STEVENS POINT, Wis. -- The Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Board of Control approved relatively few winter sports coaches’ recommendations that affect the season regulations to be in effect for 2012-13 at its June meeting Thursday.
The basketball season regulations will experience the most changes with the approval of three recommendations. The first removes a restriction that limited a school program to 20 games if it chose to play an opponent in a state that does not border Wisconsin. All schools will now be allowed to schedule the maximum 22 games, which includes the games of one tournament or competition in a non-bordering state.
The Board also supported a pair of basketball recommendations impacting the Tournament Series. Placement of schools in the tournament will be modified slightly to assure that no more than 128 teams are placed in Division 5 to avoid adding another entry-level round of games in that bracket.
In addition, the Board gave its approval of a plan to avoid scheduling a Division 4 school’s boys and girls teams on the same Thursday night when one is playing in the State Tournament and the other is playing at the sectional level. In these infrequent cases where both the boys and girls teams are scheduled to play simultaneously, the sectional game must be played on Wednesday night.
The one hockey item passed into rule adjusted the current overtime format. With a tie following regulation, a three-minute intermission will precede an eight-minute sudden victory overtime with the goaltenders switching ends. If a tie remains after the eight-minute overtime period, the ice will be resurfaced and a 17-minute sudden victory overtime will be played with the goalies again switching ends. The overtime format will be repeated until a game-winning goal is scored.
The first of two medical advisory recommendations ratified by the Board will allow a physician’s assistant or an advanced practice nurse prescriber to sign the skin condition authorization, similar to the pre-participation physical exam clearance. The second defines an appropriate health care provider used in WIAA concussion guidelines to reflect the language passed in the Wisconsin concussion law.
There were no recommendations in gymnastics for the Board to consider, and the three wrestling proposed changes did not receive approval.
In other action, the Board approved all the applications for the 2013 and 2014 spring cooperative team arrangements and discussed other Association-related items, including possible topics for the 2012 Area Meetings, potential Constitutional amendments for the 2013 Annual Meeting, a review of the 2012 spring tournaments and the preliminary development of the 2012-13 budget.