SECTION 13LIMITED
TEAM MEMBERSHIP
SECTION 13 (A)A student who, after practicing with or participating
in an athletic contest or scrimmage as a member of a high school
athletic team, participates in any athletic competition not sponsored
by his or her school in the same sport during the same season,
shall become ineligible for a minimum of the next three (3) days
of competition and maximum of the remainder of that season in
that school year. The following exceptions to this Regulation
will apply:
1. Ice hockey and all individual sports will apply the limited
team membership rule from the point of a students first
participation in a contest or scrimmage, rather than practice.
2. During a season an individual may participate in a maximum
of two (2) individual sports meets or contests in that sport while
not representing his or her school. An event held on consecutive
days is considered a single meet (for the purposes of this section
only).
a. Points earned, weight established, times or records established
shall not count toward any qualifying requirement for MHSAA meets
or tournaments.
b. Meets or tournaments entered under the above provisions shall
not affect the number of games, contests, or days of competition
specified for each school team and individual under Regulation
II, Sections 10 and 11.
SECTION 13 (B)A student shall not compete at any time in
any sport under MHSAA jurisdiction in any of the following events:
(1) Any event which is or purports to be an All-Star
contest, regardless of the method of selection; (2) All-Star
fund-raising events or similar exhibitions if they involve contestants
other than the students and faculty of that students school;
(3) Any event which is or purports to be a national high school
championship, or the qualification thereto. Participation in such
a contest by a high school student shall cause that student to
become ineligible for all interscholastic athletics for a maximum
period of one year of school enrollment from the date of the athletes
last violation of this Regulation.
SECTION 13 (C)A student may participate as an individual
at any time without loss of interscholastic eligibility:
1. As a member of a National Team, (and the actual, direct tryouts
therefore), which is defined as one selected by the national governing
body of the sport on a national qualification basis either through
a defined selective process or actual tryouts for the purpose
of international competition which requires the entries to officially
represent their respective nations, although it is not necessary
there be team scoring by nation; or
2. In an Olympic Development Program, which is defined as a training
program or competition:
a. conducted or sponsored by the United States Olympic Committee
(USOC); or
b. directly funded and conducted by the USOC member national governing
body (NGB) on a national level (e.g., NGB national championship
competition and the direct qualifications therefore); or
c. specifically authorized by a national governing body involving
only athletes previously identified by the NGB as having bona-fide
potential for participation in international competition in the
sport involved.
Provided in (1) and (2):
a. participation, if during the school year, is approved by the
students high school principal, and the state high school
association is notified in writing by the principal at least 30
days prior to the start of the program; and
b. the student makes prior arrangement to complete missed academic
lessons, assignments and tests before the last day of classes
of the credit grading period in which that students absence
occurs; and
c. the student misses no state high school association-sponsored
athletic event involving a team in that sport.
INTERPRETATIONSSECTION 13
128. A. The purpose of Section 13 (A) is to limit a students athletic
competition to his or her high school team during the season of
the sport concerned. The purpose of the exception to this regulation
is to allow individual athletes reasonable opportunities to participate
in non-school competition important to their continued development
in the sport.
B. The regulation is violated in its purpose when coaches arrange
these outside opportunities to allow athletes to exceed the maximum
days of competition permitted under Regulation II, Section 11.
School personnel cannot plan or supervise these events.
129. Outside competition usually involves league, tournament or
organized play or when admission is charged.
130. Regulation baseball and softball are not considered as identical
sports. A student may represent the high school in baseball and
that same student may play on an outside softball team during
the same season, and vice versa, without incurring ineligibility
in either sport. Fast pitch and slow pitch softball are considered
to be different sports, as they relate to this rule.
131. Insofar as this Regulation is concerned, indoor soccer is
interpreted to be the same as outdoor soccer, indoor track and
field the same as outdoor track and field, and roller hockey is
considered ice hockey if the standard ice hockey stick and/or
puck is utilized.
132. A member of a schools interscholastic team may not
participate in either a school or non-school 3-on-3 (or more)
competition in that sport during the MHSAA season for that sport
without loss of eligibility under this Regulation.
133. A member of a schools interscholastic swimming, cross
country or track team may participate in a non-school triathlon
during the MHSAA season for those sports without loss of eligibility
under the Regulation.
134. Participation as members of class, intramural, student-faculty,
or club teams composed exclusively of students and faculty members
playing within that senior high school is not regarded as outside
competition.
135. A season in any sport ends when the last athletic contest
or scrimmage is played in that sport by the school team during
that school year. If a student plays on a non-school team at the
conclusion of the season for his/her level, that student is ineligible
for the remainder of the season for other levels of that team.
136. The phrase next three (3) days of competition
means the next three days of competition after the school becomes
aware of the violation.
137. An all-star team is one whose membership
is elected by ballot, or by any organization, league, newspaper,
radio/television station, or by any similar method or agency,
and which is composed of outstanding competitors from two or more
high school teams. Alumni games are not considered all-star
games but must be counted as a scrimmage or contest.
138. An all-star contest is one which is called All-Star
and/or in which there is participation by one or more all-star
teams.
139. Underclassmen shall not compete in all-star
contests in any sport under the jurisdiction of the Michigan High
School Athletic Association.
140. If there is no limit to the number of people invited to a
tryout, or if the tryout is performed throughout a non-school
season (such as summer American Legion baseball), athletes may
be selected for and compete on teams on the basis of those tryouts
without violating the All-Star Regulation. To meet
the requirement of an open tryout, notice must be provided in
at least two different public media, or at least twice in the
same public medium, at least seven days prior to the tryouts.
141. If based on performance during a camp open to all students,
then students may be selected for and compete in feature contests
at the end of that camp. However, it is a violation of the all-star
regulation to invite a limited number of students to a camp on
the basis of their demonstrated interscholastic ability, place
them on teams and play games between those teams.
142. If a non-school tournament host posts times, heights, distances
or scores that qualifiers must achieve to enter a competition
which is not counted as one of the allowable contests or days
of competition for the school or individuals involved, all who
meet the standards must be allowed to compete; and if they compete
as individuals and are not placed on teams (such as North vs..
South; class A vs. classes B, C, D; Michigan vs.. Ohio, German
Nationals, etc.) they will not violate the All-Star
Regulation. However, if only the top several qualifiers are allowed
to compete, they will violate the All-Star Regulation
even if they compete as individuals.
NOTE: The above does not apply during the school season in meets
sponsored and conducted by schools and counted as one of the allowable
contests or days of competition by all schools and individuals.
143. A national high school championship includes any athletic
event, regardless of title, which attempts to draw to it or its
qualifying rounds only the top place winner or winners from more
than one state high school association championship meet.
144. The exception of Section 13 (C) applies to the requirements
of Section 1 (A), Section 8 and Section 13 (A). Students returning
from National Team competition and Olympic Development Program
activities must adhere to all other sections of this Regulation.