National Collegiate Athletic Association

NCAA News Archive - 2010

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Feb 26, 2010 8:41:58 AM

Part 3 of a four-part series on Phase II of the Division II Life in the Balance initiative.

At the 2010 Convention in Atlanta, Division II Presidents Council chair Stephen Jordan emphatically announced: "We're not thinking about eliminating the nonchampionship segment in Division II."

Jordan's decree calmed a crowd hearing about Phase II of the Life in the Balance initiative a day before they would cast votes on the four proposals in Phase I.

"The notion in Phase I that ‘everything is on the table' has changed," he told his presidential colleagues January 15."Some things are indeed off the table in Phase II."

That included the notion of eliminating the nonchampionship segment, an idea that Jordan called at the time an unfounded rumor.

"During the course of Phase I," he said, "a fear factor emerged that we were out to change what makes Division II unique. Not so. We've already heard from student-athletes, administrators and presidents alike that there is value in the nonchampionship segment. While we will review how that period should be structured to get the most value from it as possible, we're not considering a proposal to eliminate it."

With that as the foundation – and a sigh of relief to doubters – some people see the review of the nonchampionship segment in Division II sports as the best opportunity to adhere to the division's commitment to balance by giving something back to student-athletes rather than taking it away.

However, what might be given back could be an irritant to some. In their early discussions of the nonchampionship segment, people are at least whispering about "skill instruction," which some in Division II consider a four-letter word. That's because Division II is only a couple of years past a difficult three-year debate on skill instruction in the off season. Many wanted it liberalized to relieve facility and life-balance burdens on coaches and staff, while others – mainly faculty members – abhorred the idea of individual skill instruction turning into thinly veiled team practices.

That led to a compromise permitting more than one group of student-athletes from the same team to participate in skill instruction in different facilities at the same time. The number of student-athletes allowed to participate varies according to the starting squad size – a maximum of four for teams with six or fewer, and no more than six for larger starting squad sizes.

But the debate might re-emerge as Division II tries to streamline the nonchampionship segment in various sports without compromising the one-on-one instructional value that student-athletes gain from that time.

"The championship segment is all about practices and games, but the nonchampionship segment is where the teaching component is so important," said Peach Belt Conference Associate Commissioner Diana Kling, who also is a member of the Legislation Committee. "We've heard from student-athletes directly that the nonchampionship segment is very important to them."

Bylaw 17.1.2 states that for all sports other than football and basketball, institutions may divide the playing season into championship and nonchampionship segments. For some sports, institutions that designate a nonchampionship segment may permit their student-athletes to participate in any practice or competition in a maximum of 24 days that occurs in a period of 45 consecutive calendar days.  Sports with this type of nonchampionship calendar are baseball, cross country, field hockey, golf, men's lacrosse, women's rowing, soccer, softball, tennis and women's volleyball.

As Jordan promised no elimination of the nonchampionship segment, so too is the Legislation Committee not interested in extending the 24 days of competition it contains. However, Championships Committee members at their recent meeting said they thought the 45-day window could be shortened. Others, though, pointed to the 2010 Convention proposal adopted in golf that adds flexibility to the nonchampionship segment in that sport by expanding the window to 60 days.

In addition to the length of the nonchampionship segment, the Legislation Committee is seeking the right number of contests institutions may play in it. As is the case with the review of exempted contests, committee members will rely on data, asking institutions to report the number of contests they have played in their nonchampionship segments over the last three years.

"We'll look at what kinds of activities occur during those segments," Kling said. "Some sports have actual contests that they're allowed to have during those nonchampionships segments, while some don't. We'll look at why some have that and some don't.

"Perhaps rather than a specific number of contests, set a number but do them however you want – some in the nonchampionship and some in the championship segment. Perhaps present different ways to give individual coaches and schools more flexibility in how they can achieve their own balance within the greater scope."

That might be a welcome relief to baseball and softball coaches in climate-challenged regions, but some Championships Committee members noted that an influx of contests – particularly countable contests – in the nonchampionship segment in spring sports would tax most schools' ability to provide the proper infrastructure in an already busy fall period.

The Legislation Committee also will study the start date of the nonchampionship segment.  Concerns have been noted regarding how early spring-sport student-athletes begin the nonchampionship segment. Under current legislation, spring sports with a nonchampionship segment in the fall may begin practice or competition September 7 or the first day of classes, whichever is earlier. Fall sports with a nonchampionship segment in the spring may begin practice or competition no earlier than February 15.

Mars Hill Athletics Director Dave Riggins said no matter what the division decides to do with the nonchampionship segment, the discussion should be about adding rather than subtracting.

"Whether rightly or wrongly, Phase I to many of our Division II members felt like a take-away process," he said. "That does some disservice to the whole initiative, because there are areas in which we can look at doing something better, maybe specifically with the nonchampionship segment. It might mean some restructuring and adding to rather than taking away.

"It's important for us to keep in mind that this is a chance to do things better, not just to take things away. We can evaluate everything we're doing, hang onto what we're doing really well and adjust what we're not doing well. And that adjustment can be downward or upward."

Coming in Part 4: A look at the 20/8-hour rule for countable athletically related activities in and out of season. Share your feedback, ideas and thoughts for Life in the Balance Phase II by sending an e-mail to lifeinthebalance@ncaa.org. That e-mail is monitored for feedback and ideas only and is not meant for questions requesting a response.