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NJCAA Athletes To Retain Eligibility

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Jamestown Community College athletic director George Sisson sat in his office at the Physical Education Complex on Friday afternoon, and even though a black mask covered his mouth and nose, a visitor could detect plenty of ear-to-ear smiles.

That’s because a day earlier the NJCAA Board of Regents met to discuss NJCAA student-athlete eligibility for the 2020-21 academic year, and following its vote, all 2020-21 NJCAA sport seasons (fall, winter, spring) will not count towards student-athlete eligibility. The eligibility relief is provided to all NJCAA student-athletes regardless of sport season participation in the 2020-21 academic year.

“The Board of Regents feels this decision is best for the success and well-being of our student-athletes and member colleges at this time,” said Dr. Christopher Parker, NJCAA president and chief executive officer in a press release. “There is no right answer to this challenge and situation, but as an association, we are going to support the eligibility of all our student-athletes to help them succeed in their academic and athletic careers.”

The news was music to the ears of Sisson, who likened the last nearly eight months during the COVID-19 pandemic to being “in the middle of the lake and not knowing how I was going to get to shore.”

“This right here,” he said of the NJCAA’s decision, “allows our student-athletes to put their feet on the shore and not have to worry about that next step. … If you have an incoming freshman coming here, they can play the entire season, the postseason and, next fall when they come back to school, they will still be considered a freshman athletically.”

According to the NJCAA release, returning student-athletes will be considered “non-counters” for letter of intent and NJCAA eligibility purposes. The NJCAA Eligibility Committee will continue to review and evaluate the impact of the blanket waiver on eligibility requirements.

“The uncertainty surrounding the pandemic has put collegiate sports in a very challenging situation,” said Troy Tucker, NJCAA Eligibility Committee chairman in a press release. “(Thursday’s) decision by the Board of Regents to grant a blanket year of participation waiver provides our institutions and student-athletes with the ability to choose to participate this academic year without the fear of using a year of eligibility for a potentially shortened or interrupted season.”

Further, the release noted, the eligibility committee will continue to review the participation requirements for the 2021-22 academic year and reassess for adoption and approval by the NJCAA Board of Regents.

“For us, it’s encouraging, because now we don’t have kids that have to gamble on a gap year where they’re just staying home and not doing anything after high school or in the middle of junior college,” Sisson said. ” … We had already determined that in the (NJCAA), we were going to have a complete championship season for all sports in the spring.”

While the NJCAA had earlier decided it was going to have a complete championship season for all sports, beginning in the spring, the number of regular-season games were going to be fewer than usual, leaving athletic directors and coaches with a “lot of angst,” according to Sisson.

“What happens if we start the season, play four or five games, something happens and they shut us down and (we have to say to the student-athletes), ‘Sorry, you lost your year, you’re done.'”

The announcement Thursday eliminates that eligibility concern.

Sisson noted that all of the Jayhawks’ games/meets will be played within Region 3, which means travel is restricted only to New York state. Men’s and women’s basketball, women’s volleyball, wrestling and swimming will start in late January. Baseball, softball and women’s soccer will open April 1. Because of the number of foreign student-athletes on the roster, the men’s soccer season was canceled for 2020.

Sisson said the coaches have been adhering to all the safety protocols as they’ve run their teams through preseason practices.

“Our coaches are busy, but you know it could be worse,” he said. “We could have no sports. … Our No. 1 rule? Let’s make sure we’re doing everything right for our student-athletes.”

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