Wisconsin Wrestling Coaches Association

WIAA SUMMER MEETING DECISIONS TO AFFECT WINTER SPORTS; CODES 

GREEN LAKE, Wis --The Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Board of Control approved several recommendations that will impact school behavior codes and the winter sports seasons at its annual summer meeting this week. 

The Board approved a Medical Advisory Committee recommendation to adopt the National Collegiate Athletic Association Banned-Drug list with exceptions noted for prescription medications under medical supervision and to exclude caffeine. A reference list of banned substances will be made available on the WIAA website prior to the start of the 2006-07 school year. 

The Board also approved two recommendations that impact seeding in basketball. The first reverses a decision the Board made last year. After further analysis, it approved how seeding will be done in Division 1. Beginning in 2006-07, coaches within a sectional grouping will seed their entire sectional. The change will assist in tournament planning and will not affect Divisions 2, 3 and 4. The second action requires a school to be represented at the seed meeting. Failure to participate in the meeting in some manner will result in the loss of the coaching box for the first regional game. 

In other basketball-related action, the Board approved extending the contract with the Alliant Energy Center in Madison as the site of the Girls State Basketball Tournament through 2009. The Center was the site of the most recent girls tournament after serving as the host venue for the first time in 2004. 

After approving a recommendation to pursue developing an on-line minimum weight program at last year's meeting, the Board approved implementing the on-line minimum weight certification program created exclusively for the WIAA beginning this fall. The program is expected to greatly enhance the speed and efficiency of minimum weight verification. In addition, the period for hydrostatic reweighing was extended one week to allow wrestlers to be reweighed 15 days prior to the start of the WIAA Tournament Series. 

The Board also approved a wrestling coaches' recommendation to add a wrestle-back match for third place at the State Individual Wrestling Tournament beginning next winter. The additional matches are not expected to extend the length of the meet significantly and is intended to provide a more accurate assessment of place-winners. 

In gymnastics, a recommendation to increase the number of alternates from one to four for the sectional and State Tournaments was approved, allowing for one alternate on each apparatus to be on the floor with the team. 

Board action taken in hockey clarifies the amount of time between periods. A 12-minute intermission will be required for warm-ups unless extenuating circumstances or other approved programming is identified. 

The Board did not take action, but did express support for the executive staff examining the potential of adding contests to the maximum number allowed in a season without significantly impacting costs to schools. 

Other discussions outlining the agenda for the Association in the near future to include transfer students, cooperative teams, performance enhancing substances, divisional placements and conference realignment. Options for schools in southern and southeastern portions of the state and for the Lumberjack Conference are expected to be unveiled at the October Board of Control meeting. 

The WIAA oversees interscholastic athletic programs for 503 senior high schools and 125 junior high/middle level schools in its membership. It sponsors 25 championship tournament series. For more information, please contact the WIAA office at (715) 344-8580. 

# WIAA #