2/18/2009

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Playing and Practice Seasons

First Date of Practice-Championship Segment:  A member institution shall not commence practice sessions in sand volleyball in the championship segment before January 10 or the first day of classes, whichever is earlier.

Rationale:  Commensurate with spring sport start dates for DII

First Date of Competition-Championship Segment:  A member institution shall not engage in its first date of competition with outside competition in the championship segment before February 1.

Rationale:  Commensurate with spring sport start dates for DII

End of Practice and Competition-Championship Segment: A member institution shall conclude all practice and competition (games and scrimmages) in sand volleyball by the conclusion of the NCAA Sand Volleyball Championship.

Rationale:  In accordance with NCAA DII legislation

Daily and Weekly Hour Limitations-Championship Segment:  A student-athlete's participation in countable athletically related activities shall be limited to four hours per day and 20 hours per week.

Rationale:  In accordance with NCAA DII legislation

First Date of Practice and Competition-Nonchampionship Segment:  A member institution shall not commence practice sessions or engage in outside competition in the nonchampionship segment before September 7 or the first day of classes, whichever occurs first.

Rationale:  Accommodates majority of 1^st class start dates for "semesterly" DII schools - also provides northern climates early opportunity to benefit from weather

End Date of Practice and Competition-Nonchampionship Segment:  A member institution shall conclude all practice and competition in the nonchampionship segment no later than seven calendar days prior to the first date of the institution's final examinations.

Rationale:  Provides open opportunity to utilize non-championship segment practice/competition opportunities within the confines of the academic term

Weekly Hour Limitations-Nonchampionship Segment:  Outside of the championship segment during the academic year, only a student-athlete's participation in weight-training, conditioning, team meetings (only in football can game film be reviewed) and individual skill instruction shall be permitted.  A student-athlete's participation in such activities shall be limited to a maximum of eight hours per week, of which not more than two hours per week may be spent on individual skill workouts.  All countable athletically related activities outside the playing season are prohibited one week prior to the beginning of the final examination period through the conclusion of the institution's final examinations.  Participation in voluntary workouts monitored by strength and conditioning personnel for safety purposes shall not count against the weekly hour limitation.

Rationale:  In accordance with NCAA DII legislation

Required Days Off-Nonchampionship Segment:  Outside the championship segment, during the academic year, all countable athletically related activities shall be prohibited during two calendar days per week.

Rationale:  In accordance with NCAA DII legislation

Out-of-Season and Nonchampionship Segment Athletically Related Activities:  Student-athletes and members of the coaching staff shall not engage in countable athletically related activities outside the championship segment except for the following:

Rationale:  In accordance with NCAA DII legislation

Nonchampionship Segment Activities:  During the segment in which the NCAA championship does not occur, student-athletes may participate in any practice or competition activity as permitted other legislation provided such activity is restricted to a maximum of 24 days that occur within a period of 45 consecutive calendar days, omitting vacation and examination days officially announced or on days that the institution is closed due to inclement weather, as long as no practice or competition occurs on such days.  The 45 calendar days must be within the allowable first and end date of practice and competition in the nonchampionship segments set forth by the NCAA.

Rationale:  In accordance with NCAA DII legislation

 Number and Dates of Competition

(a)  Maximum Limitations - Institutional:  A member institution shall limit its total playing schedule with outside competition in sand volleyball during the

institution's sand volleyball playing season to seventeen (17) dates of competition during the segment in which the NCAA championship is conducted and four (4) dates of competition during the nonchampionship segment.

• (a) Annual Exemptions: Conference Championship, NCAA Championship, Alumni Game, Foreign Team in U.S., Hawaii or Alaska, Fund-Raising Activity, Celebrity Sports Activity, U.S. National Team

Minimum Contests and Participants Requirements for Sports Sponsorship:  In each sport, the institution's team shall engage in at least a minimum number of intercollegiate contests (against four-year, degree-granting collegiate institutions) each year. In the individual sports, the institution's team shall include a minimum number of participants in each contest that is counted toward meeting the minimum-contests requirement. The following minimums are applicable:

Sand Volleyball

Minimum Contests-10 dates of competition Minimum Participants-10 participants

Rationale:  Competition maximums and minimums are drawn from reasonable parallels as established under NCAA legislation for lacrosse, a current spring sport.  Given that the notion of an NCAA Championship is not yet viable, the maximum number should fit the available season provided by the academic calendar, and seventeen seems to present a plausible option for the earliest competition date to the end of the academic term.

As to why the minimum of 10 dates of competition is suggested, the example set by lacrosse seems reasonable.  Dates, in lieu of competitions are recommended due to the nature of sand play which provides options of playing multiple opponents in a single day.  Using dates assures a legitimate commitment to adding a separate sport as opposed to a quota filling approach.

Financial Aid                                                                                                         Date of

   Implementation

Maximum Equivalency Limits

            Sand Volleyball (w/o Indoor).................5                                        Immediately

            Sand Volleyball (w Indoor)...................2                         

Rationale:  See "rationale" below

Playing Rules

Participants: A team is composed of five (5) two-player units who compete in a flighted draw.  No substitutions are allowed once a two-player unit has started a match or a tournament.  Player substitutions may occur between different competitions.    

Rationale:  The participant numbers as well as financial aid limits are connected thought processes.  The determination of five two-player units is a function of the following:

Pair total must be an odd number to prevent ties

• o Three pairs only involved six players which would not inspire additional participants and teams could mostly be filled by current rosters for indoor
• o Seven pairs requires a minimum roster of 14 which eclipses the ‘standard' roster size for indoor and seven matches presents logistical issues with competition which could make the events generally problematic to manage
• o Five pairs (or ten active players) is a significant roster size and poses realistic options for competition in either dual, tri, quad, or tournament play

For programs having sand only, the limit would be five athletics grant-in-aids to be administered as an equivalency sport limitation as a roster for sand would conceivably be 12 with aid recipients being awarded an average 41% of a full grant-in-aid.  Increasing the limit from 8 to 10 for programs sponsoring both indoor and sand, provides for an option of increasing roster size with aid recipients by 25% of the current 8 full grant-in-aids.  Due to DII legislation for indoor volleyball operating as an equivalency sport, it is believed programs increasing their limit to 10 would have the latitude to effectively field a team of both indoor crossover players and sand purists.

Uniform:  a. A uniform consists of two school-issued components - shorts or briefs, and a top. A one-piece body suit is acceptable as a combination of the two components. Any outer garment (e.g., sweat pants, tights) that is school-issued becomes the official uniform, when worn.

b.            The uniform must be of a material and design deemed to not be objectionable or offensive by the athletics department of the issuing institution.

c.             The uniform top must, by design and size, cover the full length of the torso, meeting or hanging below the waistband of the bottoms, while the competitor is standing, and allow for competitors' numbers to be placed above the waist, front and back.

d.            Additional visible clothing is an undergarment. It must be worn under the uniform and be of a solid color.

Rationale:  In accordance with NCAA DII legislation for track as functional clothing definitions are reasonable and tasteful

Scoring System.

            To win a Dual Match: The match is won by the team that wins three of the five separate doubles competitions.

            To win a doubles contest: The winner of a doubles contest is the pair that wins two out of three games.  The first two games are played by rally scoring to 21 points (with a minimum lead of two points), the deciding game, if necessary, is played by rally score to 15 points (with a minimum lead of two points.)    

            To win a Triangular or Quadrangular Competition: Each doubles unit will compete against all the other pairs in their flight (one through five).  Each doubles contest win will be awarded one (1) point in the team score. The winner of the competition is the team that scores the highest number of points with other teams placing 2^nd, 3^rd and 4^th based on their point totals.  If two teams tie for first place, they will play a tie-breaker consisting of each doubles team competing in one 15-point game.  If two or more teams tie for first place, the winner will be the team that scored the most total points during the competition.

Rationale:  In accordance with sand volleyball rules

Facilities. 

Playing Area: Each playing court is a rectangle measuring 52'6" surrounded by a free zone with a minimum of 9'10" wide and with a space free of any obstruction up to a height of a minimum of 23' from the playing surface.

Playing Surface: The terrain must be composed of leveled sand, as flat and uniform as possible, free of rocks, shells and anything else, which can represent risks of cuts or injuries to the players.

Lines on the Court: Two sidelines and two end lines mark the playing court (no center line and no 10 foot lines).  The lines must be 2" wide ribbons anchored by a soft flexible material at the four corners and the net, and of a color which contrasts sharply with the color of the sand.      

Net: The net is 27'10' long and 39" wide when it is hung taut, placed vertically over the axis of the center of the court.  At the top and the bottom there are two 3" wide horizontal bands made of two-fold canvas, preferably in dark or bright colors and sewn along its full length.  The height of the net shall be 7'4 1/8" for women.  Two side bands are fastened vertically to the net and placed above each sideline.  Two antennae are fastened to the outer edge of each side band.

Ball:  The ball is an outdoor ball with weight, circumference, pressure and color that meet FIVB standards.   

Rationale:  In accordance with sand volleyball rules

 These regulations were taken from the NCAA Rulebook for Track & Field and therefore should provide functional and college-appropriate guidelines for attire.

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