General State Tournament Information

GUIDELINES FOR AP TEST CONFLICTS

For the 2007-2008 academic year, when a state play-off cannot be scheduled to avoid AP test dates, a late testing option is offered by the College Board in Princeton. You may contact AP Services at 877.274.6474 or visit www.ets.org/ap.

1. The window for the 2008 Late Testing Schedule will be published in November. Coordinators are responsible for notifying students when and where to appear for the exams. Early testing is not permitted under any circumstances.

2. To request late testing, go to the AP Online Exam Ordering Service (www.ets.org/ap) and follow the steps for submitting a Late Testing Request. The online request will serve as an order form for the alternate exams needed. The deadline for US schools to request late testing will be posted in November.

3. There is an additional fee of $40 for late testing due to athletic contests or events.

2008 AP EXAM SCHEDULE

WEEK 1	Morning Session 8:00 AM	Afternoon Session 12:00PM
Monday, May 5	Government and Politics: United States	French Language Government and Politics: Comparative
Tuesday, May 6	Computer Science A Computer Science AB Spanish Language	Statistics
Wednesday, May 7	Calculus AB Calculus BC	Chinese Language and Culture
Thursday, May 8	English Literature German Language	French Literature Japanese Language and Culture
Friday, May 9	US History	European History Studio Art

WEEK 2	Morning Session	Afternoon Session
Monday, May 12	Biology Music Theory	Physics B & C Mechanics
Tuesday, May 13	Environmental Science Chemistry	Psychology
Wednesday, May 14	Italian Language and Culture English Language	Art History
Thursday, May 15	Macroeconomics World History	Microeconomics
Friday, May 16	Spanish Literature Human Geography	Latin Literature Latin: Vergil

1) TEAMS: Before the NCISAA will conduct a state play-off, eight member schools must register intent to play in a state tournament. The 40% PLUS rule determines the number of teams in state tournaments. When the number of teams fielded in a particular sport in a particular classification exceeds 40% of the total number of schools shown for that classification, the tournament will advance to the next level, i.e., an 8 team tournament will advance to 12 teams, and a 12 team tournament will advance to 16 teams.

If, on two consecutive years, fewer than eight teams appear at any NCISAA event, that event will be dropped from the play-off calendar until sufficient interest can be demonstrated to reinstate.

2) PARTICIPATION: A school may choose not to be involved in any play-off if it so declares by the summer Board of Managers meeting. Any team must play a minimum of four varsity contests on four separate dates of a given sport to be eligible to participate in state play-off competition. Hardship cases, i.e. injury, weather, or travel constraints, may be appealed to the Executive Director. In all sports, except those having open tournaments and those with qualifying times or the USGA index, each NCISAA conference will receive one automatic bid to the state play-offs. The remaining tournament teams will be selected at large by a seeding committee who will also seed the tournament.

3) ELIGIBILITY: To be eligible to participate in state championship play-offs, students may be enrolled in grades 7 through 12 for all sports except football which is grades 9 through 12 and must not have received a high school diploma from any school within the United States. Each participant�s name and date of birth must be recorded on the official roster according to enrollment as of September 1 and submitted to the NCISAA office no later than September 15. For the 2006-2007 school year, students who enroll after September 15 may be eligible for fall sports if the NCISAA office is notified in writing by September 25, for winter sports if the NCISAA office is notified in writing by January 19, and for spring sports if the NCISAA office is notified in writing by April 12.

For 2007-2008 Greensboro Day School has been designated the central site for seeding meetings in all classifications unless otherwise noted. (Note site exception for 8 Man Football.)

As the FIRST order of business in every seeding/selection committee meeting, the following statement from the Executive Director shall be read by the Sport Chair.

Allow me to offer thanks to each of you on behalf of the entire NCISAA membership, the Board of Managers and our Board of Directors. The task you are about to undertake is one of the most important ones the NCISAA has. You are charged with setting up those students and teams who will experience the thrill and disappointment of participating in the NCISAA state tournament. DO NOT TAKE THIS CHARGE LIGHTLY. Please understand that while each of you should be bringing appropriate information from your assigned constituents, your overarching task is to select the best teams in our association for the tournament and to rank them appropriately. You must not fall into the mode of simply becoming an advocate for your constituent group against all other groups. Rather, think of yourselves as supreme court judges who hear all the facts and then make the most valid determinations. You also have my personal thanks for agreeing to engage in what may seem at its conclusion a thankless task. Please know it is not that.

Please read the following rules carefully prior to scheduling seeding/selection committee meetings. All conference games/matches must be completed prior to the seeding committee meetings.

**Please note that the Board of Managers strongly suggest that NCISAA schools play FOUR regular season OUT OF CONFERENCE games with other NCISAA schools in the SAME classification.

3. Each NCISAA conference with three or more schools participating in any given sport will have a seeding committee representative. Each seeding committee member should gain as much information as possible about the conference team he/she represents. Printed schedules, with scores, will be provided for each team by each conference representative. The seeding committee chair should obtain and provide information for the at-large teams. Sport Manager must see to it that there are at least three seeding committee members. If a sport only has two representatives, the Sport Manager will select an at-large representative.

4. The follow criteria listed - in order of priority - will be used to seed the best teams for NCISAA championships.

1. Head-to-head results
2. Common opponent results
3. Final conference standings and/or conference tournament results, if applicable
4. Strength of schedule
5. Late season performance

5. Tie-Breaker Procedure: If additional criteria are needed to break a tie, the following will be used.

- The Executive Director, the Director of Communication or a designate of the Executive Director will break any remaining ties.

7. Each conference is responsible for travel and any additional expense incurred by its seeding representative for attendance at the seeding meeting.

8.The seeding selections will be determined by a vote of all seeding committee members present. Under certain circumstances - such as bad weather - the Executive Director may grant permission to vote by telephone.

9. The Sport Manager must report the results of the selection process to the Web Master. (email chapcarter@bellsouth.net or call 828-231-4254)

The sports listed above will select all-state teams in each classification using the following process.

1. It is the responsibility of the all-state selection committee to select the best players in that sport for that season. The NCISAA Office will release the all-state teams to the media on championship day.

2. The seeding committee for each sport in each classification will also serve as the all-state selection committee for that sport. Each conference MUST be represented. The all-state selections will take place prior to the seeding and selection meetings.

3. Conference representatives must use their all-conference team voting as the order in which athletes from that conference will be considered. At large representatives will be represented by the Sport Chair. Nominations must be endorsed by the conference as a whole.

4. Conference representatives must have statistical information for each player considered from that conference. Presentations should be limited to three minutes per player.

5. Conference representatives may vote for athletes from their conference and their school. All-state selectees must remain in good standing with their school team through the duration of their season. Removal from the school�s team for disciplinary reasons prior to the end of that season will result in the removal from the NCISAA All-State team.

6. The size of all-state teams is determined by the number of starters on a team plus one half of the team in that sport. For example: Baseball would be 9 plus 4.5 rounded up to 5 for a total of 14.

8. To ensure that the all-state team is selected in the proper order using appropriate supporting statistics, the NCISAA Sport Manager must communicate with committee members prior to these meetings in order to address questions or problems.

9. The NCISAA will subsidize all-state certificates which will be provided by Al Cheek of EXCALIBUR AWARDS in Clemmons, NC. Phone 336.778.2121. Certificates will be sent to the site of the state tournament finals and will be distributed by the Sport Chair/Site Director.

In Swimming, Track, Wrestling and 1A/2A Tennis the event/flight winners will be recognized as state champions.

In Cross Country the top eleven finishers in the state meet will earn all-state honors.

In Golf, the top nine finishers in the state tournament will earn all-state honors.

Each NCISAA Sport Manager is a member of the Board of Managers and is charged with overseeing the administration of his/her assigned sport. The Sport Manager must:

1. Review the preliminary tournament expense budget with Sports Chair and/or Site Directors to ensure that the expenses are those approved by the NCISAA. Ensure that the TOURNAMENT EXPENSE AND INCOME report is sent to the NCISAA Business Manager within 10 school days following the tournament.

2. Be sure that all necessary information is properly COMMUNICATED to the Sport Chair/Site Director. (Be sure each one has a copy of these guidelines.)

3. Recommend to the Board of Managers a Sport Chair for each classification in which the sport is being played prior to the summer meeting.

4. Serve as liaison between the Sport Chairs, the Executive Director and the Board of Managers.

5. Have knowledge of the rules of the sport and read the directives in the sport-specific section of the Handbook.

6. Assist the Sport Chair with selection of the tournament site and the organization of the tournament. Keep lines of communication open with the Sport Chair during the process of planning the tournament.

7. Work in conjunction with the Sport Chair/Site Director to submit all financial information and tournament results - including first round games - to the NCISAA office in accordance with the Handbook deadline. Please ensure that this is done.

8. Review proposed tournament expenses.

9. Attend the seeding/selection meetings in your sport. Make sure, prior to the seeding committee meeting, that there will be, at least, three seeding committee members. If there are only two representatives in that sport, the Sport Manager will select an at-large representative to serve on that seeding committee.

10. Serve as a resource person for issues or concerns which might arise during the regular season and attend coaches meetings if possible.

11. Be sure to keep the NCISAA Executive Director informed of any potential problems that might arise during the tournaments.

12. Be responsible for obtaining and submitting all pertinent information as well as additions and corrections relative to each sport to Kathy Bailey before the summer meeting.

13. Inform the NCISAA office and the Director of Communications of the results of the Seeding/Selection Committee�s work immediately following the meeting. (828-231-4254 or email chapcarter@bellsouth.net. )

NCISAA SPORT CHAIR RESPONSIBILITIES

In some cases the Sport Chair and the Site Director may be the same person. These guidelines are intended to clarify and facilitate their responsibilities.

The Sport Chair is expected to:

1. Send a preliminary budget of tournament expenses to the Sport Manager for review. (See NCISAA approved expenses on the Tournament Expense/Income in the Appendix section of this Handbook.)

2. Send a copy of the TOURNAMENT EXPENSE AND INCOME report to the Sport Manager and to the NCISAA Business Manager within 10 school days following the tournament. (Please use the Tournament Expense/Income form in the APPENDIX section of this Handbook.)

3. Read and follow the appropriate Handbook sections including the sportsmanship code, general rules and regulations, tournament procedures, site standards, and individual sport regulations. Contact the AD�s of all host schools and review Handbook procedures.

4. Determine the play-off site(s). The Board of Directors has mandated use of NCISAA facilities for all tournament unless other sites are donated free of charge. The Executive Director must approve all sites. Site MUST MEET National Federation Regulations for field dimensions and NCISAA standards for seating capacity, central location, locker facilities, lighting, and parking. Whenever possible, tournament sites should be located within the CENTRAL CORRIDOR between I-95 in the East and I-77 in the West not to exceed thirty minutes travel beyond the Interstates. Geographic rotations are in place for some tournaments.

5. Ensure that arrangements have been made for collecting admission at the gate throughout each tournament event including first round games.

6. Chair the seeding/selection committee. (See sport-specific section in the Handbook.)

7. Ensure that all seeding committee members are informed well in advance of the meeting, are aware of their responsibilities, and are prepared to have all necessary information at the time of the meeting.

8. Consult the Sport Manager and the Site Director to determine game times if they are not listed in the Handbook. Games played at the home of the higher seed should have mutually agreed upon starting times.

9. Ensure that Site Directors distribute all play-off information to the participating schools via the Director of Communications including directions and lodging information well in advance of the tournament date. Tournament game results should be relayed to the Director of Communications as well (828-231-4254 cell, or email chapcarter@bellsouth.net)

10. Emphasize to the Site Directors the importance of being present at all games.

11. Cooperate with the Site Director in handling disputes, problems, inquiries, and administration of penalties during the tournaments. This includes setting up a protest/grievance committee.

The Site Director is expected to:

1. Read and follow the appropriate Handbook sections including the sportsmanship code, general rules and regulations, tournament procedures, site standards and individual sport regulations.

2. Organize the play-off site in cooperation with the Sport Manager and the Sport Chair. The site must be approve by the NCISAA Executive Director who will consider seating, central location, locker facilities, lighting and parking.

3. Cooperate with the Sport Manager and Sport Chair to determine the validity of expenses and/or fees incurred during the hosting of state tournament. Questions about additional expenses should be directed to the Sport Manager.

4. Provide the necessary support staff including a licensed athletic trainer or medical professional. Contact Michelle Piette, Athletic Trainer at Ravenscroft School (929-847-0900) if you need assistance in providing trained personnel.

5. Consult with the the Sport Chair to determine game times other than those listed in the Handbook.

6. Inform the media and NCISAA Director of Communications (828-231-4254 cell, or email chapcarter@bellsouth.net) of activities well in advance of the scheduled event. Game results should also be reported immediately following the tournament.

7. Cooperate with the Sport Chair and the Sport Manager to ensure the smooth operation of all tournament activity.

8. Distribute all tournament information to the participating schools including directions and lodging information well in advance of the tournament dates. Be sure to cover the entry deadlines through the Director of Communications.

9. Cooperate with the Sport Chair in handling all disputes, problems, inquiries, and administration of penalties during tournaments. This includes setting up a protest/grievance committee.

10. Coordinate the production of a tournament program. Please note: The NCISAA DOES NOT subsidize the cost of programs. Proceeds from the sale of the programs should cover the cost of producing them.

11. Arrange for the presentation of awards at the conclusion of the tournament.

All sites for tournament play-offs sponsored by the NCISAA must meet the standards and specifications listed in the National High School Federation rule book. The Sport Chair/Site Director will approve the facility prior to the game date. In approving the site, the Sport Chair/Site Director should consider proper specifications for the sport, cost, support staff availability, locker rooms, and seating capacity, as well as safety conditions of the site. If any of these criteria are in question, the Executive Director must be contacted. PLEASE REMEMBER - Site approval should be requested and received at least two months in advance of the state tournament.

ALL State Tournaments should be held at NCISAA member school facilities unless other sites are donated free of charge. Secondary options include 1) a modern public facility, or 2) a modern college facility and must be approved by the Executive Director if there is a fee for facility use. Whenever possible, tournament sites should be located within the CENTRAL CORRIDOR between I-95 in the East and I-77 in the West not to exceed thirty minutes travel beyond the Interstates. Seeded 1A tournaments will go west no further west than the I-77 corridor in one out of every five years. For the remaining four years, 1A tournaments will remain within the I-95 corridor no more than 30 minutes east or west of I-95. Geographic rotations are in place for some tournaments. Only in extreme circumstances should a site with a facility fee be considered. This will require approval of the Executive Director.

2007 - 2008 Calendar of Play-offs

Information regarding Sport Managers, Sport Chairs, and Tournament site by sport and division may be found on the Sport Specifics pages.