Season of Sport, Starting Dates for Practice,
Out of Season and Dead Periods

CIF Rules Page 27-30 Article 5 General Rules

511. SEASON OF SPORT DEFINITION
 The season of sport for a school is that period of time which elapses between the first interscholastic contest and the final contest for that particular sport. The season of a sport for any individual student is that period of time which elapses between the student’s first participation in an interscholastic contest and the student’s final contest for the particular sport.
 A. The “season of sport” shall be established for each sport by the highest CIF component level in which championship competition is conducted (i.e., State, Section or league) in that sport. To participate in state-level competition for any particular sport, a Section must comply with CIF adopted “season of sport.”
 B. The basic sports seasons are:
   Fall – August through November
   Winter – November through February
   Spring – February through June
   Exact dates may vary from year to year and between Sections within the above specified basic seasons.    
  Championship competition may extend beyond these limits.

511.1  STARTING DATES FOR PRACTICE
    In the Sac-Joaquin Section, the following dates are specified for starting practice:
    a. Fall: Starting practice date will be the same as football pre-conditioning or August 13, 2007; Football practice begins on August 20, 2007.
     NOTE: Start date for 2008 will be August 18, 2007, which is the same date as football pre-conditioning;
    b. Winter: November 10;
    c. Spring: February 10.
 
511.4  END OF COMPETITION
    The final date for interscholastic competition, other than Sac-Joaquin Section or CIF State playoffs, is determined by the Board of Managers annually and stated in the sport rules of this Constitution.
 

511.5  OUT OF SEASON
    a. Prior to these specified starting dates, the only activity that will be permissible during the school year will be conditioning and weight training. The use of sports equipment for a given sport will NOT be allowed prior to the set starting practice date for that sport.
    b. The Sac-Joaquin Section will be “dark” from June 1, (with the exception of Bylaw 1903.2) until the first day of pre-conditioning of football (August 14, 2006). Therefore, all athletic activities during this time period shall be under the authority of each league and/or school district.
    c. All football activities must meet the provisions of CIF Sac-Joaquin Section bylaws 1903.1,1903.2 and 1903.3
    d. All out-of-season activities sponsored by an agency not under the authority of the State CIF or of the Section in which a school employee-coach and his student-athletes are participating shall be exempted from this rule. Booster clubs, community organizations and private companies or individuals do not qualify as an outside agency for the purpose of this rule. An outside agency would be defined as an established regional or national athletic organization.
     Examples would include AAU, USVBA, CYSA, BCI, etc.
    e. All interpretations of this bylaw must be directed to the Section Commissioner.
    f. Violations of this rule will be referred to the league involved for appropriate action.

  511.6  DEAD PERIODS
    FALL SPORTS – Any member of the coaching staff (paid or volunteer) may not have any contact with his/her athletes and use the sports equipment for their given sport from July 25 until the first day of fall sports practice (August 18). Weight training and conditioning are the only activities that will be allowed during this time period.
    NOTE: The use of outside agencies will not be allowed to circumvent the “dead period.”
    WINTER SPORTS – Any member of the coaching staff (paid or volunteer) may not have any contact with his/her athletes and use the sports equipment for their given sport from October 20 until the first day of winter sports practice (November 10). Weight training and conditioning are the only activities that will be allowed during this time period.
    NOTE: The use of outside agencies will not be allowed to circumvent the “dead period.”
    SPRING SPORTS – Any member of the coaching staff (paid or volunteer) may not have any contact with his/her athletes and use the sports equipment for their given sport from January 20 until the first day of spring sports practice (February 10). Weight training and conditioning are the only activities that will be allowed during this time period.
    NOTE: The use of outside agencies will not be allowed to circumvent the “dead period.”
    NOTE: Violations of this rule will be referred to the league involved for appropriate action.
    WAIVER PROCESS – This bylaw may be waived by the Section Commissioner provided the activity during the established dead period involves regional and/or national competition. Petitions must be filed by the school to the Section office 30 days prior to the event.

For more information go to Sac-Joaquin Section Constitution.

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