Playing by the Rules: The Case of the Captains’ Practice

Happy 236th birthday, America!!! I hope everyone is having a safe and happy 4th of July!!!

This morning I wanted to take full advantage of the holiday, so I got up early and hit the trails running to get in some miles before the temperature and humidity climbed super high. About halfway into my run I noticed something that I also observed while running on Saturdays this summer …cross-country athletes (high-school and collegiate) running in packs. With preseason for cross-country right around the corner, track-and-field season long over,  and no coaches in site (good job, coaches!) I knew what these athletes were doing…they were holding Captains’ Practices. While these can be constructive and useful means of preparation, captains’ practices pose some difficult issues as far as compliance with NCAA or individual interscholastic athletic association rules/guidelines. From the captains’ practices that I observed, all appeared to be well within compliance and actually serving as a very positive experience for the athletes involved. As the runners today made their way down the trail they were all together going the same, relaxed pace; they were chatting and laughing and creating what appeared to be great team comradery and unity;  they were on their feet, improving their endurance and aerobic capacity in preparation for preseason; and they were having fun! I was particularly curious about the exact language of the rules pertaining to captains’ practices, so when I returned home I did some quick research.

Based on my interpretation of the 2011-2012 NCAA, Division III Compliance Manual (which of course could be incorrect, so please don’t be afraid to set me straight if so) rule 17.02.13: Voluntary Athletically Related Activities is most applicable:

Student-athletes may be involved in any non-countable athletically related activity during the off-season period (e.g., workouts using the safety exception, voluntary workouts, other non-countable activities permitted during the in-season period).

• The student-athlete must not be required to report back to a coach or other athletics department staff member (e.g., strength coach, trainer, manager) any information related to the activity. In addition, non-coaching athletics department staff members who observe the activity (e.g., strength coach, trainer, manager) may not report back to the student-athlete’s coach any information related to the activity. [NOTE: Coaches may not observe voluntary activities. However, coaching staff members must be present during permissible skill-related instruction requested by the student-athlete pursuant to NCAA Bylaw 17.1.5.2.2.]
• The activity must be initiated and requested solely by the student-athlete. Neither the institution nor any athletics department staff members may require the student-athlete to participate in the activity at any time. However, it is permissible for an athletics department staff member to provide information to student-athletes related to available opportunities for participating in voluntary activities (e.g. times when the strength and conditioning coach will be on duty in the weight room or on the track). In addition, for students who have initiated a request to engage in voluntary activities, the institution or an athletics department staff member may assign specific times for student-athletes to use institutional facilities for such purposes and inform the student-athletes of the time in advance;
• The student-athlete’s attendance and participation in the activity (or lack thereof) may not be recorded for the purposes of reporting such information to coaching staff members or other student-athletes; and
• The student-athlete may not be subjected to penalty if he or she elects not to participate in the activity. In addition, neither the institution nor any athletics department staff member may provide recognition or incentives (e.g., awards) to a student-athlete based on his or her attendance or performance in the activity.

At the interscholastic/high-school level captains’ practices are not as widely defined, acknowledged, or accepted as in the NCAA rulebook. Some interscholastic athletic associations and individual high school athletic departments have adopted rules and regulations regarding captains’ practices that are similar to the rules outlined int the NCAA rulebook, while others have taken the approach of prohibiting captains’ practices altogether. As aforementioned, there may be additional rules that are applicable only to certain sports, and conferences and institutions may adopt more restrictive rules. Although captains’ practices are to be initiated and carried out solely by the athletes, it is wise for coaches to pay close attention to the rules and share them with their athletes and team, ensuring that compliance is maintained at all times.Kudos to the athletes that were out there today, I hope their summer preparations payoff successfully throughout the upcoming season!