2011 CROSS COUNTRY MANUAL

 

SEASON—The Season shall extend from August 8, 2011 through and including the state meet on October 29, 2011.  Competition may begin on Monday, August 22.

 

 

COURSE—Cross country shall be over a course 4,000 meters in length.  An invitational or conference meet may be of greater or lesser distance.  The course should be on a grass covered terrain.   The cross country course shall be measured along the shortest possible route that a runner may take, as opposed to measuring down the middle of the course.  The course shall be clearly marked by a wide line (with a material that is not injurious to the eyes or skin), or by signposts with large directional arrows wherever the course turns, or by flags one foot square and mounted on stakes that hold them two or more feet above the ground.

 

 

FLAG DESIGNATIONS:

               Red flag—indicates a turn to the left

               Yellow flag—indicates a turn to the right

               Blue flag—indicates a course straight ahead

 

SCORING—Rule 9, Section 2 of the National Federation rules will be used for scoring.  ÒAll competitors who finish the race shall be ranked and tallied in accordance with the table below.  The team score shall then be determined by totaling the points scored by the first five finishers of each team.  The team which scores the fewest number of points is the winner.Ó

PLACE:  1st       2nd        3rd         4th         5th         6th         7th

POINTS:  1       2            3            4            5            6            7

Upon the recommendation of the Cross Country Advisory Committee, the Board of Directors has adopted a scoring system method that will disregard the runners if a team has fewer than five participants.  Displacement Scoring will be used at the State Qualifying and State meets.

 

TIES—Ties in team scoring shall be resolved by comparing the sixth-place finishers from the tying teams.  The team with the best sixth-place finisher shall prevail.  If one team does not have a sixth-place finisher, the team with the sixth-place finisher shall prevail.  If only five competitors of tying teams finish, the tie shall be resolved by totaling the scores of the first four finishers.

 

PARTICIPANTS—In order for a school to qualify for a team championship, five runners must finish.  If a school does not enter five individuals, they cannot compete for the team championship.  They may enter less than five competitors and those individuals may run and compete for individual placing. 

 

UNIFORM—Coaches are responsible for seeing that their competitors are wearing the proper uniform.  The athlete should always wear the uniform of her school.  Contestants will be permitted to wear hats and glove only if weather conditions necessitate such items.  If hats or gloves are worn, they must be an unadorned, single, solid color and shall be worn only for the athleteÕs health and safety and not to draw attention to the athlete.  A single manufacturerÕs logo/trademark or school name/emblem, no more than 2 ¼ square inches with no dimension more than 2 ¼  inches, is permitted on the hat and gloves.  An athlete running without the proper and legal uniform will be disqualified.   A legal uniform is well defined in Rule 9, Section 6, Articles 1-7 of the National Federation Rules.

 

JEWELRY—No jewelry is permitted during cross country competition.  Watches may be worn.  Watches with GPS capabilities are illegal.  Jewelry can be removed prior to the start of a race, if done without delay.  If a competitor is discovered wearing jewelry during competition, the competitor will be warned.  Any medical or religious medallions that must be worn by an individual must be taped to the body unless a bracelet is made of a pliable material.

 

CLASSIFICATION—There will be four classes in cross country.  Enrollment figures for the 2010-11 school year, grades 9-11, will be used for the cross country classes.  Class 4-A will be comprised of the schools within the 48 largest; Class 3-A will be comprised of the schools within the next 64; Class 2-A will be comprised of the schools within the next 72 and Class 1-A will be the remainder of schools.

 

STATE QUALIFYING MEETS—There will be five state qualifying meets for all classes.  State qualifying meets will be held on Thursday, October 20, 2011.  The length of the course will be 4000 meters.  State qualifying meets will start at 4:00 PM if a single class meet and 3:30 pm if a two class meet. No team or individual is permitted on the state qualifying meet cross country course except for those schools that actually use the course for the practice and meets during the season.  Violation of this rule will result in the school not being allowed to compete in the state qualifying meet.  State qualifying meet cross country  information will be posted on the IGHSAU website the week of October 3.

 

 

STATE QUALIFYING MEET ENTRIES—Each school is permitted a maximum of seven entrants.  All competitors will be counted as they finish the race.  In order to qualify on a team basis, five runners must finish.  Only the first five runners will be used in computing the team score.  If a school does not enter five individuals, they cannot compete for the team championship.  They may enter less than five competitors and those individuals may run and compete for the individual places.

 

STATE MEET QUALIFIERS—From  each of the class 4-A, 3-A, 2-A, and 1-A state qualifying meets, the first three, plus the first 10 individual place winners, will qualify for the state meet.  The same competitors, , other than individual place winners, who qualify from the state qualifying meets need not represent the school at the state  meet.  Substitutions are allowed.

 

STATE QUALIFYING MEET AWARDS—The winning school will be presented a banner for having won the state qualifying cross country championship.  Members of the first three winning teams and the first ten individuals will receive medals at each state qualifying meet.

 

STATE MEET—The state championship meet will be held on October 29, 2011, in conjunction with the boysÕ meet.  Competition will begin at 11:00 AM.  Competition will begin with Class 4A, followed by 3A,2A and 1A.  The girls will run first, followed by the boys.  An awards ceremony for Class 4A will follow the 3A girlÕs race.  An awards ceremony for Class 3A will follow the 2A girlÕs race.  An awards ceremony for Class 2A will follow the 1A girlÕs race.  An awards ceremony for Class 1A will follow the completion of the competition.  The 2011 state championship meet will be held at the Lakeside Municipal Golf Course in Fort Dodge.  The course is located north of Fort Dodge on Highway P59, approximately two miles north of the Fort Dodge airport and Harlan Rogers Park.  A letter containing state meet information will be mailed to the athletic director of each qualifying school on October 21, 2011.

 

STATE MEET COURSE CLOSED TO PRACTICE—Only schools that use the state meet course for their practice and meets during the season may practice on the course.  The course is closed to all other schools for practice at any time.  Contestants or team representatives appearing on Friday to walk or run the course will face individual and/or team disqualification from participation in the state meet.

 

NUMBERS—All competitors will be assigned numbers for the state meet.  Numbers shall be worn on the front of the uniform.  All substitutions must be reported to the clubhouse prior to the start of a race.

 

STATE MEET AWARDS—The Champion, Runner-up, and Third place teams will receive trophies and plaques.  Medals will b e presented for the first three teams in each class plus medals for the first 10 individual place winners.  All participants will receive a plaque.  These plaques should be picked up by the coach when they turn in their chips.

 

 

SPECTATOR CONDUCT

 

All spectators at state-sponsored Cross Country meets shall wear shoes.  No one shall be admitted who is wearing a mask (hidden identity).

 

With the understanding that a cross country meet is held as a part of the educational institution, the Board of Directors of the Iowa Girls' High School Athletic Union has adopted the following policies.  It is the expectation that the host site enforces these rules regarding unacceptable behaviors:

 

Disrespectful conduct, including profanity, obscene gestures or comments, offensive remarks of a sexual nature, or other actions that demean individuals or the event.   Penalty---EJECTION

 

Throwing articles onto the contest area.   Penalty---EJECTION

 

Entering the contest area in protest or celebration.   Penalty---EJECTION

 

Physical confrontation involving contest officials, coaches/directors, contestants, or spectators.   Penalty---EJECTION

 

Spectator interference with the event.   Penalty---EJECTION

 

Jumping up and down on the bleachers.   Penalty--WARNING/EJECTION

 

Use of artificial noisemakers, signs, or banners.   Penalty---WARNING/EJECTION

 

Chants or cheers directed at the opponent.   Penalty---WARNING/ EJECTION

 

When the match starter/referee arrives on-site (30-60 minutes prior to starting time), the starter shall locate the administrator (event manager) in charge for the evening.  If no administrator is available, the HOST COACH shall be deemed in charge.  If a problem arises during the meet, the official shall notify the event manager of the problem, and shall inform the event manager of the remedy needed (could include asking for direct supervision of the area, warning issued by the event manager, or ejection from the area).

 

Host management is responsible for all spectators, regardless which school the spectator is supporting.   Any necessary communication or action taken shall come from the event manager in charge.

 

a.    Basketball -- A player who is injured to the extent that the coach or any other bench personnel comes onto the court shall leave the game and may not return until the first opportunity for such player to return.

 

b.    Softball -- Time shall be called when a player is injured and the appearance of blood is observed.  Bench personnel will be allowed to spend reasonable time to cover and clean the wound before requesting a substitute.  The pitching hand by rule may not be covered in part or whole by any substance.  If the pitcher has an open wound on the hand that produces blood, she must be removed as pitcher until the problem is solved.

 

c.   Volleyball --  Time shall be called when a player is injured and the appearance of blood is observed.  Bench personnel will be allowed to spend reasonable time to cover and clean the wound before requesting a substitute. A participant shall not continue competition until the bleeding is controlled and the wound is covered.

 

For those sports not having a specific injury rule, the official shall allow sideline personnel to attend to the bleeding athlete for a reasonable amount of time before requesting a substitute.  An athlete shall not continue competition unless the bleeding is controlled and the wound is covered.  Any athlete who has left the contest due to bleeding shall not re-enter the contest until the bleeding has been controlled and the wound covered.

 

3.  When a contest official observes an excessive amount of blood on a participant or their uniform, that participant shall leave the contest for the length of time specified  by  the sportÕs  injury  rule and  the blood  shall  be  wiped  from  the participant and/or their  uniform.   If a team does not wish to remove the player from the game, one of its charged time outs may be used during which time the blood shall be wiped from the contestant.  If the blood appears immediately prior to a quarter, halftime, or overtime intermission, sideline personnel may use such intermission to wipe the blood from the contestant.  For those sports not having a specific injury rule, the official shall allow sideline personnel to wipe the blood off the athlete and play shall be resumed.  An excessive amount of blood is that amount which could be easily transferred from one athlete to another.

 

4.  Any time a contest is stopped due to blood being present, any Washable surfaces (i.e. gym floor, pool deck, equipment) contaminated with blood shall be properly cleaned using OSHA accepted standards and procedures before competition resumes.

 

5.  Athletes should render first-aid to themselves or first-aid shall be administered by sideline personnel, not by contest officials.

 

6.  The risk of contracting the AIDS virus as a contest official or participant is minimal.  There are no documented cases of AIDS being transmitted through athletic participation.

 

 

 

 

 

HANDLING BODY FLUIDS DURING THE CONTEST

OFFICIALSÕ LIMITS OF RESPONSIBILITIES

 

An examination of interscholastic sports rule books reveals there is little direction given officials regarding the handling of body fluids during a contest.  Any mention that does exist is vague at best, and no rule book outlines a protocol that officials are to follow.

 

Therefore, the purpose of this document is to provide officials information  regarding  their  responsibilities  during a  contest should an injury or illness occur which results in an athlete losing blood or vomiting in the competitive area.

 

In the event an athlete sustains an injury or becomes ill during a contest on the competitive surface or in close proximity such that the problem affects play or the continuation of the contest, IGHSAU officials shall take the following steps:

 

1.  Stop the contest at the point a problem is recognized.  The IGHSAU recognizes some rule books make specific statements about play interruption.  All rule books have an Òelastic clauseÓ which allows an official to take whatever action may be required.

 

2.   Do not administer first aid to any athlete except to comfort the athlete until those designated to administer first aid arrive.

 

3.   Do not take part in handling blood, vomit, feces, pus or other body fluids.

 

4.  Officials shall professionally monitor the situation as observers, keeping in mind the rules addressing interruptions, stoppage of play, starting play, and other specific rules that may apply.

 

5.  Officials with specific qualifying training shall avoid participating in first aid treatment except when there is absolutely no other alternative.

 

Uniform rule -- If through injury or illness the uniform of a contestant becomes contaminated with body fluid, the official will disregard rule book codification on penalties for changing the participantÕs uniform.

 

The IGHSAU supports officials and coaches who are responding to a situation with the philosophy that the welfare of the injured player always comes first.  We ask officials to be aware of their responsibilities and limitations as outlined above, with the understanding school personnel (coaches, trainers, etc.) are responsible to work directly with the injured or ill player.

 

IGHSAU/IHSAA CONCUSSION MANAGEMENT GUIDE

 

Due to the increased focus on minimizing the risk for athletes exhibiting signs, symptoms and behaviors of a concussion, the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) has placed the following language in all sports rule books beginning in 2010-11.

 

ÒAn athlete who exhibits signs, symptoms or behaviors consistent with a concussion (such as loss of consciousness, headache, dizziness confusion, or balance problems) shall be immediately removed from the contest and shall not return to play (that day) until cleared by an appropriate health-care professional.Ó

 

NFHS SUGGESTED CONCUSSION MANAGEMENT

 

1.           No athlete should return to participation (RTP) on the same day of a concussion.

 

2.           Any athlete suspected of having a concussion should be evaluated by an appropriate health-care professional that day.

 

3.           Any athlete with a concussion should be medically cleared by an appropriate health-care professional prior to resuming participation in any practice or competition.

 

4.           After medical clearance, RTP should follow a stepwise protocol with provisions for delayed RTP based upon return of any signs or symptoms.

 

The following protocol is intended to implement the NFHS concussion rule in Iowa and minimize the risk of any athlete who is exhibiting signs, symptoms and behaviors of a concussion.

 

*  Education of contest officials, school coaches and other appropriate school personnel, contestants, parents, and appropriate health-care professionals.

 

               +   The IGHSAU and IHSAA will provide a variety of educational materials developed by organizations knowledgeable about concussions to help the above individuals

 

               ~ recognize the signs, symptoms and behaviors of a possible concussion,

 

               ~  appropriately manage concussions

 

*  Removing an injured athlete from competition and deciding whether he or she has sustained a concussion.

 

               +   The contest officialsÕ responsibility is to recognize an athlete may have an injury and remove him or her from the contest.  Once they have removed the athlete from the contest the officialsÕ responsibility for the athleteÕs safety is over and the athlete is in the care of the schoolÕs coach(es) and any appropriate health-care professional(s) the school designates to provide care.

 

               +   If an athlete is exhibiting signs, symptoms and behaviors consistent with a concussion she or he shall not return to competition for the remainder of that day until cleared by an appropriate health-care professional.  If an appropriate health-care professional is not available, the athlete shall not return to competition the remainder of the day.

 

NOTE 1:  Each local school needs to determine who (either individually or by group) they consider to be appropriate health-care professional(s) qualified to decide if an athlete exhibiting signs, symptoms and behaviors of a concussion may return to competition on the same day the injury occurred.  Schools may develop a formal process for return to competition on the day of injury, including requirements for written clearance by the appropriate health-care professional(s) the school has designated.  Medical experts in concussion management believe appropriate health-care professionals making these decisions should have extra training in sports-related concussions.

 

               +   The athleteÕs parents/guardians should be contacted regarding the athleteÕs injury and it should be recommended an appropriate health-care provider evaluates the athlete before he or she returns to any type of practice and/or competition.

 

*  Return to participation (practice and competition) protocol should be followed as determined by an appropriate health-care professional before allowing an athlete who has been concussed to return to any kind of participation (practice and/or competition).

 

Note 2:  Each local school needs to determine who (either individually or by group) they consider to be the appropriate health-care professional(s) qualified to release a concussed athlete to any kind of participation (practice and/or competition).  Schools may develop a formal process for return to participation following concussion, including requirements for written clearance by the appropriate health-care professional(s) the school has designated.  Medical experts in concussion management believe appropriate health-care professionals making these decisions should have extra training in sports-related concussions.

 

*  In cases where the IGHSAU or IHSAA have designated an appropriate health-care professional for their sponsored events/tournaments, the decision of that health-care professional regarding an athlete who is exhibiting signs, symptoms and behaviors consistent with a concussion returning to competition at any time during those events/tournaments shall not be overruled.