a
Football Activity Day and the maximum time of the session is Two (2) hours.
f. Prior to the first day of Summer, a School’s football coaching staff must designate to the
School’s principal or athletic director the specific Football Activity Days and the Football
Competition Days in which the football program plans to participate.
15-2.8 Moratorium
Each Member School shall observe a moratorium week starting on Monday of the
Corresponding Week which includes July 4th. During this Seven (7) day moratorium week
there shall be no contact between athletes and coaches, and no athletic activities, including
conditioning, conducted. Note: All Corresponding Weeks begin on Monday.
15-2.9 Penalties
(See rule 17-7.1.)
Q & A
Participation - Generally
Q. 15-1 What is considered participation in a sport for a Contest Season?
A. Playing in a part of One (1) Contest in a sport constitutes participation in that sport
for that Contest Season.
Q. 15-2 If a student tries out for a Non-School baseball league, would that be a violation of
IHSAA rules?
A. If the try-out occurred during the authorized Contest Season in baseball, this would
be a violation of rule 15-2.1; however, it would not affect the student’s eligibility in
other sports. And if the try-out occurred during the School Year Out-of-Season, it
would not be a violation. (rules 15-2.1, 15-2.2)
Q. 15-3 Does a student become ineligible in all sports if the student plays on a team other
than the student’s School team during the authorized Contest Season in one sport?
A. No, a student is ineligible only in the sport in which the student participates as a
member of a team other than the student’s School team and would not affect the
student’s eligibility in other sports. (rules 15-1.1(a); 15-2.1(a))
Q. 15-4 If a student participates in a league or tournament of a sport not recognized by
IHSAA, does the student become ineligible in other sports?
A. No. The rules of the IHSAA are generally sports specific, and participation in a sport
not recognized by the IHSAA does not impact a student’s eligibility to participate in
a sport recognized by the IHSAA.
Q. 15-5 Can a student play on Two (2) interschool teams at the same time?
A. Yes. The IHSAA rules do not prohibit multi-sports participation by student athletes.
Q. 15-6 Can a student who is ineligible for the Varsity team play on teams of lower ranking?
A. Generally, no, since ineligibility for One (1) sport team generally means the same for
all sport teams. (rule 17-7.1(a)) However, a student who has been given Limited
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