News

There are seven proposed amendments to the Constitution, Bylaws and Rules of Eligibility for the membership to consider and vote on at the 2016 Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Annual Meeting Wednesday, April 20 at the Holiday Inn Convention Center in Stevens Point. 

Two of the seven refer to the Nonschool Participation During the Season section in Article VI of the Rules of Eligibility. 

The first proposed amendment to the Nonschool Participation language allows any individual student-athlete to participate in up to two nonschool contests during that respective school sport season in the same sport. The nonschool opportunity would require school approval on the basis that such participation will not jeopardize a student’s eligibility under the membership’s amateur status provisions or other membership rules.

The difference in this year’s proposal from the one defeated 383-44 at last year’s Annual Meeting is the nonschool contests will not count against an individual’s maximum allowed games, meets or contests in a sport. Therefore, if the school team schedules its maximum number of contests permitted by membership rule, each athlete will be permitted to participate in two nonschool events in addition to the school’s maximum. Participation in a non-school competition will not be allowed during the respective WIAA Tournament Series in a sport.

The rationale for the proposed amendment is the number of persisting member requests on behalf of their student-athletes to participate in nonschool competitions during the school season. These inquiries typically assert a perceived over-restrictive rule with a request to relax the interpretation of the exceptional athlete provision. Currently, border states and most other midwest states have provisions less restrictive for nonschool opportunities.

This amended rule would not alter the exceptional athlete waiver conditions, nor would a student-athlete be able to delay reporting to the school team beyond the school’s official first day of practice in order to continue nonschool participation­–except in the fall, which is currently permitted.

Proponents of the amendment believe it will reduce the pressure placed on school administrators by students and parents who request to participate in nonschool events and competitions during the school season. Ultimately, the request is often deferred to the WIAA executive office for a determination.

Opponents claim the rule is counterintuitive to the philosophy of the membership. By providing nonschool opportunities for events not meeting the exceptional athlete threshold, it diminishes the rationale and reasoning for the nonschool restrictions, which is loyalty to the school team. Opponents would also argue it erodes the stature and standing of high school participation as the most influential and beneficial athletic experience and opens the door of opportunity for nonschool program providers during the school season.

In numerous cases, despite the rule, school personnel campaign for an exception to the rule or often cite the nonschool activity as an exceptional athlete opportunity, even though most events fall short of the membership’s criteria for an “exceptional athlete” opportunity. These continuous efforts to seek exceptions to the nonschool participation provisions ultimately to diminish the exceptional athlete definition. 

The Board of Control has supported passage of the amendment by a 10-0 vote, while the Advisory Council didn’t support change by a 7-8 count.


The second nonschool participation amendment proposed addresses identifying what events qualify student-athletes for an exceptional athlete waiver.

The existing criteria in Article VI and the Nonschool Participation In-Season section of the Rules of Eligibility would be stricken and replaced by identifying the programs eligible for student-athletes to receive an exceptional athlete waiver. The amendment essentially redefines the exceptional athlete provision to recognize only invitations to competitions sanctioned by each sport’s identified National Governing Body (NGB) and Olympic Development Programs (ODP) as eligible for a waiver. 

Participation by high school students on bona fide national teams of the NGB and the ODP representing the United States would be permitted. The exceptional athlete waiver would be provided for regular season and during the WIAA Tournament Series. 

The definition of a “national team” is a team selected by the National Governing Body (NGB) of the sport on a national qualification basis–either through a defined selective process or actual tryouts for the purpose of international competition–that requires the entries to officially represent the respective nations, although it is not necessary there be team scoring by nation. 

An Olympic Development Program is defined as a training program or competition that is conducted or sponsored by the United States Olympic Committee, or directly funded and conducted by the United States Olympic Committee member NGB on the national level, or specifically authorized by a national governing body involving only athletes previously identified by the NGB as having potential for future participation at the regional, national or international competition in that sport.

The definition of Special Olympics refers to the Special Olympics program that provides year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities.

Here is a list of the identified Official National Governing Bodies identified for the sports sponsored by the WIAA:

Baseball - USA Baseball
Basketball - USA Basketball
Diving - USA Diving
Football - USA Football
Golf - U.S. Golf Association
Gymnastics - USA Gymnastics
Ice Hockey - USA Hockey
Softball - Amateur Softball Association
Soccer - U.S. Soccer Federation
Swimming - USA Swimming
Tennis - U.S. Tennis Association
Track & Field - USA Track & Field
Volleyball - USA Volleyball
Wrestling - USA Wrestling

The amendment advanced to the Annual Meeting with unanimous support from the Board of Control, Advisory Council and the Sports Advisory Committee.