Division II delegates to the 2010 NCAA Convention in January will decide whether to make a number of landmark changes to playing and practice season legislation. Today’s NCAA News features opposing perspectives on the “Life in the Balance” package. Eckerd Athletics Director Bob Fortosis says the changes are needed to better align Division II with its core attribute of social, academic and athletics balance; Fort Lewis’ Kelly Higgins supports the notion of balance but says the package would tread inappropriately on local decision-making.

Division II’s “Life in the Balance” package includes the following proposals:

• Reduce contests in men’s and women’s soccer (from 20 to 18); field hockey (from 20 to 18); women’s volleyball (from 28 to 26); baseball (from 56 to 50); men’s and women’s basketball (from 27 to 26); men’s and women’s golf (from 24 dates to 21); and softball (by eliminating the tournament exception, where multiple tournament games only count as a single contest).
• Reduce the length of seasons in soccer, volleyball, field hockey and cross country by allowing student-athletes to report 17 days before the first permissible contest (which cannot be before the Thursday preceding September 6) or five days before the start of classes, whichever is earlier. Those dates are about a week later than current legislation.
• Football student-athletes could begin their preseason practice activities either 21 days before the first permissible contest date in Division II (which also could not be before the Thursday preceding September 6) or seven days before the start of classes at the institution, whichever is earlier. This reporting date for football practice would be about a week later than current legislation. The Division II Championships Committee approved a policy change (contingent on the adoption of this proposal) to move the football championship back one week to accommodate the later reporting date in football.
• Establish a seven-day “dead period” from December 20-26 that prevents winter sport student-athletes from participating in practices or games and precludes student-athletes in all sports from participating in voluntary workouts on campus during the same period, unless those activities are conducted in facilities open to the general student body