The State Board of Education blocked a proposal to allow high school practice session throughout the summer.
The expanded practice window had been approved by the West Virginia Secondary School Activities Commission’s Board of Control last month. The proposal, which received mixed reviews from coaches and athletic directors around the state, was halted Wednesday when the BOE declined to include it on the agenda for the upcoming 30-day comment period.
Because the measure won’t move forward this year, teams must continue to contain practices within a three-week window that starts in June.
The summer practice proposal would have taken effect before the 2015-2016 academic year.
Those who favored extending practices claimed it would upgrade athletic training and especially help sports such as football, where conditioning workouts already are part of the summer routine. Critics pointed to the potential for overuse injuries and a drain on family time for student-athletes. Some claimed the expansion would create additional pressure for coaches, many of whom receive paltry stipends that don’t cover summer months.
Six other smaller proposals did move on Wednesday, and were placed on the agenda. The SSAC Board of Control could choose to revisit expanding the summer practice session in a later year.
