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UPDATES

NFHS Permits Schutt Splash Shield for Football Helmets

The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) ruled on June 5 that the Schutt Sports Splash Shield for football helmets, as shown right, will be permissible for competition and is compliant with current 2020 NFHS Football 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 on June 5 about the new product from Schutt for its football face mask. The NFHS is not mandating or endorsing the Schutt product for use by high school players.

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 proximity - which is a concern of the spread of COVID-19. Schutt said it will offer the Splash Shield for purchase by July through its dealer network and online. Wrestling Uniform Changes Support Girls Participation

As the result of a concerted effort to accommodate the growing 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 down more gender barriers with subsequent changes to Rules 4-5-1, 4-5-2 and 4-5-4. Previously, weigh-ins consisted of shoulder-toshoulder lineups of each contestant that were separated by gender (4-5-2), took place a maximum of one hour prior to competition (4-5-1) and required supervision by a referee of each respective gender (4-5-4). 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 offers females a more suitable uniform for post-weigh-in skin checks, which are typically done by male officials.

Rules in Four Spring Sports Will Not Change for 2021 Season

Due to the cancellation of spring sports at high schools across the country, the National Federation of State High School Associations (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.

Because very few schools were able to compete in these sports prior to the March shutdown of schools due to the COVID-19 pandemic, competition in these sports in 2021 will be conducted under 2020 NFHS rules for baseball, softball, track and field, girls lacrosse and boys lacrosse.

Basketball Shot Clock Proposal Voted Down

A proposal for a national rule mandating a shot clock as well as a proposal to allow a shot clock by state adoption for high school basketball were not approved by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Basketball Rules Committee at its annual meeting April 14–16.

“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

The NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel approved delaying rules changes in five sports for a year to mitigate the financial impact on athletics budgets in the wake of

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The sports where the implementation will be delayed are baseball, men’s basketball, men’s lacrosse, softball and swimming and diving.

• In baseball, Divisions II and III regular-season bat barrel compression testing will start in Spring 2022 instead of Spring 2021. The rule was in effect for Division I baseball programs this spring.

• Softball bat barrel compression testing for Division I will start in Spring 2022 instead of Spring 2021. Division II and III softball teams are still required to do regular-season testing by Spring 2022, which is the original time frame.

• In men’s lacrosse, the requirement of teams in all three divisions to have two visible shot clocks with the ability to reset them to different times was delayed from 2021 to 2022.

• In Division II and III men’s basketball programs, the rule change moving three-point lines to the international distance of 22 feet, 1¾ inches is delayed to the 2021–22 season. The rule was in effect for Division I men’s basketball this past season.

• In swimming and diving, Division II and III programs would be required to have two officials for dual, double-dual, triangular and quadrangular meets in the regular season for the 2020–21 academic year. The two divisions also were going to be required to have four officials for invitational and championship meets in 2020–21. These rules will go into effect in 2021–22 and were in effect for Division I this past season.

USA Swimming Logo Now Acceptable on High School Swimsuits

The USA Swimming checkmark logo is now an acceptable suit marking in high school swimming. This was among the high school swimming and diving rules changes for the 2020–21 school year that were approved by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Board of Directors.

The alterations for the USA Swimming checkmark logo were made to the uniform code under Rules 3-3-3 and 3-3-4c regarding accepted and prohibited manufacturers’ logos. The mark signifying approval from the international governing body for aquatic sports, FINA, is also considered an acceptable suit marking.

Use of Soft-Padded Caps in Water Polo Allowed

Use of a soft-padded cap will be permitted in high school water polo starting with the 2020–21 season. The NFHS, with risk minimization in mind added the new Rule 1-26, which permits players to wear a soft-padded cap, but it must meet the requirements of Rules 1-20 through 1-24 and Rule 2-4. The committee noted that coaches, athletes and parents/guardians should review the manufacturers’ warnings about proper usage and performance limits of such products.

Ice Hockey Increases Penalties for “Dangerous” Skates

A more severe penalty for players wearing skates deemed “dangerous” is one of the rule changes for high school hockey in the 2020–21 season. Skates are considered dangerous if they have protrusions and a first offense will warrant a game misconduct penalty. Players with dangerous skates were previously given a warning and an opportunity to return to the game if the issue was corrected.

NAIA Partners with NFL to Launch Women’s Flag Football Initiative

Women’s flag football is on its way to becoming an official National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) varsity sport by 2021, thanks to a two-year partnership between the NAIA, the National Football League (NFL) and Reigning Champs Experiences (RCX). With support from NFL FLAG and RCX, NAIA will work to develop league infrastructure and operations for the first women’s flag football competition governed by a collegiate athletics association.

The first competitive season will be held in the spring of 2021 and the NAIA will host an emerging sport or invitational championship in the spring of 2022.

NAIA, Spalding Extend Basketball Partnership

The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) announced it will extend its partnership with Spalding — the largest basketball equipment supplier in the world — as the association’s official supplier of basketballs. Beginning in July and running through the end of June 2023, Spalding’s TF 1000 Legacy basketball will continue to be the “Official Basketball of the NAIA.”

NAIA, Molten Extend Men’s Volleyball Partnership

The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) announced it will extend its partnership with Molten USA to remain the official volleyball for NAIA Men’s Volleyball Championship play through the 2023 season. The three-year agreement extends a deal that was originated in the 2018 season to use the V5M5000 FLISTATEC volleyball in NAIA Championship play on the men’s side.