A Message From the Executive Director …

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As the new school year approaches, one of the most significant changes for our schools is a requirement for rule meeting attendance by the head coach.  The Board of Directors adopted this policy in late June, and given it was too late to adequately notify the fall sport coaches, the requirement actually begins with the rule meetings preceding the upcoming basketball season, and continues in track and field, soccer and softball during the 06-07 school year, then extends to volleyball and swimming and diving starting with the 07-08 school year.

The idea of mandating attendance by head coaches has been around for several years, since the Iowa High School Athletic Association initiated the same requirement of its coaches.  However, there was never any strong push to adopt the requirement until the past six months, when both the Iowa High School Athletic Directors Association, and the Track and Field  Coaches’ Advisory Committee each recommended rule meeting attendance be required of head coaches.

The philosophy behind the requirement is simple.  It is imperative coaches are aware of playing rules, rule changes, and other administrative policies.  The coaches are the conduits to the students for these matters, and no one can optimize their participation experience without knowing or understanding the rules by which the game is played.  Rule meetings require a 90-minute commitment from a coach, but that 90 minutes will impact a season more than any other 90 minutes of pre-season preparation.

Basketball, track and field, soccer and swimming & diving rule meetings are held jointly with the Iowa High School Athletic Association as both boys and girls play from the same rulebook in those sports.  Volleyball and softball meetings are solely sponsored by the IGHSAU.  On average, nearly 1,000 coaches attend rule meetings, so this requirement will not have great impact on the majority of our schools, as their coaches (in fact, entire coaching staffs) are already attending.   But, in an average year, 40-50 schools do not have a coach at those meetings, so there will be some schools impacted by the change. 

As many as 16 rule meetings for coaches and officials are held in each sport, not including meetings for coaches only at pre-season clinics sponsored by their respective coaches’ associations.  With rare exception, these meetings take place during the two weeks prior to the first practice, and during the first week of the practice season.  Meetings last 90 minutes and address not only playing rules, but also official’s mechanics and administrative policies that are essential for broad knowledge of the game from a rule standpoint.  In fact, rule meetings are considered so essential that the Iowa Department of Education allows attendance at a rule meeting to count as one of five renewal credits a coach must have to renew his/her coaching authorization.

The only complicating factor associated with this policy is the penalty phase.  What should be done in the event a coach fails to attend a rule meeting?  There are a myriad of very valid reasons coaches have conflicts which may prevent attendance…health or family emergencies, their professional role in parent-teacher conferences, perhaps they are coaching a second sport which conflicts with the rule meeting dates, or in some cases, we even have basketball coaches who are officiating in the volleyball tournament series.   How can those coaches not be penalized in the same manner as a coach who fails to attend a meeting for reasons that he/she could otherwise control?

The Board of Directors did adopt a waiver process for coaches who cannot attend.  First, given the fact there are so many rule meetings spread over so many different nights, the athletic director who is filing for a waiver on behalf of the coach must indicate why the coach could not attend any meeting that was reasonably accessible.  For example, a coach in Cedar Rapids who could not attend a Van Horne meeting would be expected to attend a meeting at Dubuque, Eldridge, Marshalltown, or some other site.  If all sites that are geographically reasonable fall on dates that are not accessible to the coach, then the waiver process can continue.

The waiver must explain why the coach could not attend – obviously, some factor that was outside of the control of the coach.   In order for the waiver to be granted, the coach must complete, and pass, the rule examination that is offered on-line on the IGHSAU web site.  A waiver will not be granted more than once every three years to an individual coach.

The penalty for a coach who does not attend a rule meeting is the same as for an official who does not attend a rule meeting – that person is not eligible to participate, either as a coach or as an official, in the tournament series in that sport. 

Although there are no formal make-up meetings offered by the IGHSAU, the waiver process provides an opportunity for a coach to avoid any sanction.

Rule meetings for the swimming and diving and volleyball season begin in the next two weeks.  Although attendance by coaches is not yet mandatory, we hope each coach finds the value in attending. Coaches I meet are more than willing to do everything in his/her power to best prepare their team for success.  Attendance at a rule meeting is a key aspect of that preparation.

We get questions at times about the possibility of doing rule meetings over the ICN.  We have historically refrained from that due to the fact rule meetings provide one of very few opportunities for our staff to have personal contact and interaction with coaches and officials.  Technology, email and the internet have made communication much more efficient, but we don’t want to lose one of the few opportunities we have to have a “live” conversation. 

I’ve learned never to say never, though.  Five years ago, I would have never thought the rule exam would be taken on-line, and graded instantly.  Next spring, all licensure of our 3500+ officials will be done on-line.   This new attendance requirement forces the Athletic Union to look for ways which we can enhance the opportunities for attendance. 

With that in mind, the future of rule meeting attendance is likely an archived, streaming on-line version that would be available to coaches and officials prior to the season, then available to the general public at any other time.  While this wouldn’t be live, or particularly personal --- if the objective of the ICN is to eliminate travel and/or scheduling issues, there is no alternative with less travel, or offering a more flexible “attendance” schedule, than viewing the meeting on your home computer.

Troy Dannen