Rules issues

During the rules portion of the meeting, the committee changed timeout rules so that during both regulation and sudden-victory overtime play, timeouts may be called by a member of the team in possession or by that team's head coach only when the player in possession has both feet on the ground in that team's respective offensive half of the field. Previously, a team needed only to have possession in order to be granted a timeout. The reason for the change is that coaches were concerned that teams were being granted timeouts before they clearly had gained possession.

The rule that was passed last year stating that timeouts could be called only in dead-ball situations during sudden-victory overtime was rescinded. Sudden-victory timeouts will be governed the same as those during regulation. As was required in the previous rule, only a member of either team who is on the field or a team's head coach may request an official to call a timeout during a dead-ball situation.

Another major issue the committee addressed was offensive players diving toward the goal in an attempt to score. The committee changed the rule so that if an offensive player deliberately leaves his feet and lands in the crease with either or both feet, from his own momentum, and his shot goes in the goal, the goal will be disallowed. The change was made because the committee believes that diving toward the goal may be dangerous and because under the old rule (which said that "a player is considered to have entered the goal crease when any part of his body touches the goal-crease area") officials were having a difficult time making the correct call.

Next season the committee also will require that a goalie who is properly equipped with a chest protector, throat protector and a stick that is 10 to 12 inches wide and 40 to 72 inches long be on the field.

Another change requires that all players on a team must wear helmets of the same dominant team color or colors by the year 2000. Helmets were not previously required to match in color.

Other rules concerns

Although not a rules change, two other rules-related issues resulted in committee action. The committee asked that institutions that host fall tournaments expand the special substi- tution area from 10 to 12 yards with orange pylons (cones) or hash marks placed at either end. Green pylons (cones) or hash marks will be placed two yards either side of the midline. Players substituting on the fly will be required to enter the field between the two green cones or hash marks. Players exiting the field will be required to pass through either outside (orange/green) area. This experiment will be communicated further to all schools through the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA).

In addition, the committee responded positively to a request from a representative of the U.S. Lacrosse Youth Council (USLYC) to have its rules published as an appendix in next season's rules book. The USLYC plays the game by the NCAA rules, with some modifications. The committee approved this request unanimously, with the stipulation that information on whom to contact with questions about these rules would be included with the new appendix.

The Divisions I, II and III men's lacrosse committees addressed concerns about unacceptable conduct of coaches and student-athletes during the regular season and at the recently concluded championships at their annual meeting June 7-11 in Isle of Palms, South Carolina.

Discussion of several possible misconduct incidents during the championships brought the issue to the committees' attention. Of particular concern is sideline behavior and its negative effects on the image of the game.

"As other sports have adopted rules to present the most positive side of their bench personnel, so too would lacrosse like to have our coaches focus on coaching their teams and not on criticizing officials," said John C. Parry, chair of the Division I committee and director of athletics at Butler University.

The committees will issue a general statement stressing the importance of sportsmanlike sideline behavior by all coaches and other bench personnel to the coaches and athletics directors at all lacrosse-playing institutions. A similar statement will be sent to game officials. Should behavior not improve during next season, the committees will consider making major rules changes to achieve their goal.

"We have discussed, but stopped short of requiring, that all bench personnel be seated during games in hopes that stronger enforcement of existing conduct rules will alter the behavior of coaches who consistently violate these rules but may not have been penalized for doing so in the past," Parry said.

To encourage officials to enforce conduct rules more strictly, the committee requested that Warren Kimber, national coordinator of officials, relay to the officials the committees' strong support for more strict enforcement.

Of particular concern is the behavior of assistant coaches, especially with regard to the treatment of the chief bench official (CBO) during the championships. In its off-season communication with head coaches, the committees will emphasize that the assistant coaches' role is solely to coach the players on their respective teams.

While some discourse between the officials and head coaches is necessary, the committees believe there should be little toleration of assistant coaches criticizing officials, particularly the CBO. In an effort to lessen pressure on the CBO, who is an extra official that often is not used for regular-season games, the committees established a playing rule removing the ability for this official to grant timeouts.

This stronger emphasis on conduct will be reflected in the sport's championships handbook next year and thoroughly reviewed during prechampionship meetings.