NCAA 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
(Note: The minimum-contest requirements set forth in Bylaw 20.11.3.8 apply only to the provisions of this section and do not apply to minimum-contest requirements in Bylaw 14 and Bylaw 17.)

[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:

Apr 18, 2023:
Approved in Concept - NCAA Division III Management Council (Committee on Women's Athletics).
Supplement No. 21
Jul 18, 2023:
Approved in Legislative Format - NCAA Division III Management Council (Committee on Women's Athletics).

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.
References