Cross Country Regulations

2011 REGULATIONS FOR BOYS AND GIRLS
DISTRICT CROSS COUNTRY MEET

Note: The following regulations apply to all levels of tournament competition unless otherwise specified. These regulations have been adopted by the Ohio High School Athletic Association Board of Directors on June 9, 2011.

The Commissioner is authorized to modify these regulations when it is deemed necessary, subject to ratification by the Board of Directors.

1. ELIGIBILITY
All participants must be eligible in accordance with the OHSAA Bylaws and Sports Regulations. A student who uses anabolic steroids or other performance enhancing drugs is ineligible for interscholastic competition until such time as medical evidence can be presented that the student’s system is free of anabolic steroids or other performance enhancing drugs.

2. RULES
National Federation Cross Country Rules will apply in all tournaments. 2011 Track and Field Rules - Rule 9 and other applicable rules, regulations.

3. COMPETITION LEVELS
There will be three Divisions (I, II, III) of competition in the Boys and three Divisions (I, II, III) in the Girls Cross Country Tournaments.

4. TOURNAMENT ENTRY AND PAPERWORK REQUIREMENTS
 
A. Tournament Entry/Withdraw
1. Member schools wanting to participate in the 2011 OHSAA Cross Country Tournaments must indicate their intent to participate on their 2011 OHSAA Sports Participation Card in myOHSAA. Tournament entry confirmation begins September 26, 2011 and ends October 3, 2011.
2. Schools that change their tournament participation after October 3, 2011 will be subject to a $150 penalty per sport.

A. Electronic Entry of Participants 

1. Submit entries online at www.baumspage.com.
2. A properly completed electronic entry must include the name and grade of the individual entries.
3. An eligibility certificate listing all squad members must be signed to the principal/designee and submitted to the district tournament site manager per their instruction.
4. Electronic entries must be completed no later than 5:00 P.M. E.D.T. on Friday, October 14, 2011, or at a later date and time if established by the district athletic board. If the tournament paperwork is not submitted by the designated time and date, the school’s participant(s) will not be accepted without payment of a $150 late fee and approval by the OHSAA. An earlier deadline for tournament paperwork may not be established, but completed paperwork will be accepted beginning September 6, 2011.

5. SCHOOL REPRESENTATIVE
No team or individual will be allowed to compete in the District, Regional and State Tournaments unless a coach or a person authorized by the Board of Education is present throughout the tournament. Teams and individual entries unaccompanied by such a school representative will be disqualified (Bylaw 3-2-1).

6. LENGTH OF COURSE
The length of the course is 5000 meters.

7. OFFICIALS DECISIONS
The decisions of the Referee are final in all tournaments. Exception: The Commissioner retains the right to rule on all instances involving ineligible participants. The Games Committee will serve in an advisory capacity to the referee if the referee chooses to seek advice. The referee shall not observe any type of video device unless the device has been approved in advance (NFHS Rule 3-8-4) and when authorized only for determining order of finish.

A. Appeals Procedure
1. Obtain appeal form from the Tournament Manager.
2. Complete appeal form, sign and present to the tournament referee.
3. The tournament referee will review the appeal, reach a decision, complete and sign the referee’s decision portion of the appeal form and notify the coach of the final decision.
4. The decision of the tournament referee is final and not subject to further review except as indicated in 7.

B. Electronic Devices:  District, Regional and State Tournament officials may use electronic visual devices to record action during a race and at the finish. The devices that are declared official must be authorized prior to the start of a race. The Referee may use the authorized devices in making a decision. The Referee is prohibited from using recordings from unauthorized devices.

8. GIRLS ON BOYS TEAM Schools that do not sponsor girls cross country teams (five or more individuals) may permit girls to practice and participate with the boys teams during regular season competition. Girls participating as individuals with boys cross country teams will be permitted to enter and compete in the State Sponsored District, Regional and State Girls Cross Country Tournaments provided the school has indicated on the Sports Participation Card that the school is sponsoring girls cross country. All other rules and regulations of the OHSAA will apply. This interpretation applies to regular season meet limitation participation.

9. UNSPORTING CONDUCT PENALTY During participation in OHSAA tournaments any student or coach ejected for unsporting conduct or flagrant foul shall be ineligible for contests for the remainder of that day as well as for all contests in that sport until two regular season/tournament contests are played at the same level as the ejection. Individuals ejected for unsporting conduct shall be reported to the OHSAA Commissioner by the tournament manager. The Commissioner will investigate the situation and may impose additional penalties in accordance with Bylaw 12 if the situation warrants it. Participation in athletic contests is a privilege. Each individual is expected to conduct himself or himself in an exemplary manner while participating.

10. WEATHER (OHSAA Sports Regulation 20)

A. Recognition and Management:

1. Coaches, athletic trainers, athletes, administrators and contest officials should be educated regarding the signs indicating thunderstorm development. Since the average distance between successive lightning flashes is approximately two to three miles ANYTIME that lightning can be seen or heard, the risk is already present.

B. Weather can be monitored using the following methods:

1. Monitor Weather Patterns – Be aware of potential thunderstorms by monitoring local weather forecasts the day before and morning of the competition, and by scanning the sky for signs of potential thunderstorm activity.
2. National Weather Service – Weather can also be monitored using small, portable weather radios from the NWS. The NWS uses a system of severe storm watches and warnings watch indicates conditions are favorable for severe weather to develop in an area; a warning indicates severe weather has been reported in an area, and everyone should take proper precautions. Any thunderstorm poses a risk of injury or death even if it does not meet the criteria for severe weather. Therefore, anytime thunderstorms are in the forecast (even if it is only a 20 percent chance), event organizers should be at a heightened level of awareness to the potential danger of lightning.

C. Management:

1. Evacuation- If lightning is imminent or a thunderstorm is approaching, all personnel, athletes and spectators shall evacuate to available safe structures or shelters. A list of the closest safe structures should be announced and displayed on placards at all athletic venues.

2. Thirty-minute rule- Competition or practice shall be suspended once lightning has been recognized or thunder is heard. It is mandatory to wait at least 30 minutes after the last flash of lightning is witnessed or thunder is heard prior to resuming practice or competition. Given the average rates of thunderstorm travel, the storm should move 10-12 miles away from the area. This significantly reduces the risk of local lightning flashes.

3. Any subsequent lightning or thunder after the beginning of the 30-minute count shall reset the clock, and another count shall begin.

11. PROPERTY DAMAGE There is no insurance covering property damage. If property is damaged at a tournament site by competing school teams, student body or spectators, the school from which the students and/or spectators come shall be liable and pay the cost of repair or replacement. The tournament manager is authorized to deduct from the school’s share the cost of any damages caused by competing schools. Other damages to facilities not attributed to a competing school could be a legitimate tournament expense and may be deducted from tournament receipts. If damage is extensive, the District Board or Board of Control will become involved. Student crowd control at state sponsored tournaments is the responsibility of the principals of the competing schools.

12. SPONSORSHIP AND RIGHTS The Ohio High School Athletic Association is the sponsoring association for the District, Regional and State Cross Country Tournaments. The OHSAA reserves all rights in regard to the management of these tournaments and the sale of any items at the tournaments or any audio-visual reproductions of the tournaments. Any sale of food, clothing, souvenirs or any other items at each site is strictly prohibited without permission of the respective District Athletic Boards for District Tournaments and the OHSAA Commissioner for the Regional and State Tournaments.

13. PROHIBITED ADVERTISING There shall be no advertising through printed media, billboards, radio or television that includes beer, wine, liquor, tobacco, political parties or candidates or any other advertising contrary to the philosophy of the high school athletic program.

14. RAFFLES PROHIBITED There shall be no raffles or any type of games of chance permitted at the site of cross country tournament contests during the period beginning one hour prior to the tournaments and ending one hour after the tournaments have ended. 

15. PROHIBITED SALES – The sale of, the distribution of, or the consumption of alcoholic beverages or illegal drugs is not permitted at the site of any contest involving OHSAA member schools.

16. QUALIFIERS TO REGIONALS – For this information, for both boys and girls, go to the OHSAA web site at:  http://www.ohsaa.org/sports/cc/ccrglts.pdf

17. ORDER OF COMPETITION At each District Tournament, the girls competition will precede the boys competition as follows: Girls III, II, I; Boys III, II, I. By District Board approval, this order may be adjusted at those sites where there is more than one race in the same division.

18. REPORTING TOURNAMENT RESULTS – ELECTRONICALLY
A. All tournament managers are required to report tournament results, including date, time and location of contest(s), immediately following your tournament to local media outlets as well as the NEDAB.

B. Contest results, with scores, are to be reported no later than 9:00am the morning following the contest to the NEDAB.  If your result is posted to the state website, MyOHSAA, then you do not need to inform the NEDAB.  If results are not on MyOHSAA you are to e-mail the NEDAB webmaster Genne Zimmerly at nrcn_gennez@tccsa.net

C. Managers should get media outlet information from teams with regard to who should be contacted with results and other pertinent tournament information.

19. DISTRICT AWARDS
A. Team - The district champion and runner-up teams will receive a team trophy. There will be no ties in team scoring as National Federation Track and Field Rules 9-2-4 and 5 apply.

B. Individual - There shall be no individual awards presented.

20. ADMISSION:  Admission charge at district tournament sites is at the discretion of the respective district athletic boards.  The NEDAB does not charge spectators admission to the District Meet.

21. STATE INFORMATION:  http://www.ohsaa.org/sports/go/gorglts.pdf