Guest editorial -- Prop 2-53 gets back to traditional values
By Dan Bridges
Pomona-Pitzer Colleges
Over the past several years, the Division III leadership has heard from numerous members who believe that the current regulations governing nontraditional playing and practice seasons within the division are excessively permissive and inconsistent with the Division III philosophy.
It has been argued that these regulations are in fact so permissive that they not only allow institutions to place inappropriate time demands on their student-athletes and coaches, they often even encourage it.
In response, the Division III Presidents Council has taken decisive action to remedy these concerns by sponsoring Proposal No. 2-53 for consideration at the January 2000 NCAA Convention.
Specifically, Proposal 2-53 would prohibit Division III institutions from engaging in competition with outside opponents during the nontraditional season in all sports except golf and tennis. The golf and tennis exceptions would be limited, however, and apply only when institutions choose to play more than 50 percent of their allowable contests or dates of competition in these sports during the nontraditional season. In cases where most of an institution's golf and/or tennis schedule is played during the traditional season, the nontraditional exception would not apply.
Perhaps the best examples of excessively permissive nontraditional-season regulations in Division III are found in the sports of baseball and softball. Currently, Division III baseball and softball teams are restricted to a maximum of 36 contests during the traditional spring season. However, Division III baseball and softball teams that conduct fall programs are allowed nine additional contests during the nontraditional segment.
In many cases, this opportunity to conduct nine "bonus" contests during the nontraditional season places pressure on baseball and softball coaches to either conduct full fall programs or place themselves at what they perceive to be significant competitive and recruiting disadvantages relative to programs that do. The unfortunate consequence is that there
appears to be a steadily growing number of Division III baseball and softball teams across the country that conduct full team practices over a period of 21 weeks and play as many as 45 to 50 contests per year counting alumni/alumnae games and tournament exemptions.
Similar examples of excessively permissive regulations that provide for "bonus" contests during the nontraditional season can be found in the sports of field hockey, men's and women's soccer, and men's and women's volleyball. Though pressure to compete during the nontraditional season may not be quite as strong in some of these sports as it is in baseball and softball, it is probably just a matter of time before it becomes so. The competitive drive of athletes, coaches and athletics administrators combined with the perceived disadvantages of not conducting nontraditional-season competition almost certainly will result in an ever-increasing number of institutions choosing to conduct 21-week playing and practice seasons in these sports as well.
If the membership is truly concerned about maximizing the overall educational and developmental experience for its student-athletes as the Division III Philosophy Statement suggests, then requiring student-athletes to make a 20 to 25 hour per week time commitment to a single sport over a 21-week period seems inappropriately excessive.
As Division III coaches and athletics administrators, we not only should encourage the student-athletes under our care to participate in a broad range of developmental activities on our campuses, we also should make sure we allow them sufficient time during the academic year to do so. I believe we do Division III student-athletes a disservice when we allow one sport to dominate their time and attention, often to the exclusion of other worthwhile activities and academic offerings, for up to 21 weeks (nearly two-thirds of all weeks classes are in session each academic year).
In addition to the excessive time and attention demands it places on the student-athletes, nontraditional-season competition in Division III imposes increased operating costs; increased student travel; facility scheduling difficulties; and increased demands on administrative, maintenance, equipment and athletic training staffs. Such competition also places considerable pressure on two-sport coaches and tends to discourage student-athletes from participating in other sports.
For all of those reasons, but most importantly for the educational and developmental benefit of our student-athletes, I encourage you to support Proposal 2-53 at the January 2000 NCAA Convention.
Dan Bridges is a former member of the NCAA Executive Committee and former chair of the Division III Championships Committee. He currently is the director of athletics and chair of the physical education department at Pomona-Pitzer Colleges.
Comment -- Time has arrived for women
By Gary Abbott
USA Wrestling
September 12, 1999, was a great day for women's athletics in the United States. Led by experienced athletes, with every team member contributing to the effort, the USA won a women's world team title. The sport? Women's Freestyle Wrestling.
Perhaps you didn't hear about this great achievement. Certainly, the outstanding efforts of the U.S. women's wrestling team did not capture the attention and acclaim that other champion U.S. women's teams, such as the World Cup soccer or Olympic hockey team, received. However, the wrestling team's achievement should be considered on equal footing with other U.S. champion squads. It took 11 years of hard work and effort for the U.S. to claim this prestigious title.
The U.S. has the best women's wrestling team in the world, yet entering the 1999-00 season, not a single NCAA school has a varsity women's wrestling team. In fact, the NCAA does not classify women's freestyle wrestling as an emerging sport. What's the deal?
A quick history is in order. Although some people have not yet heard, women's wrestling is growing rapidly across the United States and around the world. FILA, the international wrestling federation, hosted its first Women's World Wrestling Championships in 1987. The U.S. fielded its first team in 1989, and has participated every year since. For three years before their 1999 victory, the U.S. women's wrestling team placed third in the world, taking the final step to the top this year. The word in the international sports community is that women's wrestling will be added to the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens.
Participant pool
USA Wrestling has hosted women's wrestling competitions on a number of age levels for many years. There are also World Championships for women wrestlers on the Cadet (15-17 years) and Junior (18-20 years) levels each season.
The number of girls participating in wrestling at the U.S. high-school level has been growing rapidly during the 1990s. In 1990, there were 112 girls competing in wrestling on the high-school level. The number has grown every year of the decade, reaching a record of 2,361 female high-school wrestlers in the 1998-99 season.
What makes this even more remarkable is that most of these girls are training and competing against boys, as there are few all-female high-school wrestling teams. Two states, Hawaii and Texas, sponsor state-sanctioned high-school wrestling tournaments for girls. Michigan has a "nonsanctioned" state tournament that features more than 100 competitors each year. Pennsylvania coaches started a "nonsanctioned" state meet last year. There also is a high-school national girls' championships held each year with more than 300 competitors.
There are more girls participating in high-school wrestling than in high-school sports such as fencing, crew, rifle, canoeing, equestrian and judo. A number of these sports have established college programs, and others have received the NCAA's emerging-sport status. One of these sports, women's rowing, is a favorite new program added by athletics departments across the nation, even in areas with few local participants and little tradition.
Last year, the USA Wrestling staff developed a proposal to create women's freestyle wrestling programs on the college level, which was sent to several Division I conferences. In short, the proposal is to hold women's freestyle wrestling in the spring, with 10 weight divisions, just like the men. By holding the competition at a different time than the men, colleges that already have men's wrestling could utilize existing resources -- such as facilities, staff and equipment -- for the women's teams, offering a cost savings and program efficiency. Others could choose to develop a separate women's program from the men's team, if desired. This also is the busy time for the USA Wrestling's women's season, which could offer built-in competition opportunities.
The reason for approaching conferences with the plan is to bring in a number of teams at one time, while also providing a competition structure. In order to design the best possible program, USA Wrestling continues to seek input from college athletics leaders who will be the people who must make it work. This is a great opportunity that can become a success with planning and creativity.
USA Wrestling is not promoting women's wrestling as a method to help save men's wrestling on the college level. In fact, the organization is still educating its men's coaches as to why this is an important project. USA Wrestling has both a legal and moral responsibility to its women wrestlers.
Like NCAA institutions, which have Title IX obligations, USA Wrestling is bound by the Amateur Sports Act, which requires equal opportunity for women athletes. USA Wrestling provides the same level of financial stipend support to its women's team as its men's freestyle and Greco-Roman teams, even though women's wrestling is not yet an Olympic sport.
USA Wrestling also recognizes that this is the right thing to do, and its time has come. Women wrestlers train hard and are committed to success, just like their male counterparts. The same positive values that wrestling provides to men also are available to women athletes. With the growth of opportunity for women athletes on the college level, it seems reasonable that women wrestlers should be given consideration by NCAA institutions.
This topic will not just go away. Young women wrestlers are being developed at the high-school and club level all over the nation. These women are now becoming college students and will be attending your universities. Some of these athletes will want to join your existing men's team, just like they did in high school. Others may request a team of their own, like they are doing in Canada and at some NAIA schools. This interest in college women's wrestling will only increase each year, as more women wrestlers enter college.
A positive step that the NCAA could take right now is to add freestyle wrestling as an emerging sport for women and begin serious discussions on plans to develop the sport.
Who knows? If NCAA colleges get started with women's wrestling programs soon, perhaps some of their athletes will bring home Olympic medals in the next century.
Gary Abbott is the director of communications for USA Wrestling.
Opinions -- Early signing dates has pros and cons in recruiting picture
Bob Gibbons, recruiting analyst
Chicago Sun-Times
Discussing the NCAA's early basketball signing period:
"For a variety of reasons, including the impact of summer basketball, the Internet, the early start of the recruiting process and intrusive calls from an escalating number of recruiting services, kids are being worn out and choosing to commit early."
Tom Lemming, recruiting analyst
USA Today
"Contrary to popular perception, many of those who sign as underclassmen, who commit early, are not your all-Americans, elite, well-publicized players, but borderline Division I players. And a number of them are getting bullied and tricked into committing as underclassmen. The coaches tell them, 'If you don't commit now, we may not have a scholarship for you when you're a senior.' They want them to commit before other schools find out about them."
Jay Paterno, football recruiting coordinator
Pennsylvania State University
USA Today
"An early decision not only eliminates recruiting pressures and media scrutiny before students compete as seniors, it also removes the fear of an injury costing them a scholarship. While students may give up some official visits, for many the scholarship-in-hand is well worth it. As for pressure from universities, I can speak only from a personal level. Knowing that a bad fit for a prospect is a bad fit for the school, we encourage students to look at other schools and make an informed decision."
Assistant coaches
Kenny Williamson, former assistant basketball coach
Florida State University
Sports Illustrated
Discussing how assistant coaches sometimes are put in an awkward position during infractions investigations:
"It's like the chain of command in the Army -- everyone's accountable to somebody. Unless you're a total renegade, someone else knows what you're doing. There are too many checks and balances. Then something happens, and, all of a sudden, nobody recalls anything. The head coaches say they don't know, but, believe me, they know. And if they don't, what kind of (institutional) control do they have over their program?"
Mike Brown, assistant basketball coach
Fordham University
Sports Illustrated
"It's a war out there, and assistants are supposed to be the good soldiers. It's like dealing with organized crime. The NCAA can't get the guy at the top, and the schools don't want to get rid of the guy at the top, so they try to make an example out of the limo driver."
Amateurism
Shawn Walsh, men's ice hockey coach
University of Maine, Orono
Bangor Daily News
Discussing proposed legislation that would deregulate the NCAA's current amateurism rules:
"It's going to be better for the prospective student-athlete who is serious about academics. This would give them an opportunity to explore more options. What's the difference between kids who get $15,000 in financial aid to attend a prep school and somebody who gets $150 a week for his meals and travel money in Major Junior hockey?"
Bowl Championship Series
Tim Tucker, columnist
Atlanta Journal and Constitution
"Rewarding strength of schedule -- penalizing weakness of schedule -- is the best part of the overdone BCS equation. It is the redeeming feature, really. Beating good teams should count for more than beating bad teams, and with the BCS, it does. By encouraging matchups such as Tennessee-Notre Dame and discouraging mismatches such as Virginia Tech-James Madison, the BCS is pushing college football in the right direction.
"Rewarding margin of victory, on the other hand, is the worst part of the BCS process. The media and coaches' polls, both of which are BCS components, traditionally reward teams for pile-on-the-points blowout wins and punish them for narrow hard-fought victories."
