There are at least three proposals that may get a vote at the 2023 NCAA Convention that could affect the wrestling season. Each would allow for some amount of out-of-season training. Two were published recently in the 2023 Initial Publication of Proposed Legislation, and one is a governance proposal from Management Council.
Management Council Proposal
The proposal would eliminate weeks as a measure for defining the season and measure winter sports season by 114 days, with the flexibility to use eight of those days before or after the season.
Currently, winter sports like wrestling can have a 19 week season, where practicing once in a week uses the whole week. Also, teams cannot practice outside of the period from October 10th through the NCAA Championships. This proposal would instead allow wrestling to use 114 days (19 weeks x 6 days per week). The season would still run from October 10th through the championships, but teams could reserve eight days for required training outside the season.
Proposal No. 1-2: PLAYING AND PRACTICE SEASON — GENERAL PLAYING SEASON-DEFINING PLAYING AND PRACTICE SEASON NON-CONSECUTIVE DAYS
This proposal also changes from 19 weeks to 114 days but gives more flexibility as to when they can be used. The 114 days can be used almost any time during the school year. Only in wrestling, the days before October 10th could be used for strength and conditioning and not wrestling practice. It is a little bit unclear whether or not wrestling practice would be allowed after the NCAA Championships or if wrestling would still be restricted to strength and conditioning only.
Proposal No. 1-3: PLAYING AND PRACTICE SEASONS — GENERAL REGULATIONS FOR COMPUTING PLAYING SEASONS – FLEX OPTION
This proposal keeps the 19 week model but allows for teams to choose to shorten the season by one week and reserve six days as flex days that can be used in the offseason. Teams would be able to use up to two flex days in a given week during the offseason.
The full text of the last two proposals can be found in the 2023 Initial Publication of Proposed Legislation. There are a few steps ahead before any of these proposals reach the floor for a vote at the 2023 NCAA Convention, and they could be modified or tabled between now and then.
2022-2023 Legislative Calendar
Date IPOPL is Posted through September 15: Sponsor-modification period. Sponsors are permitted to refine and change their proposals in any manner germane to the original proposal. Member institutions and conferences are invited to offer any suggested revisions of a proposal to the primary contact person listed with the proposal. Also, members that believe an amendment should not be modified should so inform the primary contact person.
September 1: Deadline for submission of amendments sponsored by the Presidents Council or Management Council.
September 1: Deadline for proper co-sponsorship of membership proposals. The proposals must receive proper co-sponsorship from one additional conference (if originally sponsored by one conference) otherwise 10 additional institutions (if originally sponsored by 10 institutions) or it will be withdrawn.
September 15: Deadline for submission by all sponsors (with submission by the primary contact person) of any modification to their original amendments. These modifications may represent either greater or lesser changes; they need only be germane to the original amendment.
Not Later Than September 23: Posting of Second Publication of Proposed Legislation. This publication includes all membership-sponsored proposals as modified and includes all proposals sponsored by the Presidents Council or Management Council.
Date SPOPL is Posted through November 1: Amendment-to-amendment period. The Presidents Council and Management Council as well as the membership (see Bylaw 9.3.4.2) may submit amendments to the proposals in the Second Publication of Proposed Legislation. These amendments-to-amendments may not increase the modification of the provisions to be amended; they must fall between the provisions of the original proposed amendment and the current provisions.
November 1: Deadline for all amendments-to-amendments and resolutions to be received in the national office. No amendments-to-amendments sponsored by the membership may be submitted after this date. The Presidents Council and Management Council are authorized to submit further amendments-to-amendments at the Convention if they deem such action necessary.
November 15: Publication of the Official Notice of the Convention. This publication includes all Division III
proposed legislation and the properly submitted amendments-to-amendments and resolutions.
January 11-14, 2023: NCAA Convention. Voting on proposals will occur at the business session
