Athletic Placement Process

I. Purpose

The intents of the Athletic Placement Process is to provide a protocol for districts that choose to allow students in grades 7 & 8 to move up; or for students 9-12 to move down, allowing them to participate safely at an appropriate level of competition based upon physical and emotional readiness and athletic ability rather than age and grade alone.

The APP is intended for use by student athletes in grades 7-12, and directly relates to specific interschool sport categories and levels of competition as follows:

Intermediate

Grades 7-8

Commencement

Grades 9-12

Interscholastic Sports Categories

Contact Sports

basketball, baseball, field hockey, ice hockey, lacrosse, soccer, football, softball, volleyball, competitive cheerleading, and wrestling

Non-Contact Sports

archery, bowling, cross-country, golf, gymnastics, rifle, swimming & diving, skiing, tennis, track & field, fencing, and badminton

Athletic Competition Levels

Modified
Freshman
Junior Varsity
Varsity

II. Implementation Steps

(All steps must be followed, in order, for each APP request)

Step 1 – District Policy: Confirm that the school district has approved a resolution to allow students to participate in the APP (and/or revise the language in existing “Selection/ Classification” policies to include the new process). If no such resolution exists, proper steps should be taken to ensure that this first requirement is met.

Step 2 – Parent/Guardian Permission: All students who are to be evaluated must first obtain written parent/guardian permission before any evaluation may begin.

Step 3 – Administrative Approval: The athletic administrator should confirm that the student is suitable for consideration, which includes the likelihood that the student would play in at least 50% of the games. Additionally, because of the increased time demands of participation at the high school level, the student’s academic performance (as determined at the local level) should be at or above grade level. Furthermore, administration should assess the student’s emotional readiness to socialize with high school-aged students. If the student is not academically or socially ready, the student should not proceed through the APP.

Step 4 – Medical Clearance: (Must be completed BEFORE the physical fitness portion of the process) The district medical director will determine a student’s physical maturity level, and compare the physical size of the student in relation to that of the students against whom the student wishes to compete. If the student is determined to have attained the appropriate physical maturity level and comparable physical size for the desired sport and level, the student may proceed with step 5. If the student is determined to not have attained an appropriate physical maturity level for the desired sport and level, the process stops.

Important Note on the Physical Maturity Examination: For the medical director, determining the physical maturity level of the student is an important step in the APP process. This is done to ensure that the student has attained a level of physical development at which the chances of growth plate or overuse injury is minimized. Since the growth plate is the weakest area of the growing skeleton, weaker than the nearby ligaments and tendons that connect bones to other bones and muscles, injury to a growth plate can lead to a serious and potentially permanent injury to a joint or long bone. While growth plate injuries are usually caused by an acute event such as a fall or a blow to a limb, they can also result from overuse, such as when a gymnast practices for hours on the uneven bars, a runner runs long distances, or a baseball pitcher spends hours perfecting a curve ball. Growth plate trauma and other overuse injuries may occur in competitive sports such as football, basketball, softball, track & field, and gymnastics. The likelihood increases when students are doing a single sport year round without substantial rest; therefore, caution must be exercised in determining the physical maturity of students at this age level. Developmental staging reduces, but does not eliminate, the risks of injury to a younger student moving up to sport activities involving more developmentally mature students. Since all growth plates might not be.fully matured by the time a student reaches Tanner 5, care must be exercised in determining the physical maturity of athletes. The size of the student in relation to the other athletes is also a critical component in determining the risk of injury. It is always best to err on the side of caution and keep a student at the age-appropriate level of play in order to safeguard the student. There will be many more years for the student to advance in athletics, and success is more likely if he or she does not suffer from permanent injuries.

Step 5 – Sport Skill Evaluation: The sport coach will rely on past personal observations and may consider input from the student’s former coaches to complete the evaluation. If the coach is unfamiliar with the student, the sport coach may wish to observe the student in a physical education class.

Step 6 – Physical Fitness Testing: This must be done by a certified physical education teacher who is not a coach of the sport for which the student will be trying out. The President’s Physical Fitness Test has been selected as the test for this process, and the student must meet the 85th percentile level for their age in 4 out of 5 test components. For students trying out for swimming, an alternate fitness test to the 1 mile walk/runstudents trying out for swimming may choose to either do the 1 mile walk/ run or the 500 yard swim.

Exception to the physical fitness test requirement: Students who desire to try out for bowling or golf teams are not required to complete the physical.fitness testing.

Step 7 – Qualification Determination: The results of the three evaluations will be sent to the director of physical education/athletics. Only students who pass all parts of the APP are permitted to try out.

Step 8 – Try Outs: The student is allowed to try out for the sport and level requested or the student must return to the modified level of competition. For students trying out for bowling or golf, see instructions for try outs for these sports.

Step 9 – Records: The physical education director and/or athletic director must maintain all records of students who have successfully completed the APP. Items to be kept in the student’s file are:

Parent/Guardian Permission and Result letters; Maturity Evaluation and Medical Director Form; Physical Fitness results; Coach’s Sport Skill Evaluation.

Step 10 – Notifications: A Notification List of the scores of all athletes who have successfully completed the process and have been approved through the APP after the try-out period has been completed must be sent to:

The physical education director and/or athletic director of competitor schools
Athletic governing board or section office

Physical Fitness Test: Instructions

Curl-Ups

This activity measures abdominal strength and endurance

Have the student lie on a cushioned, clean surface with knees flexed and feet about 12 inches from buttocks. A partner holds the feet.
Make sure the arms are crossed with hands placed on opposite shoulders and elbows held close to chest.
Keeping this arm position, the student raises the trunk, curling up to touch elbows to thighs, and then lowers the back to the floor so that the scapulas (shoulder blades) touch the floor, for one curl-up.
To start, a timer calls out the signal “Ready? Go!” and begins timing the student for one minute. The student stops on the word “Stop.”

Tip: Instruct helpers to count aloud the number of repetitions. Curl-ups scoring “Bouncing” off the floor is not permitted. The curl-up should be counted only if performed correctly.

Shuttle Run

This activity measures speed and agility

Mark two parallel lines 30 feet apart and place two blocks of wood or similar objects behind one of the lines.
Student starts behind the opposite line. On the signal “Ready? Go!” the student runs to the blocks, picks one up, runs back to the starting line, places the block behind the line, runs back and picks up the second block, and runs back across the starting line.

Tips: Be sure the participants understand the importance of running through the finish line. Participants should perform this activity on a gym floor or other appropriate surface.

Scoring: Blocks should not be thrown across the lines. Scores are recorded to the nearest tenth of a second.

One Mile Run/Walk

This activity measures heart/lung endurance.

On a safe, one-mile distance, students begin running on the count “Ready? Go!”
Walking may be interspersed with running. However, the students should be encouraged to cover the distance in as short a time as possible.

Tips: Use a large enough running area so that no more than eight laps are necessary to complete a mile. Help participants learn proper pacing for the mile by having them run at the mile pace for short distances during warm-up time.

Scoring: Always review students’ health status before administering this test. Give students ample instruction on how to pace themselves. Allow them to practice running this distance against time, as well as sufficient time for warming up and cooling down before and after the test. Times are recorded in minutes and seconds.

Pull-ups

This activity measures upper body strength and endurance.

The student hangs from a horizontal bar at a height the student can hang from with arms fully extended and feet free from the floor, using either an overhand grip (palms facing away from body) or underhand grip (palms facing toward body). Small students may be lifted to the starting position.
The student raises his/her body until chin clears the bar and then lowers his/her body to the full-hang starting position. The student performs as many correct pull-ups as possible.

Tips: Spend as little time hanging from the bar beforehand as possible because the extra time on the bar may reduce the number of pull-ups performed. Discourage any leg kicking or body swinging, as this may also decrease the number of repetitions.

Scoring: Pull-ups should be done in a smooth rather than jerky motion. Kicking or bending the legs is not permitted and the body must not swing during the movement.

Right Angle Push-ups

The student starts in push-up position, with hands under shoulders, arms straight, fingers pointed forward, and legs straight, parallel, and slightly apart (approximately 2-4 inches) with the toes supporting the feet.
Keeping the back and knees straight, the student then lowers the body until there is a 90-degree angle formed at the elbows, with upper arms parallel to the floor. A partner holds her/his hands at the point of the 90-degree angle so that the student being tested goes down only until her/his shoulders touch the partner’s hand, then back up.
The push-ups are done to a metronome (or audio tape, clapping, drums) with one complete push-up every three seconds, and are continued until the student can do no more at the required pace. The student should remain in motion during the entire three second interval.

Tip: As with the pull-up, spend as little time in the sta1ting position beforehand in order to increase the number of repetitions. Any extra movement may also decrease the number of repetitions.

Scoring: Record only those push-ups done with proper form and in rhythm.

Rationale: Right angle push-ups are a good indicator of the range of strength/endurance found in kids, whereas some kids are unable to do any pull-ups. Pull-ups remain an option for those students at higher levels of
strength/endurance.

V-sit Reach

This activity measures flexibility of the lower back and hamstrings

A straight line two feet long is marked on the floor as the baseline.
A measuring line four feet long is drawn perpendicular to the midpoint of the baseline, extending two feet on each side and marked off in half-inches. The point where the baseline and measuring line intersect is the “O” point.
Student removes his/her shoes and sits on floor with measuring line between his/her legs and the soles of his/her feet placed directly behind the baseline, with the heels 8-12 inches apart.
With hands on top of each other, palms down, the student places them on measuring line.
With the legs held flat by a partner, the student slowly reaches forward as far as possible, keeping fingers on the measuring line and feet flexed.
After three practice tries, the student holds the forth reach for three seconds while that distance is recorded.

Tip: Participants are most flexible after a warm-up run. Best results may occur immediately after performing the endurance run.

Rules: Legs must remain straight with soles of feet held perpendicular to the floor (feet flexed). Students should be encouraged to reach slowly rather than “bounce” while stretching. Scores, recorded to the nearest half inch, are read as plus scores for reaches beyond baseline, minus scores for reaches behind baseline.

Sit and Reach

You’ll need a specially constructed box with a measuring scale marked in centimeters, with 23 centimeters at the level of the feet.
The student removes shoes and sits on floor with knees fully extended, feet shoulder-width apart and soles of the feet held flat against the end of the box.
With hands on top of each other, palms down, and legs held flat, student reaches along the measuring line as far as possible. After three practice reaches, the fourth reach is held while the distance is recorded.

Tip: Participants are most flexible after a warm-up run. Best results may occur immediately after performing the endurance run.

Rules: Legs must remain straight, soles of feet against box, and fingertips of both hands should reach evenly along the measuring line. Scores are recorded to the nearest centimeter.

Special Try-Out Processes

Bowling

Any 7th or 8th grade student may be given the opportunity to try out for a junior varsity or varsity bowling team. At the completion of the try-out sessions, which must include nine games bowled over a three-day period, if the individual’s bowling average puts him/her in the top eight of your bowlers, he/she is eligible for the team.

Golf

Any 7th or 8th grade student may be given the opportunity to try out for a junior varsity or varsity golf team. At the completion of the tryout sessions, which must include 18 holes golfed over a three-day period (the first three days of the individual’s tryout when the course is accessible), if the individual’s golf average puts him/her in the top 8 of your golfers, he/she is eligible for the team.

Scores Required for the Athletic Placement Process

Upper body strength can be measured by performing pull-ups, OR right angle push ups.

Flexibility can be measured by performing the V-sit Reach OR the Sit and Reach.

Sex	Age	Curl-ups in 1 min.	Shuttle run in seconds	V-sit reach in inches	Sit & Reach in cm	1-mile Walk/Run (min/sec)	Pull-ups (# completed)	Right Angle Push-Ups (# every 3 sec.)
M	11	47	10.0	4.0	31	7:32	6	26
M	12	50	9.8	4.0	31	7:11	7	30
M	13	53	9.5	3.5	31	6:50	7	35
M	14	56	9.1	4.5	33	6:26	10	37
M	15	57	9.0	5.0	36	6:20	11	40
F	11	42	10.5	6.5	34	9:02	3	19
F	12	45	10.4	7.0	36	8:23	2	20
F	13	46	10.2	7.0	38	8:13	2	21
F	14	47	10.1	8.0	40	7:59	2	20
F	15	48	10.0	8.0	43	8:08	2	20

Swimming

The swimming endurance component of the physical fitness test allows the athlete to choose which endurance test he/she prefers. It will be necessary to choose one: either the one-mile run or the 500-yard swim.