LSDBi
Division III Proposal - 2024-4
DIVISION MEMBERSHIP -- ESTABLISHING STUNT AS AN EMERGING SPORT FOR WOMEN
Convention Year: 2024
Date Submitted: April 28, 2023
Status: Adopted Final
Effective Date: August 1, 2024
SPOPL Number: 2
Official Notice Number: 2024-4
Source: NCAA Division III Management Council (Committee on Women's Athletics).
Proposal Category: Management Council
Topical Area: Membership
Intent: To add stunt as an emerging sport for women and establish legislation related to playing and practice seasons and membership.
A. Bylaws: Amend 17, as follows:
[Roll Call]
17 Playing and Practice Seasons.
[17.01 through 17.02 unchanged.]
17.02.13 Varsity Intercollegiate Sport. A varsity intercollegiate sport is a sport that has been accorded that status by the institution's president or chancellor or committee responsible for intercollegiate athletics policy and that satisfies the following conditions:
[17.02.13-(a) through 17.02.13-(c) unchanged.]
17.02.13.1 Team Sports. The following are classified as team sports for purposes of this bylaw:
| Acrobatics and Tumbling | Rugby, Women's |
| Beach Volleyball, Women's | Rowing, Women's |
| Baseball | Soccer |
| Basketball | Softball |
| Field Hockey | Stunt |
| Football | Volleyball |
| Ice Hockey | Water Polo |
| Lacrosse |
[17.02.13.2 unchanged.]
[17.02.14 unchanged.]
[17.1 through 17.21 unchanged.]
17.22 Stunt. Regulations for computing the stunt playing season are set forth in Bylaw 17.1 General Playing-Season Regulations. (See Figure 17-1)
17.22.1 Length of Playing Season. (See Bylaw 17.1.2.3 for Sports with a Spring NCAA Championship, except for Golf, Rowing and Tennis.)
17.22.2 Preseason Practice. (See Bylaw 17.1.2.3)
17.22.3 First Date of Competition. (See Bylaw 17.1.2.3)
17.22.4 End of Playing Season. (See Bylaw 17.1.2.3)
17.22.5 Number of Dates of Competition.
17.22.5.1 Maximum Limitations-Institutional. A member institution shall limit its total playing schedule with outside competition in stunt during the institution's stunt playing season to 14 dates of competition, except for those dates of competition excluded under Bylaw 17.22.5.3. Countable date of competition limitations apply separately to multiple teams (e.g., varsity, subvarsity and freshmen). For in-season foreign competition, see Bylaw 17.1.4.3.
17.22.5.2 Maximum Limitations-Student-Athlete. A student-athlete may participate each academic year in a maximum of 14 dates of competition during the institution's stunt playing season. This limitation includes those dates of competition in which the student-athlete represents the institution, including competition as a member of the varsity, junior varsity and freshmen team of the institution in accordance with Bylaws 17.02.7 and 17.02.9.
17.22.5.3 Exemptions. (See Standard Exemptions set forth in Bylaw 17.1.4.5)
17.22.6 Out-of-Season Athletically Related Activities. (See Bylaw 17.1.5)
[17.22 through 17.32 renumbered as 17.23 through 17.33, unchanged.]
B. Bylaws: Amend 20, as follows:
[Roll Call]
20 Division Membership.
[20.01 through 20.02 unchanged.]
20.02.6 Emerging Sports for Women. The following shall be considered emerging sports for women:
(a) Team Sports. Acrobatics and tumbling, and rugby and stunt; and
[20.02.6-(b) unchanged.]
[20.02.6.1 unchanged.]
[20.02.7 unchanged.]
[20.1 through 20.11 unchanged.]
20.11.3 Sports Sponsorship. A member institution shall sponsor in Division III a minimum number of sports based on institutional enrollment. At least one sport involving an all-male team or a mixed team and at least one sport involving an all-female team shall be conducted in every sport season. All sports used to meet the minimum sports sponsorship requirements must meet the minimum contest and participant requirements per Bylaw 20.11.3.8.
[20.11.3.1 through 20.11.3.7 unchanged.]
20.11.3.8 Minimum Contests and Participants Requirements for Sports Sponsorship. In each sport, the institution's team shall engage in at least a minimum number of intercollegiate contests (against the varsity programs of four-year, degree-granting collegiate institutions) each year. In the individual sports, the institution's team shall include a minimum number of participants in each contest that is counted toward meeting the minimum-contests requirement. The following minimums are applicable:
| Team Sports | Minimum Contests | Minimum Participants | Individual Sports | Minimum Contests | Minimum Participants |
| Acrobatics and Tumbling | 6 | 18 | Bowling | 8 | 5 |
| Beach Volleyball | 8 | Cross Country | 5 | 5 | |
| Baseball | 25 | Fencing | 8 | 5 | |
| Basketball | 18 | Golf | 6 | 4 | |
| Field Hockey | 12 | Men's Gymnastics | 6 | 6 | |
| Football | 7 | Women's Gymnastics | 6 | 5 | |
| Ice Hockey | 18 | Rifle | 6 | 4 | |
| Lacrosse | 10 | Skiing | 5 | 5 | |
| Women's Rowing | 8 | Swimming and Diving | 8 | 8 | |
| Women's Rugby | 8 | Tennis | 10 | 6 | |
| Soccer | 13 | Track and Field, Indoor | 5 | 10 | |
| Softball | 24 | Track and Field, Outdoor | 6 | 12 | |
| Stunt | 6 | 16 | Women's Triathlon | 4 | 3 |
| Volleyball | 17 | Wrestling, Men's | 7 | 6 | |
| Water Polo | 13 | Wrestling, Women's | 7 | 6 |
[20.11.3.8.1 through 20.11.3.8.11 unchanged.]
[20.11.3.9 through 20.11.3.10 unchanged.]
[20.11.4 unchanged.]
[20.12 through 20.15 unchanged.]
Rationale: The sport continues to grow at the club, high school and collegiate levels, and the proposal is supported by the sport's national governing body. Further, the cost of sponsoring the sport is low and provides an opportunity for enriching member institutions' enrollment management strategies. Stunt provides opportunities for participants with diverse sport backgrounds (e.g., powerlifting, gymnastics) and female sport administrators, coaches, and officials. The sport's national governing body demonstrated that current stunt programs are fully integrated into institutional athletics departments as stand-alone programs, that the experience of a stunt student-athlete is comparable to the experience of student-athletes who compete in NCAA sports, and the sport's organizational structure and rules are consistent with NCAA values and legislation.
Budget Impact: Based on institutional sponsorship of the sport.
Co-sponsorship - Conference:
None
Co-sponsorship - Institution:
None
Position Statement(s):
None
Review History:
Convention Vote:
Date of Vote:
January 13, 2024
For: 377
Against: 56
Abstain: 34
Not Present:
Legislative References
| Division | Number | Title |
|---|---|---|
| III | 17 | Playing and Practice Seasons. |
| III | 17.02.13 | Varsity Intercollegiate Sport. |
| III | 17.02.13.1 | Team Sports. |
| III | 17.22 | Stunt. |
| III | 17.22.1 | Length of Playing Season. |
| III | 17.22.2 | Preseason Practice. |
| III | 17.22.3 | First Date of Competition. |
| III | 17.22.4 | End of Playing Season. |
| III | 17.22.5 | Number of Dates of Competition. |
| III | 17.22.5.1 | Maximum Limitations -- Institutional. |
| III | 17.22.5.2 | Maximum Limitations-Student -- Athlete. |
| III | 17.22.5.3 | Exemptions. |
| III | 17.22.6 | Out-of-Season Athletically Related Activities. |
| III | 20 | Division Membership. |
| III | 20.02.6 | Emerging Sports for Women. |
| III | 20.11.3 | Sports Sponsorship. |
| III | 20.11.3.8 | Minimum Contests and Participants Requirements for Sports Sponsorship. |