Page 60 - 2025-26 By-Laws

Rule 9 - Contests

Rule (rule 9-2) makes all Contests subject to the IHSAA rules, such rule reference
is to the playing rules and does not make the eligibility rules of the IHSAA, such
as rules relating to competitor’s age or enrollment in the School, applicable to a
non-member School participating in a Contest with a member School. Therefore,
a non-member School can field players who are pre-high school.
Q. 9-4 Can a member School participate in a Contest in an IHSAA Recognized Sport with
an Indiana based team or a School which is not a member of the IHSAA?
A. Yes, provided the non-member School has not been expelled or suspended from
membership in the IHSAA, and provided the School has not been suspended from
participation in the IHSAA Recognized Sport by the IHSAA. (rules 9-15)
Q. 9-5 Can a member School participate in a single Contest in an IHSAA Recognized Sport
with an out-of-state team or School?
A. Yes, provided the out-of-state School is currently a member of its local state high
school athletic association, the out-of-state School has not been expelled or
suspended from such membership, provided the out-of-state School has not been
suspended from participation in the sport by its state high school athletic association,
and provided the address of the out-of-state school and the location of the site of the
Contest are not greater than Six Hundred (600) miles, round trip, from the Indiana
state line. (rules 9-15, 10-1, 10-1.1).
Mixed Gender Participation and Teams
Q. 9-6 Can a member School use a mixed (boys and girls) team in the IHSAA Tournament
Series when a separate Tournament Series is offered for males and females in that
sport?
A. In Individual Sports, a student with the Birth Gender of female cannot play on the
boys’ team in the IHSAA Tournament Series in that sport, and a student with the
Birth Gender of male cannot play on the girls’ team in the IHSAA Tournament Series
in that sport. In Team Sports, a student with the Birth Gender of female cannot
play on a boys’ team, however, if there is no girls’ team in that Team Sport at that
School, the student with the Birth Gender of female can play on the boys’ team in
that sport in the IHSAA Tournament Series; conversely, in Team Sports a student
with the Birth Gender of male can never play on a girls’ team. The foregoing may
be different if the student obtains a waiver under the IHSAA Gender Policy. (rule
9-10)
Q. 9-7 If a student with the Birth Gender of female participates on a boys’ team in baseball,
football or wrestling during the Contest Season, may that student also participate
in the boys’ team during the IHSAA Tournament Series in that sport?
A. Yes. If a student with the Birth Gender of female wants to participate on the boys’
team in baseball, football or wrestling, that student may participate on the boys’
team during the Contest Season and during IHSAA Tournament Series in those
sports. (rule 9-10)
Q. 9-8 A member School sponsors both a boys’ golf team and a girls’ golf team. Can a
student with the Birth Gender of female try out for the boys’ team rather than play
on the girls’ team?
A. No, whenever a School offers both a boys’ interschool program and a girls’ interschool
program in a sport, a student with the Birth Gender of female is required to participate
only on the team designed for girls. (rule 9-10) The foregoing may be different if
the student obtains a waiver under the IHSAA Gender Policy.
Q. 9-9 A School has a girls’ soccer team but cannot find competition against other girls’
soccer teams within a reasonable travel distance. May the girls’ soccer team play
Contests against boys’ soccer teams from other Schools?
A. No, girls’ teams and boys’ teams may not compete against each other. (rule 9-8)
Q. 9-10 Can a student with the Birth Gender of male play on a team designed for girls?
A. No. Other than through a waiver under the IHSAA Gender Policy, a student with
the Birth Gender of male is not be eligible for participation as an individual or team
member in any Season Contest or in the in any IHSAA Tournament Series designed
for girls. (rule 9-9)

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