Revised Feb 2015

Blue Ridge Middle School Athletic Conference By-Laws 1. All member schools are to abide by the Middle/Junior High Interscholastic athletic rules and regulations established by the State Board of Education and the State Department of Public Instruction. 2. All member schools are urged to participate in all conference activities. 3. Football games shall start at 5:00 p.m. All other sports shall start at 4:30 p.m. unless agreed upon by the schools involved. 4. Home teams in football will wear dark jerseys. Home teams in basketball and soccer shall wear white or light colored jerseys. 5. Home teams are responsible for securing certified officials. 6. Home teams shall be responsible for having school officials supervise at sporting events. They should remain until visiting teams have departed. 7. All scheduled games in any sport shall be played unless agreed upon by the schools involved. Forfeiting teams will be responsible for any costs related to the forfeited contest. 8. Postponed games in any sport shall be rescheduled in the order of postponement on the next possible date. These games may be rescheduled and played in addition to the regular number of contest allowed. Visiting schools should be notified of postponement by 1:00 p.m. on the day of the game. 9. According to “16 NCAC-6E.0202” of the NC Middle/Junior High athletic handbook, only students in grades 7-12 may participate in interscholastic athletic competition. 10. Sports admission will be determined by the Conference each year. 11. Twenty (20) complimentary passes will be given to each conference school to be distributed as needed by the school administrator. 12. Required number of sanctioned officials for each sport – Football (4), Volleyball (1), Soccer (1), Basketball (2), Wrestling (1), Softball (1) 13. Tryouts may not begin until the conference set date (Nov 13) 14. Sportsmanship/Ejection Policy—This policy applies to all persons involved in athletic contests, including student-athletes, coaches, managers and game administrators. The examples below include behavior or conduct which will result in an ejection from a contest. 1. Fighting includes, but is not limited to, combative acts such as: 1. an attempt to strike an opponent with a fist, hands, arms, legs, or feet; 2. an attempt to punch or kick an opponent, regardless of whether or not contact is made; 3. an attempt to instigate a fight by committing an unsportsmanlike act toward an opponent that causes an opponent to retaliate; 4. leaving the bench area to participate in a fight (contact or no contact); 2. taunting or baiting 3. profanity directed toward an official or opponent 4. obscene gestures, including gesturing in such a manner as to intimidate; and 5. disrespect when addressing or contacting an official.

Revised Feb 2015 Penalty for an Ejection For a First Offense: In football, the person shall be reprimanded and suspended for the next game at the level of play (varsity, junior varsity, or middle/junior high) and for any intervening games at any level. In all other sports, the person shall be reprimanded and suspended for the next TWO (2) games at the level of play (varsity, junior varsity, or middle/junior high) and for any intervening games at any level; For a second offense: The person shall be suspended from all sports for the remainder of the year. Other situations Teams in the following situation will not be allowed to participate in tournament play or the remainder of the season (for those who do not play a tournament): • a team whose players and coaches accumulate six(6) or more individual ejections during the regular season; • a team whose players and coaches accumulate more than three(3) individual ejections for fighting during the regular season. Note: Penalties are cumulative from sport to sport and from sport season to sport season. Ejections in the last game of the season carry over to the next sport in which the individual participates that year. Ejected players may practice, but not play. Ejected coaches may not be on the premises for a contest. If no member of the school’s coaching staff is present to assume an ejected coach’s duties, the contest shall be terminated by a forfeit.

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Revised Feb 2015 BASKETBALL 1. Practice may not begin before October 15. 2. The number of games permitted during the regular season is 14. No more that two games are permitted per week (except for rescheduled games per By-Law 8). One pre-season scrimmage is permitted. 3.

Postponed games see By-Law 8.

4. Games shall be played in six-minute quarters. There may be an optional five- minute quarter for nonstarters or reserve players. 5. Supervision see By-Law 6. 6. Starting time will be 4:30 p.m. unless otherwise agreed upon by the two schools involved. 7. National Federation Rules shall apply. 8. A trained adult shall operate the clock. 9. Dressing facilities shall be provided for the visiting teams. 10. Home teams will wear white jerseys unless agreed upon ahead of time. 11. Six (6) minute clock for 5th quarter games. No foul-shots during 5th quarter (Feb ’12) 12. Host schools will provide the visitors practice basketballs before games (Feb 13) 13. Host schools will provide a water cooler and cups for away team (Feb 13) Basketball Tournament (Nov 2012) 1. Round one – higher seeds host 2. Semi-Finals – higher seeds host (May 2013) a. Boys – Higher seeded team hosts both boys games (1 v 4 & 2 v 3). The order in which games will be played will be decided based on schools travel distances (Feb 12) b. Girls – Higher seeded team hosts both boys games (1 v 4 & 2 v 3). The order in which games will be played will be decided based on schools travel distances (Feb 12) c. IF a school has both Boys and Girls teams with first seed during the semi-finals, they will play at their schools site. The 2/3 games will play at their higher seeded schools site. (Feb 12) 3. The final game will take place at a predetermined site. East Division will host on even school years (12-13) and West Division will host on odd school years (13-14). (Feb 12) Higher seed hosts (May 2013)

Revised Feb 2015 CROSS COUNTRY

1. Practice may begin six days prior to the opening of the school term. This date will be determined by the first start date of any member school. 2. No more than three races per week may be scheduled. An individual is limited to one race per day. 3. Men and women runners may practice together, individually, or as a team; however, if the women run with or against men in any regular season meet, they are regarded as members of the men’s team and are not eligible to run in a women’s cross country meet. Separate men’s and women’s races may have the same starting times and may be over the same course if the meet director so chooses, providing the scoring is kept separate. 4. The Conference meet director should have all entries no later than 3pm five days prior to the championship meet. 5. Men will run the first race followed by the women. The course distance for men and women will be 2 miles. 6. Each team member will wear the same team issued uniform (color, style). Clothing worn under the uniform must be a solid color. 7. Each race site is responsible for conducting a coaches’ meeting prior to the start of the race to verify the entries and to announce any substitutions. Failure to announce substitutions may result in disqualification of the substitute runner. 8. All individuals participating in competition must be supervised or they will not be allowed to run. Coaches are responsible for making sure all athletes remain on site at all times. 9. Team points will be decided by the position each runner attains against the other teams. Only the top 5 runners from each school will be scored. Other runners will get credit for their finishes, but places will not count against team scores. Only 7 runners may compete in the Conference Championship. 10. Cross-country schedule for next season; either have venue/date prepared by the spring A.D. meeting OR cross-country coaches meet in the spring to set the schedule. (Aug 2012) 11. Conference will pay for certificates to be given at DISTRICT and Championship Tournament for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place. (Aug 2012) 12. Qualifying for Division and/or Conference Championship Meets, the athlete must participate in at least two meets. This includes non-conference meet participation. (Nov 2012) 13. Hosting school may decide on number of runners recognized. (Top 3, 7, or 10). Awards are optional (Nov 13)

Revised Feb 2015 FOOTBALL 1. Football schedules should be approved by the Conference. One pre-season scrimmage is permitted. 2. Starting time for games will be 5:00 p.m. 3. Pre-arrangements should be made by the visiting team if dressing rooms are needed. 5th quarter procedures should be determined by Monday prior to Thursday’s game. 4. Home teams will wear dark jerseys. 5. A Youth Football shall be the official game-ball. 6. A trained adult should operate the clock. 7. All chain crews should have a minimum of one adult. 8. Emergency medical services should be provided by the home team. 9. The clock will not start until the snap on change of possessions. 10. Football practices may begin no earlier than six school days prior to the opening of the school term. This date will be determined by the first start date of any member school. The preseason physical conditioning week must be observed during those six days. 11. The first six days shall be devoted entirely to physical conditioning activities. During this period, practices shall be limited to one per day, not to exceed two hours in length and shall consist of noncontact activities with the emphasis on physical conditioning. During the first three days helmets, Tshirts, shorts, and football shoes constitute acceptable dress. No other football attire may be worn. On days four, five, and six, complete football attire may be worn, but absolutely no body-to-body contact is permitted. Blocking and tackling dummies and sleds may be used during days four, five, and six. 12. Contact activities may begin on the seventh day of practice as soon as the required physical conditioning phase of practice has been completed. Only one-a-day contact sessions may be conducted and shall not exceed two hours in length. A player shall have participated in a minimum of nine separate days of team practice, three of which shall be in pads before participating in a football game with outside competition. The exception to this rule is soccer players who are used as kickers. 13. No more than one contest may be scheduled per week for a total of eight games. 14. An individual is limited to one game per week--exceptions being weeks that include make-up games pursuant to By-Law 8. 15. If, at the end of the fourth quarter, the teams have identical scores, the tie may be resolved by the method of the ten yard line overtime procedures as set forth by the National Federation Football Rule Book. Teams should notify booking agents regarding the rule that allows the Tie-Breaker so that he can inform the game officials. 16. East Division host championships during even school years (2012) and West Division hosts on Odd years (2013).

Revised Feb 2015 GOLF 1. Organized practice shall not begin before February 1. 2.

A player shall not play more than nine holes in one match.

3. In tournament play, a player is permitted to play eighteen holes in one match. 4. No more than two matches per week shall be played. 5. Tee markers will be determined at the course for men. Ladies may choose to play from the ladies’ tee markers. 6. The number of matches played during the season shall be limited to 14. 7. Postponed matches see By-Law 8. 8. Five players from each school represent each team. Team scoring is calculated by adding the lowest four scores from each team and throwing the highest score out. You may participate with only four players. If this is the case, all four scores will count toward the team total. 9. Golf etiquette is expected at all times. We are guests at these golf courses and it is a privilege to play there. Please have your players adhere to a dress code. Most golf courses require a collared shirt (tucked in) as well as nice pants or shorts. Denim is frowned upon and it is a good idea to let the kids know this. Another good thing to mention is that they wear a belt. 10. Starting times for matches will be 4:00 p.m. 11. Please use the ranking system for your players. This is letting your best player play in the 1 slot, your 2nd best play in the 2 spot and so on. It is not fair for good golfers to be slowed down by those who do not have similar skill levels as well as not fair for the lesser skilled player to have the pressure placed on him/her to perform at a higher level than they are capable. 12. USGA rules apply except in the following situations: Lost ball: if you lose a ball during the course of play, you will be allowed to drop it at the closest place possible to where you think it should be. The place should be determined by all members of your foursome. 1 stroke penalty. Out of Bounds: If you hit one OB, you do not have to return to the spot you hit it from. Play it like a lost ball. 1 stroke penalty. If you come across a situation and don’t know the ruling, play two balls from there on out on the hole and get a ruling from the coaches after your round. 13. Each player is responsible to determine his/her final score at the end of the round. Each must sign or initial the card to verify it as correct. If a player signs for a lower score than he actually had, he will be disqualified. If he signs for a higher score, he must keep the score that he signed for. 14. While we encourage fast play, we have had problems in the past with players walking in front of others who are getting ready to hit. Advancing players should make sure that they are off to the side and are respectful to stop and look back while others are hitting. 15. The Conference Tournament will determine the Conference Champion. The same five players must represent their school on both days of competition. Tournament format will be two 9-hole events unless circumstance (weather, testing schedules, etc.) dictate otherwise.

Revised Feb 2015 SOCCER 1. Practice may begin six days prior to the opening school term. This date will be determined by the first start date of any member school. 2. No more than two regular season contests may be scheduled per week, not on consecutive days. Postponed games for emergency reasons may be rescheduled even if consecutive days are involved. 3. The number of games permitted during the regular season shall be 14 with 1 pre-season scrimmage. 4. The match shall be played in two thirty-minute halves. 5. Tie games within the Conference will continue with two overtime periods of five minutes each. If there is no winner at this point, the game shall be considered a tie for both teams. (Aug 2012) 6. See By-law 8 for postponed game procedure. 7. Game time will be 4:30 p.m. 8. The ball shall be regulation size 5 soccer ball. 9. The home team is responsible for securing different colored jerseys as necessary. 10. See By-Law 6 for supervision guidelines. 11. Home teams shall provide two ball chasers.

Tournaments •

Higher seeds host. (Aug 2012)

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East Division counts the ten (10) matches played within division. West Division count the total ten (10) matches played to determine seeding. (Aug 2012)

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The point system will be used to rank teams with 3 points for a win and 1 point for a tie. (Aug 2012)

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During tournament play, penalty kicks will determine the winner after the two overtime periods.

Revised Feb 2015 SOFTBALL

1. Two double-headers limited to 5 innings per game except to break a tie are permitted when mutually agreed upon by the teams involved. 2. A 10-run rule will be in effect after 4-1/2 innings. Any other modifications will be by mutual agreement by the COACHES of the teams involved. 3. Games will be limited to 2 hours for a single game and 1-1/2 hours for double-headers. New innings will not begin with less than 5 minutes to play. Double-headers will consist of 5 innings 4. Each team is allowed an Extra-Hitter subject to the substitution rules for all regular players. In other words, a team may bat 10 players and use any 9 of them on defense. The batting order is never to be changed and the Re-entry rule would apply to all 10 starters in the lineup. 5. Organized practice shall not begin before February 1. 6. The official ball shall be an official NFHS softball. 7. 14 games may be played during the regular season with one pre-season scrimmage permitted. 8. The home team shall secure 2 officials; one must be sanctioned. The sanctioned official must call behind home plate. The Conference recommends 2 sanctioned officials if possible. 9. Conference teams shall play by the Federation Sanctioned Rules for Fast-Pitch Softball. 10. Tie-Breaker – (End of 7th inning or time limit has been met a. International rules with a max of two innings. One out, last batter on second base. Second inning will only be played if teams are still tied. If teams are tied after the 2nd inning, the game ends in a tie. (Aug 12) 11. Schools have the option of allowing their athletes to use metal cleats if they chose to. (Nov 2012) 12. Tournament – Higher seed hosts throughout. If top two teams win out, championship will be played in the East during odd school years (11-12) and in the West during even school years (12-13). (Feb 12)

Revised Feb 2015 TRACK AND FIELD

Specific Rules 1. Organized practice shall not begin before February 1. 2. The number of meets permitted during the season shall be 14. 3. No more than 2 meets per week shall be permitted. 4. Seventh and Eighth grade students may compete in a maximum of three (3) events, all of which may be running events. 5. Field Specifications: Shot: Boys and Girls- 4.0 kg Discus: Boys and Girls- 1.0 kg High Jump: **Boys- 4’6 start **Girls- 4’0 start **The bar will be moved up in 2 inch increments for the first two jumps and then be moved up in 1 inch increments.(ex. Girls will jump at 4’0, 4’2, 4’4”, 4’5”, 4’6”, etc.)

Long Jump Triple Jump: Boards are set at 24 ft, 28 ft, and 32 ft. All schools should set their boards to this standard.

6. The host school will determine the number of participants per event at a regular season meets. All nondistance events are usually limited to top three in each event but a host school may decide to allow 4-5 per event during regular season meets. Distance events (600m, 800m, and 1600m) will always be unlimited during regular season to allow for maximum participation.*** For conference, there will be 3 per event in all running events and the field event athletes must meet a qualifying standard in order to participate. Qualifying Standards for Field Events High Jump Girls – 4’2” Boys - 4’8” Long Jump Girls – 12’ Boys – 14’ Triple Jump Girls – 24’6” Boys – 28’6” Shot Girls – 23’ Boys – 32’ Discus Girls – 50’ Boys – 75’

7. For all meets except conference, there will be unlimited participation in the 600m, 800m, and 1600m. At conference, schools may only enter their top three runners in these events.** During the pre-conference meets, the host site will decide if the 600m should be split into 2 heats because of the large number of athletes participating. If a decision is made to split this event into 2 heats, the top three runners from each school will run in the “A” heat at the normal place in the meet order of events. The rest of the athletes will run in the “B” heat which will take place during the field events and not be scored. 8. The track champion will be determined by the end of the season conference meet.

Revised Feb 2015 9. Order of Field Events

110m (boys)/100m (girls) Hurdles 100m 4x200m relay 1600m 4x100m relay 400m 800m 600m (7th grade only) 200m 4x400m relay

10. The conference meet should be held at a school that has a FAT high tech timing system. Currently, only Apple Valley (NHHS) and Polk County (PCHS) have this system. If they are willing to host, we will vote yearly at the scheduling meeting as to which site will host. 11. Scratch Meeting – At conference, scratches can be made but no additions to any event. 12. Seeding – Athletes should be seeded with the advantage going to the top height/distance/length. The best athletes should jump/throw last. Lane seeding in running events is required for all meets. 13. Qualifying for conference meet- In addition to qualifying standards set for each field event, athletes must participate in at least two meets to participate in conference meet. 14. Uniforms - as long as primary colors are being worn, this will be sufficient. Coaches need to be somewhat tolerant taking into consideration middle school budgets. (Aug 2012) 15. No Track events will start before 4:00 other than entire conference meets (ie. Relays, Championship) which will start no earlier than 3:30. (Feb 12)

Revised Feb 2015 VOLLEYBALL 1. Practice may begin six days prior to the opening of the school term. This date will be determined by the first start date of any member school. 2. A match is restricted to three games determined when a team has won two games. Rally scoring is used—to 25 points for the first two games, to 25 points for the third game (if needed). (May 2013) 3. A “5th quarter” game to 25 points will be played before the regular match. (Nov 2012) 4. Home teams shall provide the game ball which shall include the NFHG Authenticating Mark. 5. Warm-up times for both 5th quarter and the regular match are 5-5-2. (Nov 2012) 6. Game time is 4:30. 7. One line judge shall be provided from each team. They should not wear their uniform jerseys while performing their line judge duties. 8. Players shall not wear jewelry (including during pre-game warm-ups). Religious and medical-alert medals are not considered jewelry. A religious medal must be taped and worn under the uniform. A medical-alert medal must be taped and may be visible. 9. Padding shall conform to State High School Federation Specifications. 10. See By-Law 8 for postponed games’ procedures. 11. Net height—7ft 4 1/4inches 12. Ball weight—9-10 lbs. 13. The number of games permitted during the regular season shall be 14 with 1 pre-season scrimmage. 14. Higher seed will host throughout the tournament. IF two 1st seeded teams win out, West Division will host on even school years (12-13) and East division will host on odd school years (13-14) (Aug 2012) 15. Host schools will provide the practice balls and basket (if available) before games (Feb 13) 16. Host schools will provide a water cooler and cups for away team (Feb 13)

Revised Feb 2015

Wrestling 1) National Federation of State High School Association Rules shall apply. It will hence forth in this document be shortened to NFSHSA 2) Organized practice shall not begin before the First Practice Date that is set by the NCHSAA on an annual basis. 3) The maximum number of matches per regular season is 14. One pre-season scrimmage is permitted. This shall apply to both the team and the individual wrestler. 4) Weight Classifications: 83, 90, 98, 106, 113, 120, 126, 132, 138, 145, 152, 160, 170, 182, 195, 220, and heavyweight which shall be no more than 250 lbs. 5) The minimum weight for the 83 lb weight class is 68 lbs. The minimum weight for the 90 lb weight class is 75. The minimum weight for a heavy weight wrestler is 196 lbs. 6) An official weigh in day will be observed by all conference schools, to establish certified weights for the season. The official weight certification day will be determined by each school, and will be no later than the first scheduled match. a) All wrestlers will be required to weigh in on an accurate scale on weight certification day. The wrestler may not weigh in for a lower weight class than the established certified weight, unless he recertifies as per article 7 of this document. b) The school principal, assistant principal, or athletic director shall be present at the weighin and verify the weight of each individual c) Weigh-in sheets shall be faxed or e-mailed to each school. d) Overweight heavy weight wrestlers may be officially certified at the beginning of the season, or at any point when they weigh 250 lbs or less. 7) A 2 lb growth allowance will be allowed on January 1st. All wrestlers are required to recertify his/her weight before the first match after the New Year. The wrestler may drop no more than one weight class lower than his previous certification, and he must recertify at scratch weight. Heavy weight wrestlers also receive the 2 lb growth allowance. 8) Late weight certifications: Only 4 cases merit special consideration for allowing weight certification after the designated day: a) A student transfer b) A student is absent from school due to an excused absence on the designated certification day c) A student becomes academically eligible for the second semester d) A student who comes out after the first weight certification can only participate in a conference match after the second weight certification. 9) Time of bouts is 1-2-2, or a one-minute first period, two minute second period, and a 2 minute third period.

Revised Feb 2015 10) A wrestler may wrestle in no more than two events in a week. These events may be a. 2 dual meets b. 1 tri-meet and one dual meet c. 1 dual meet and the conference tournament 11) Preliminary matches shall start no later than 4:30pm with the regular match to follow. 12) Preliminaries will be 1-1-1 in time, and be limited to a total of 7. 13) A trained adult shall operate the clock during matches. 14) Schools will follow DPI’s Sanitary and Safety Measures found in the 2012 manual. http://www.ncpublicschools.org/docs/curriculum/healthfulliving/athletics/middle-athleticsmanual.pdf page 27 15) There may be no use of voice amplification devices or noisemakers during any individual match. 16) Host schools will provide a water cooler and cups for the away team.

Team Championship (Quad Match) The team championship shall be held to determine a conference team champion. 1. The top two seeds from each division shall be selected based on overall conference record. 2. The host division will be from the western division in the 2013-2014 season, and the eastern division in the 2014-2015 season. In successive years the championship shall rotate between divisions. 3. The 1st seed from the eastern division shall wrestle the 2nd seed from the west, and the 1st seed from the western division shall wrestle the 2nd seed from the east. Winners of each match will advance to a championship match. All care should be taken to have 2 mats available so that the matches can be wrestled simultaneously. 4. A plaque will be provided for the team champion by the conference. No Runner-up plaque. No prelims will be wrestled at this event.

Individual Conference Championship A tournament will be held to determine individual conference champions for the top 8 wrestlers in each weight class in the conference. 1. Wrestlers will be seeded by their overall record which they enter the tournament. There shall be a seven match minimum for the record, and any records less than seven matches will have

Revised Feb 2015 losses added until the 7 match minimum is achieved. i.e a 3-0 wrestler in the 113 weight class will be entered as a 3-4 wrestler at the 113 weight class 2. The tournament will be an 8-man tournament, seeded according to Rule 10-4 of the NFSHSA. a) The criterion for seeding wrestlers will be as follows i. Winning percentage at the weight class entered ii. Total number of matches iii. Head to head competition iv. Matches against a common opponent v. Coin flip by the tournament director 3. The Tournament will be Double-Elimination. The Consolation Round Matches will be 2-1-1. Two minutes for the 1st Period. 1 minute for the 2nd and 3rd periods. 4. Team points will be kept for the tournament as per NFSHSA rule 9-2 article 3. No team plague will be awarded. 5. A plaque for Tournament Team Champion will be awarded, no runner up plaque (Feb 2015) 6. A Most Outstanding Wrestler will be voted on by all participating coaches at the end of the tournament, and a MOW trophy will be presented to the wrestler, provided by the conference. 7. Tournament entry fees will be $5 for adults and $3 for students. 8. The host school WILL provide medals to individuals at their own cost.