02/02/17 – Further Clarification on Track Meet Participation

February 2, 2017 Track and Field Blog Updates

To further clarify the rules and regulations involving participation in indoor or outdoor track meets, we want to ensure our coaches are aware of the limitations when entering meets.

• Schools that choose to enter athletes in a meet under the school name (or in the case where meets allow schools to enter as a school and a member chooses to do so) cannot compete against schools or teams located in Kentucky who are eligible to join the KHSAA but have decided not to do so at this time;
• There are no restrictions regarding competition against out-of-state non-member schools or competition against out-of-state entities of other structures, as that is a local school decision;
• If schools have athletes entering a meet, even as unattached or unaffiliated individuals, it is the school’s responsibility to understand the Bylaw 23 restrictions (Limitation of Seasons) and who the athletes are competing against;
• Specifically, it is the school administration’s responsibility to ensure that the athlete and all coaches are aware of items that will require that the meet is counted against the Limitation of Seasons. Bylaw 23 specifically outlines how to count a meet in BL-23-7;
• Anytime a student-athlete represents a member school, a contest shall count against the Limitation of Seasons when competing against any representative(s) of another school after the start of practice and prior to the end of the season as defined within KHSAA Bylaw 23.

The following are additional specific examples of activities which would be subject to classifying the student-athlete as being a “representative” of the school, and the meet therefore counting against the Limitation of Seasons:

• Wearing of school uniform and school-issued playing
  equipment;
• Transportation to or from the contest using school
  transportation;
• Representing the school by entering an event under the
  name of the school;
• Representatives of the school entering an event in which
  entries are allowed only by school representatives;
• Attendance of, transportation by, coaching or other
  assistance by, any member of the school coaching staff from
  that sport; or
• Any school vs. school competition in a contest in any KHSAA
  sport or sport-activity as defined within Bylaw 23.

You are also reminded that there is no catastrophic insurance provided for these athletes entering any event that violates KHSAA rules or that does not count against the Limitation of Seasons.

-KHSAA-

The KHSAA staff routinely publishes blog posts to better communicate with its various constituencies and the public. For a list of those blogs, go to http://khsaa.org/news-stats-pubs/sports-blogs/