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UPDATES
With the institution of the legal uniform (one-piece singlet or twopiece), male and female wrestlers are now able to weigh-in together in the same lineup, allowing gender-specific language to be removed from all three rules. Additionally, the form-fitted compression shirt
NFHS Permits Schutt Splash Shield for Football Helmets
offers females a more suitable uniform for post-weigh-in skin checks,
The National Federation of State High School
Rules in Four Spring Sports Will Not Change for 2021 Season
Associations (NFHS) ruled on June 5 that the Schutt Sports Splash Shield for football
which are typically done by male officials.
helmets, as shown right, will be permissible
Due to the cancellation of spring sports at high schools across the
for competition and is compliant with current 2020 NFHS Football
country, the National Federation of State High School Associations
Rule 1-5-3c(4) as long as it is clear and has no tint. Bob Colgate, NFHS Director of Sports and Sports Medicine and liaison to the Football Rules Committee, said the NFHS was notified
(NFHS) will not be publishing new rules (both print and digital) for 2021 in the sports of baseball, softball, track and field, girls lacrosse and boys lacrosse.
on June 5 about the new product from Schutt for its football face
Because very few schools were able to compete in these sports
mask. The NFHS is not mandating or endorsing the Schutt product
prior to the March shutdown of schools due to the COVID-19
for use by high school players.
pandemic, competition in these sports in 2021 will be conducted
Schutt announced in a press release it is manufacturing the new Splash Shield to offer some protection for football players from harmful droplets caused by talking, sneezing and coughing in close
under 2020 NFHS rules for baseball, softball, track and field, girls lacrosse and boys lacrosse.
said it will offer the Splash Shield for purchase by July through its
Basketball Shot Clock Proposal Voted Down
dealer network and online.
A proposal for a national rule mandating a shot clock as well as a
Wrestling Uniform Changes Support Girls Participation
proposal to allow a shot clock by state adoption for high school
As the result of a concerted effort to accommodate the growing
annual meeting April 14–16.
proximity - which is a concern of the spread of COVID-19. Schutt
number of female wrestlers, the 2020–21 high school wrestling rules changes are headlined by significant adjustments to uniforms, weigh-in protocol and appropriate hair-length requirements. The weigh-in procedure was altered through a combination of changes to Rule 4-5 (Weighing-In) of the Wrestling Rule Book. Following an amendment to the legal uniform addressed in Rule 4-1-1c, which now permits female wrestlers to wear a form-fitted compression shirt that completely covers their breasts in addition to a one-piece singlet and a suitable undergarment, Rule 4-5-7 was rewritten to require that a legal uniform be worn during weigh-in and that no additional weight allowance be granted. An additional clause prohibiting shoes and ear guards during weigh-in was also written into 4-5-7. Weighing-in with a legal uniform allowed the committee to break
basketball were not approved by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Basketball Rules Committee at its “Information was given to the Basketball Rules Committee that shared the votes in individual states on how coaches and officials voted in support of or non-support of the shot clock rule,” said Theresia Wynns, NFHS director of sports and liaison to the Basketball Rules Committee. “The conversation among the committee members explored the pros and cons of enacting the proposal as a rule for all states and likewise for state adoption. The committee will continue to explore the shot clock issue.”
COLLEGE UPDATES NCAA Delays Rule Changes in Five Sports For One Year
down more gender barriers with subsequent changes to Rules 4-5-1,
The NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel
4-5-2 and 4-5-4. Previously, weigh-ins consisted of shoulder-to-
approved delaying rules changes in five
shoulder lineups of each contestant that were separated by gender
sports for a year to mitigate the financial
(4-5-2), took place a maximum of one hour prior to competition
impact on athletics budgets in the wake of
(4-5-1) and required supervision by a referee of each respective
the COVID-19 pandemic.
gender (4-5-4).
Continued on Page 22 NSGA NOW ® July/August 2020 | 21
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