The PIAA spent a portion of Wednesday's Board of Directors meeting going through some of the implenation procedures of the newly adopted three-day heat acclimatization policy for high school football.
That was due to an appeal from WPIAL's Penn-Trafford High School, which appealed a decision from PIAA executive director Dr. Robert Lombardi regarding when it can begin the three-day heat acclimatization.
Penn-Trafford requested to begin its acclimatization on Saturday, Aug. 10 to be completed on Monday, Aug. 12.
In an exchange of phone calls between Lombardi and Penn-Trafford school officials, Lombardi said that completing the acclimitaztion from Aug. 10-12 would be a violation of PIAA rules.
- The process must be completed in three consecutive days and must begin on either Monday, Aug. 12 or Aug. 7 or 8 of the previous week.
- Beginning the process on Saturday would violate the PIAA six-day practice rule, assuming Penn-Trafford would want to play a scrimmage on Saturday, Aug. 12.
According to the new acclimatization rule, schools have the option of completing three straight days during the previous week or during the first three days of official practice.
The first official practice date for PIAA fall sports is Aug. 12.
Lombardi reiterated that the three-day heat acclimatization is a required activity and counts as a practice.
As a result, Penn-Trafford's proposal would result in seven consecutive days of practice before its first scrimmage.
"If they didn't want to scrimmage on [Saturday, Aug. 17], then they could do what they're proposing and practice Saturday-Thursday," Lombardi said.
"But they would have to take Saturday off and wouldn't be able to scrimmage."
Lombardi expressed some frustration about continually having to explain the process to Penn-Trafford, whose appeal was ultimately denied.
In other PIAA news:
- Lombardi updated the Board of Directors on the new NFHS sports network, a subscription-based digital service that would cover girls' and boys' sports from across the country. Lombardi, who urged the PIAA to sign on with the new venture, said the broadcasting of the state championships would be excluded since the PIAA already has an agreement with Pennsylvania Cable Network (PCN).
- The new NFHS sports network, which is set to debut for the 2013-14 school year, would broadcast PIAA interdistrict games, including the first round through the semifinals of PIAA team sports and the PIAA Wrestling regionals. District championships would also be excluded.