Re: Minnesota Gophers Season Thread: Kangas Kool-Aid For All!
Like I said, they've only played 21 non-exhibition games out of a 43+ possible games, so we're still in the "first half" of the season.
This is actually a bit superfluous since Kangas will most likely go pro anyway, but at the risk of beating a dead horse here, for clarification sake on the NCAA Medical Hardship Waiver ruling I'd like to add some insight into the discussion. Firstly, there were 20 games played at the time of Kangas' season ending injury announcement.
Secondly, you stated "It says that the season ends with the NCAA championship, so I believe the length of the season is defined by the maximum possible number of games you can play, not the minimum number you are guaranteed to play" which appears to be incorrect according to the 2009-10 NCAA Division Manual.
The intent of the bylaw ruling in using the phrase "concludes with an NCAA championship, or if so designated, during the official NCAA championship playing season" is primarily to delineate between NCAA championship competition and post-season competition in other non-NCAA organizations such as the NAIA. Basically the language is intended to generally describe and define an NCAA season of any sport that has an NCAA championship at its conclusion.
According to Bylaw 17.1.7 General Regulations for Computing Playing Seasons Applicable to All Sports (Revised: 1/10/91 effective 8/1/91):
(b) NCAA or NAIA Championships Participation in Team Sports.
Neither practice for nor participation in any NCAA or NAIA championship event (including play-in contests conducted pursuant to NCAA championships) is considered part of the institutions declared playing season. A member institution that has reason to believe it is under consideration for selection to participate in an NCAA championship event may continue to practice (but may not compete against outside competition) beyond its last regular-season contest, including the conference championship (if any), without counting such practice against the institutions declared playing-season limitation until it is determined by the appropriate committee whether the institution will be selected to participate in the NCAA championship competition. An institution that is not selected to participate in the NCAA championship may continue to practice or compete until the end of that championship only if it has time remaining in its declared playing season;
The specific ruling under discussion is Bylaw 14.2.4(c) Hardship Waiver which also reiterates the above Bylaw 17 ruling on calculating the playing season by stating: "Dates of competition that are exempted (e.g., alumni contests, foreign team in the United States.) from the maximum permissible number of contests or dates of competition shall count toward the number of contests or dates in which the student-athlete has participated and the number of scheduled or completed contests or dates of competition in the season, except for scrimmages and exhibition contests that are specifically identified as such in the sports Bylaw 17 playing and practice season regulations".
14.2.4 Hardship Waiver
(c) In team sports, the injury or illness occurs when the student-athlete has not participated in more than three contests or dates of competition (whichever is applicable to that sport) or 30 percent (whichever number is greater) of the institutions scheduled or completed contests or dates of competition in his or her sport. Only scheduled or completed competition against outside participants during the playing season that concludes with the NCAA championship, or, if so designated, during the official NCAA championship playing season in that sport (e.g., spring baseball, fall soccer), shall be countable under this limitation in calculating both the number of contests or dates of competition in which the student-athlete has participated and the number of scheduled or completed contests or dates of competition during that season in the sport. Dates of competition that are exempted (e.g., alumni contests, foreign team in the United States.) from the maximum permissible number of contests or dates of competition shall count toward the number of contests or dates in which the student-athlete has participated and the number of scheduled or completed contests or dates of competition in the season, except for scrimmages and exhibition contests that are specifically identified as such in the sports Bylaw 17 playing and practice season regulations. Scrimmages and exhibition contests that are not exempted from the maximum permissible number of contests or dates of competition may be excluded from the calculation only if they are identified as such by in the sports Bylaw 17 playing and practice season regulations; and (Revised: 1/10/92, 1/14/97 effective 8/1/97, 4/26/01 effective 8/1/01, 3/10/04, 5/11/05, 8/4/05, 4/26/07, 9/18/07, 4/24/08).
Therefore, in regards to the Gophers playing season, the ruling indicates the playing season consists of only "scheduled" contests which consists of 34 games plus a scheduled WCHA playoff round of 3 games for a total of 34 games.
According to the above ruling, it seems to me Kangas would not be eligible for a medical hardship waiver although he participated in less than 30% of the scheduled contests since his debilitating season ending injury occurred after the first half. If Alex Kangas were to choose to apply for a medical hardship waiver, an official medical report dated during the first half of the playing season would need to be submitted to the NCAA to be eligible for a medical hardship waiver. I am not aware of any announcement in the first half of the season that indicated he had a season ending injury.
The NCAA ruling Bylaw 14.2.4.3.3 Medical Documentation states that "Contemporaneous or other appropriate medical documentation, from a physician (a medical doctor) who administered care at the time of the injury or illness, that establishes the student-athletes inability to compete as a result of that injury or illness shall be submitted with any hardship-waiver request. (Adopted: 4/20/99, Revised: 2/22/01)".
