Dead Periods - Out of Season Practice Rule

As outlined in the (VHSL Rule 27-7-1) Out-of-Season Practice Rule, all VHSL member school sponsored athletic teams are restricted from any organized activities during designated "dead periods." Out-of-season dead periods shall be 10-day periods beginning with the first permissible practice date of a sports season as published in the VHSL Calendar. A summer "dead period" for all athletic teams shall be week 1 of the NFHS standardized calendar. During dead periods, no coaching, observing or contact between a coach(s) or player(s) may occur in the VHSL member school sponsored athletic team or activity involved. There may be no VHSL member school sponsored practice, open facilities, weight training/conditioning, out of season league(s) or member school sponsored clinics/camps. Outside of dead periods, all VHSL member school sponsored activities may occur on any day except Sundays. Team vs. team competition may occur only in camps or leagues. Schools, districts and/or regions may impose more restrictive guidelines. VHSL catastrophic insurance is not applicable to any out-of-season activities.

(VHSL Penalty 27-7-3) Any school adjudged guilty of violating the Out-of-Season Practice Rule

shall be subject to a fine as stated in 30-5-1 and such disciplinary action, including ineligibility for district championships, as the appropriate district committee, interdistrict committee or VHSL Executive Director may impose.

Out-of-Season Practice guidelines listed below:

• No spring football practice with pads/equipment.

• No school to school competition.

• All participants must have a current VHSL physical

• Only school coaches may work with students during VHSL out-of-season practice (cannot just bring in anyone; must be on the school’s coaching list)

• Out-of-season practice CANNOT BE MANDATORY

• Out-of-season practice MUST BE OPEN TO ALL STUDENTS WITH A PHYSICAL

• Out-of-season practice CANNOT BE CONSIDERED CRITERIA FOR TRY-OUT

All coaches and student athletes should be aware of the specific dates for the VHSL DEAD PERIODS.  Visit the VHSL website at www.vhsl.org for specific dead period dates.

27-7-2 SUNDAY RULE - No member school may schedule or play an athletic contest or engage in a practice on Sunday. (27-15-1)

27-15-2 Exceptions: 

 (1) International competitions scheduled for a Sunday provided the competition is held outside the United States and there is no local school board policy to prevent a participating school from doing so. 

 (2) State tournaments or state championships which have been postponed because of adverse weather, graduation conflicts or other emergency conditions may be played on Sunday with permission of the Executive Director in consultation with the League and/or Group Board chairmen and provided there is no local school board policy to prevent a participating school from playing on Sunday. 

 (3) Requests may be made to participate in individual tournaments that include Sunday competition, subject to approval of the Executive Committee. 

 (4) District, conference and/or regional tournament games or championships which have been postponed by adverse weather, graduation conflicts, other emergency conditions or which cannot be scheduled at any other time due to facility limitations which are out of the control of the competing schools (this option will be limited to sports such as indoor track and swim and dive which primarily require competing schools to use facilities outside of their authority) may be played on Sunday with the permission of the District Council, Conference Council and/or Regional Council and the school or schools involved and provided there is no local school board policy to prevent a participating school from playing on Sunday. 

 (5) When the district, conference, regional or state golf championship is scheduled to open on Monday, schools have permission to have a practice round at the site on the Sunday preceding the championship unless the district, conference or region denies permission for a Sunday practice preceding its own championship. 

 (6) Sunday practice in sports other than golf may be approved if all of the following conditions are met: 

 (a) A district, conference or region tournament is scheduled to begin on Monday. 

 (b) Extreme weather or other emergency conditions have forced the cancellation of school activities for four or more consecutive days, the last of which is the Saturday prior to the scheduled start of the district, conference or region tournament. 

 (c) Practice is limited to two hours. 

 (d) Practice may not begin before 1:00 p.m. or end after 7:00 p.m. 

 (e) The school division superintendent has approved Sunday participation. 

 (7) VHSL member schools are permitted to participate in regular season events on Sunday under the following circumstances: local school division approval; involves tournament competition; hosted by an out-of-state high school/college/university; is properly sanctioned and the VHSL is provided with a written copy of the school division approval. 

 (8) Sunday activities that are part of a non-VHSL school sponsored camp or league are permitted. 

27-15-3 Sunday Rule Fine-Violation of the Sunday Rule will result in a fine as stated in 30-5-1.