STEVENS POINT – The Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA) Board of Control approved two track and field coaches’ recommendations and provided flexibility for non-school competitions during the spring and alternate fall seasons in 2020-21 only at its October meeting.
The board supported adding language to the state association recommendations section of the track and field season regulations that reads in part “ … for relay exchanges that do not occur in assigned lanes … the line-up position is determined and maintained when the incoming runners reach the straightaway before the exchange.”
The other track and field recommendation approved extends the sunset clause – approved by the board in 2017 – for determining divisional placements.
This allows for the required second year of data collection, which was unable to be compiled because of the cancellation of the 2020 season because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The board’s decision to provide COVID-19 pandemic accommodations for non-school competitions and to allow those events during the WIAA culminating events for 2020-21 on a sport-specific basis.
The existing rule allows student-athletes in all sports to play in two non-school events.
Boys’ soccer and boys’ and girls’ volleyball teams during the alternate fall season in the spring will be allowed four non-school events to be played during either the regular season or during the WIAA culminating events.
Baseball and softball teams in the spring will be allowed three non-school events to be played during either the regular season or WIAA culminating events.
Girls’ soccer teams will be permitted to play their two allowed non-school events during either the regular season or culminating events.
The board also ratified a culminating event attendance policy for culminating events being shared with the membership.
The board also approved the winter sports guidelines for conducting interscholastic activities during the COVID-19 pandemic, also shared with the membership.