There is potential for a rule change at the state level that would allow some extra practice time during the summer months for all sorts of high school athletes.
The Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CIAC) Board of Control has already approved a proposed rule change brought up by the Connecticut High School Coaches Association and the Connecticut Association of Athletic Directors that would allow coaches to work with student athletes two days a week for up to two hours a day during the summer off season.
It’s a change Daniel Hand High School head football coach Erik Becker would love to see adopted.
“Any chance to work fundamental skills with kids in the offseason, it’s a chance to build connection, build relationships, it will help them on the field," Becker said.
Get Connecticut local news, weather forecasts and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC Connecticut newsletters.
Under current rules, coaches can only work with half of their respective starting lineup at a time. So for example, a football coach could only work with six players at a time during the summer months.
“What was limited was the ability to do skill development with their kids,” CIAC Executive Director Glenn Lungarini said.
Strength and conditioning focused practices are allowed all year long and wouldn’t be impacted by the potential rule change. But Lungarini said some more affluent districts have identified ways students can get extra practice as a team while staying within the confines of the rules.
Local
“Districts and schools where there is more financial resources available, they can send kids to summer camps, bring in outside instructors sponsored by booster clubs so not part of the team, all of this would fit within the current rule,” Lungarini said, “but it was creating quite a large gap in equity based on the socioeconomic status based on where the student was living.”
A rule change allowing coaches to step in to work with students, he believes could cut into that equity gap. But it wouldn’t be mandatory for a district to offer extra practices.
“Really what this is about is getting students time with their coaches, with their peers, not a lot of pressure, just developing skill,” Lungarini said.
He added the rule change already has a significant amount of support from their membership. In a survey put out to their 184 members, 154 responded and 71% of those schools approved the proposed rule change.
“We are not looking to create competition but what we are looking to do is create opportunity,” Lungarini said.
Because of the limits to the proposed rule change, two hours a day only two days a week, he expects impacts to multisport athletes to be minimal.
“We are not looking to create competition, but what we are looking to do is create opportunity,” Lungarini said.
The rule change still has to be approved at a full member meeting for the CIAC that happens at the end of May or early June. If approved, the change could go into effect as early as June of 2024.
Madison Athletic Director Chris Farrell believes it will be good for all sports if approved. He only hopes if it does make it all the way through, it will be monitored for effectiveness in the coming years to see if more change is needed.
“I think the biggest thing is we continue to look at it, and whether we have to restrict it a little more or we need to open up the gates a little more, we do that because ultimately its about the student athletes and their experience,” Farrell said.
