Summer Dead Period:
2009-2010 June 27 - July 4th
Clarifying The Summer Dead Period and Preseason Down Time (June 2009)
The summer dead period is a period of seven full consecutive calendar days after school is out in June and after a school's participation in MHSAA tournaments is completed. Each school determines its seven day dead period (most all schools have selected a period which includes the July 4
holiday). During the dead period, there is no involvement or contact by the school or coach with students in grades 7-12 in any MHSAA tournament sport. It is a zero coach-player period; at school or elsewhere. There are to be no school or coach conducted open gyms, conditioning or weight lifting programs on school premises or sponsored by the school or coach at other facilities. The Representative Council adopted the following to further clarify the intent of the summer dead period: The Summer Dead Period is intended to provide at least seven consecutive days when school coaches will have no contact with students in grades 7-12 of the school district in any manner related to any sport sponsored by that school. Unplanned, casual, normal community contact is permitted. The Summer Dead Period applies to all levels of MHSAA member schools; coaches and students in grades 7-12 except that non- school summer baseball and softball practices and competitions regularly scheduled throughout the summer may continue with school coaches and students from the same district (e.g. American Legion) It is intended that no sport-related involvement, including attendance at school sport-related fundraisers and functions, take place during the Summer Dead Period. It is intended that no sport activities occur on school premises during the Summer Dead Period that involve school coaches or are sponsored by the school or supported by the school. Because school personnel are prohibited from holding such activities, it is intended that no school facilities be planned for use by non school groups or individuals for athletic purposes (including student-led practices or conditioning) during the Summer Dead Period.
Following the intention and spirit of this regulation will involve shutting down of athletics for these 7 days and not allowing non-school individuals or groups to do that which the school is prohibited from doing. Some schools and leagues are adopting even longer summer dead periods recognizing the benefits to schools, staff members, athletes and families.
