South Dakota Changes

Tennis

 

  1. During regular season, the host school would have the option to play short sets as a match format. 
     
  2. Allow “between point coaching” with the understanding that the coach must be outside the fence on the same side of the court as their players when coaching.Coaching must not disrupt the opponent or the flow of the match.Players may not go to the fence for coaching during this time.
     
  3. Rotate when Class A and AA will play their state tournament on a two-year rotation.  Each class will complete a two-year cycle and then the Class A and Class AA will rotate dates for the next two-year cycle.
     
    School Year Class A Girls Class AA Girls Class A Boys Class AA Boys
    2020-21 October 5-6 October 8-9 May 17-18 May 20-21
    2021-22 October 7-8 October 4-5 May 19-20 May 16-17
    2022-23 October 6-7 October 3-4 May 18-19 May 15-16
  4. Tie Breaking Procedure
    1. Head to head
    2. Indirect wins (common opponents with players involved in tie)
    3. Quality wins – any player who has a win vs a higher seeded player, if they both do, the seed will be awarded to whomever has the best (highest) quality win.
    4. Bad losses – whoever lost to the lowest seeded player would receive the lower seed
    5. Coin flip
       
  5. Tennis would be aligned with two classes. The top 10 schools with the highest ADM will make up Class AA. Class A will consist of the remaining schools. Board of Directors will grant permission to any school to participate in a higher classification than their ADM places them. 
     
  6. Teams must follow the below Heat Acclimatization and Contact Restrictions:
    1. Days 1 through 5 of the heat-acclimatization period consist of the first five days of formal practice. During this time, athletes may not participate in more than one practice per day.
    2. If a practice is interrupted by inclement weather or heat restrictions, the practice should recommence once conditions are deemed safe. Total practice time should not exceed three hours in any one day.
    3. Beginning no earlier than day six and continuing through day 14 or the first varsity contest, double-practice days must be followed by a single-practice day. When a double-practice day is followed by a rest day, another double-practice day is permitted after the rest day.
    4. On a double-practice day, neither practice should exceed three hours in duration, and student-athletes should not participate in more than five total hours of practice. Warm- up, stretching, cool-down, walk-through, conditioning, and weight-room activities are included as part of the practice time. The two practices should be separated by at least three continuous hours in a cool environment.
    5. Because the risk of exertional heat illnesses during the preseason heat acclimatization period is high, we strongly recommend that an athletic trainer be on site before, during, and after all practices.
      1. NOTES
        1. Consideration should also be taken for any practices conducted in hot and humid weather in non-air cooled facilities.
        2. Consult the Heat Index Calculator for more information at: https://www.sdhsaa.com/Athletics/HealthSafetyIssues/HeatIndexCalculator.aspx.
        3. Days are calculated inclusive of Sundays/weekends.