There is nothing quite like spending a week waiting in
airport lobbies to get me thinking about open gyms. I am surprised, even though I shouldn’t be,
that “open gyms” are a hot topic this summer. Usually, the open gym paranoia doesn’t begin until September when just
about every coach in the NAIA believes that his/her biggest rival is getting an
early start to practice. Twenty-four
weeks of games and practices just isn’t enough to teach our students how to
play the game.
The reason this is an issue this
summer is due to the heightened awareness of what can be done with incoming
student (freshman and transfers) during the summer before their enrollment at
your institution. Let me repeat what many
of you have heard me say countless times already, Bylaws Proposal # 7
did not create any new rules. Its sole
purpose was to make it simpler for everyone to understand how a number of rules
and official interpretations work together. It is clear from the number of questions we have received that this
clarification was needed.
Most comments
dealing with this rule begin with some variation of the statement
“The NAIA does not regulate summer.”
Continue reading "Open Gyms" »
The FAQ below comes from Corey Westra, Commissioner of the Great Plains Athletic Conference. He shared this e-mail with a group of commissioners and we thought we should share it with all of you. I hope you find it useful.
1. Can
incoming freshman or transfer students work out with coaches during the summer
(before August 1)?
No.
Incoming freshman and transfer students are not identified with the school
until they have enrolled and attend classes. However, they are allowed to
participate with the team when the 24 week period starts (i.e. August 1). Provided the student is enrolled for the
upcoming term, students are permitted to practice with the team, regardless of their eligibility status for the
upcoming term.
2.
Can incoming freshmen/transfer students play with the team during an open gym,
if the coach is not present?
Continue reading "Incoming students during the summer" »
