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In the upcoming month, collegiate coaches will begin receiving correspondence about rules changes and other requests from the NCAA Softball Rules Committee. That makes this the perfect time to start with the basics about the rules committee, how it works, and, most importantly, how you can be involved impacting the playing rules.
The NCAA, which writes rules for 15 sports, began writing softball rules in 1996. Playing rules dictate what happens on the field when an official is present and are unique in the NCAA process because they are not federated, meaning the rules are the same for all three divisions. The same rules must also be used for regular season and championship play.
The NCAA rules committee is made up of eight voting members with four-year terms, who are coaches and administrators from across the country, from NCAA member institutions. Half of the members, four, are representatives from Division I member institutions. Division II and III each have two representatives from their member institutions. This diverse make-up, which is consistent for all rules committees, ensures a democratic process because no division, even Division I, can carry two-thirds of the votes necessary to make a change without some agreement from the other divisions. Now, think how difficult it can be to get the coaches in your conference, your division and your region and have similar interests to agree, and you will start to grasp the difficult task that is given to rules committee members.
I am the secretary rules-editor, which is a non-voting position on the committee. My role is to be the national rules interpreter for the committee throughout the year, help with the preparation of proposals for new rules and the manuscript to update the rules book each year and provide continuity to the rules. Unlike other members of the committee, I can serve consecutive, four-year terms and could serve until 2012 in this capacity.
A Rules Cycle
The rules committee meets annually in July to consider new rules changes, but this is really the end of the rules cycle and not the beginning. The process really begins in January and February when a form is mailed to each NCAA member institution and posted electronically on the NCAA Web site, asking for rules-change proposals. The proposals are used to create a rules survey that is issued to head coaches, umpires and others for feedback. The survey is meant to garner feedback for committee members to consider when voting on proposed changes, but it should also serve as notice of rules changes being considered by the committee.
During the annual meeting each year, the committee discusses each proposed major rule change and editorial suggestion and votes to approve or disapprove each. In the process, members keep in mind a number of principles for rules writing, including:
- Maintaining a balance between offense and defense
- Fair play
- Safety
- Image and tradition of the game
- Limiting the number of exceptions to rules in the book
- Consistency of effect from rule-to-rule
On occasion, I will be asked after a meeting about why a rules change was not accepted by the committee that seemed so obvious, but putting eight softball minds together can sometimes result in a conflict with one or more of the principles, a reason or circumstance that would make the rule difficult to administer or make the effect unfair tone team or another. I can assure you that the all of the committees, since NCAA began writing rules in 1996, have taken the role of guardians of the rules very seriously and no change is made without extensively analyzing the impact.
Once the rules committee completes its work at the meeting, successful proposals are forwarded to the NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel (PROP). Following a comment period and approval from PROP, changes are made in the manuscript of the rules book, and a document outlining the rules changes is forwarded for use during the fall season while the rules book is in production. When all goes well, the rules book is available in December and convention presentations and clinics carry us right back to the start of a new cycle when we ask for proposals.
Relationship with Championship Committees
Because the rules committee and NCAA rules began just nine years ago, there remains some confusion about the differences between the rules committee and the championship committees. The championship committees are charged with all the administrative details of running their respective division’s championship while the rules committee is responsible for administering to just the playing-rules portion of the game. Members of the championships committee are able to give input about playing rules, just like any other coach or administrator, to the rules committee. During the administration of a championship, they might discover a rule that is not covered and should be in the book or have a special request to accommodate television or other championship circumstances. Although we have separate focuses, the three divisional championships committees and rules committee have the same objective: to promote collegiate fastpitch softball.
How to be Part of the Process
If you are interested in impacting the rules, please contact committee members or myself with rules-change proposals and be sure to participate in the rules survey each spring.
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