Jerry Schniepp
Commissioner, CIFSDS
P: 858.292.8165
F: 858.292.1375
2131 Pan American Plaza
San Diego, CA 92101
www.cifsds.org
Memorandum
TO:
Cross-Country Coaches and Athletic Directors
FROM: CIFSDS Office
RE:
Camps
DATE: July 15, 2013
Coaches and Athletic Directors,
In the past few months, we have had many conversations with Athletic Directors and Coaches regarding the
camp policy in our green book below. Specifically relating to cross-country, we are aware that there are some
coaches who believe they are following the letter of Article XX.1 B. but are in reality, working around the
“spirit” of it. We have been informed that some coaches work at running camps, often in high altitude, and
many of their high school student-athletes attend. Some of these coaches do not “coach” their own students but
are a part of the same camp and in some cases, are encouraging their high school athletes to attend. Below is
the CIFSDS rule:
Regulation CIFSDS Bylaw Article XX.1
B. PROHIBITION ON CAMP/CLINIC/TOURNAMENT/INVITATIONAL PARTICIPATION
1. A CIFSDS team may not attend a clinic, athletic camp, tournament, invitational, or the like under the supervision of
the school coach or the school coaching staff or volunteers within two weeks of the CIFSDS fall practice starting date.
Schools may not require individuals to attend or to plan, organize, or facilitate attendance.
2. An individual athlete may attend a camp, clinic, tournament, or invitational.
We want to try and clarify this policy to all of you. We understand your concerns, specifically a belief that it is
important for students to have coordinated, organized work-out sessions in the two weeks prior to the start of
the CIFSDS season. A proposal to eliminate this rule did not pass at the June, 2013 Board of Managers meeting.
So this is a rule within our Green Book and is one that needs to be followed until such time that a change is
initiated and is approved through the Board of Managers.
Essentially, this issue comes down to the age-old dilemma that is the responsibility of coaches to ensure that the
spirit and letter of the SDCIF rules are observed. It is the expectation that both will be followed and decisions
by the CIFSDS relative to this rule will be made with this expectation in mind. We obviously cannot police each
and every program throughout the section and the CIFSDS must rely on the integrity of each and every coach,
athletic director and administrator to ensure that the letter and spirit of our rules are followed.
It is with this in mind that we have prepared the questions and answers below relating to the camp policy. We
continue to expect that all coaches, with the oversight of athletic directors and site administrators, will adhere to
our adopted sets of policies and rules and should not be searching for ways to “get around” the intent of the rule.
Q. I am working at a camp during the two-week period prior to the start of the CIFSDS cross-country season. I
have not passed out any literature or recommended this camp to any of my student-athletes and not taken part in
any planning for the student-athletes at my school to attend, yet some are planning to come. Is this ok?
A. Coaches and schools cannot require individuals or teams to attend a camp and cannot plan, organize
or facilitate attendance at a camp within two weeks of the CIFSDS fall practice date. If the students
individually (with their parents) made the decision to attend a camp, and it happens to be the camp you
are working, have coordinated, paid for and organized their own attendance at the camp, with no
involvement from you, this would not be a violation.
Q. While working the camp I may be responsible for overseeing athletes from my school. Should I request that
these students be under the supervision of another coach or can I work with students from my school?
A. Coaches may not supervise students from their school at a camp, during the two-week period prior to
the start of the fall CIFSDS season. Therefore, no coach can supervise student-athletes from his/her
school at a camp during this period.
Q. Can I arrange for my athletes to work with another coach while I supervise his/her athletes?
A. Other than informing the camp director that you cannot work with any students who may be
attending from your school, you should have no role in determining who works with your studentathletes who may be attending the camp.
Q. Since some of my athletes will be attending the camp that I am working, can I drive them to the camp?
A. Again, no coach can organize or facilitate attendance at a camp two weeks prior to the start of the
season. Driving the student-athletes to a camp would be considered to be “facilitating attendance,”
so no, a coach cannot drive his/her own athletes to a camp.
Q. One camp offers free attendance for an adult, often an assistant coach, if we sign up a minimum number of
students. Is this permissible for a coach to take part in?
A. Schools cannot organize, plan or facilitate attendance at a camp. If a coach or person affiliated with
an athletic program at a school is coordinating attendance and/or encouraging students to sign-up and
attend, it is a violation.
Q. Can I have contact with any of my students at the camp?
A. Obviously a coach may come across one or more of his/her student-athletes at a camp. Having a
conversation with them would not be a violation. Coaches cannot “coach” or supervise their athletes at
a camp during this time.
Q. Can I work at a camp that some of my student-athletes are attending that starts during the no-contact period?
A. No, this would be a violation of the no-contact policy, Article XX.1 A.
Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any additional questions.