WIAA proposals calling for stricter transfer rules and more out-of-season coaching both rejected

Two proposed amendments to the WIAA handbook that would placed tighter restrictions on transfers and allowed for more out-of-season coaching both failed to garner enough votes from the WIAA Representive Assembly, the WIAA announced Monday.

The Representative Assemly voted to pass 14 amendments for the 2018-19 school year. The Representative Assembly is comprised of 53 (35 high school, 18 middle level) school administrators from each of the nine WIAA districts. For an amendment to pass, 60 percent approval is needed from voting members of the Assembly.

One proposal that did not garner enough votes for passage was one that would declare an athlete ineligible for one year from a sport if the student transfers to a school where a teammate or a coach from the student’s non-school athletic team (i.e. AAU or club) was already player or a coach. The proposal attempted to limit students changing schools to be coached by a club coach or to play with a club teammate.

A proposal submitted by five Clark County schools that would open up additional designated periods in the calendar for out-of-season coaching opportunities also went down to defeat.Currently, the only out-of-season coaching that is permitted is from the first day following the end of spring sports championships through July 31.

Among the proposals that were passed includes:

• Coaches will now be allowed to coach high school seniors out of season once the school season for that sport has ended.
• Class 2B and 1B can now petition to opt-up or opt-down in football only. This rules gives small schools more flexibility to decide if it wants to play or not play 8-man football without impacting the school’s other sports. A similar proposal extending this opt-up or opt-down option to schools of all classifications was defeated.
• The WIAA expanded when a athlete, when not representing a member school, may compete against professional or college athletes to all sports. Previously, this eligibility was granted to only athletes in “individual” sports.
• Any judgment call that results in an ejection of a player can now be appealed to the WIAA with use of video evidence.
• In baseball, any pitcher whose pitch count is below 105 pitches at the start of an at-bat will be allowed to completed the at-bat.
• Soccer players who receive two yellow cards in a game will now be disqualified from the game, not ejected. The difference is an ejection carries with it the penalty of suspension from the next game. The disqualified player cannot be replaced in the lineup.