APPLICATION PROCESS AND PAIRINGS

Individual Sports Guides

1. For tournament consideration, a team must apply for the tournament. Teams wishing to withdraw their application must notify the VPA Office, by fax, with the Principals signature, no later than 10:00 A.M. the day before the pairings. The Principals decision is final.

2. To apply for the VPA tournament a school must file a completed application - no phone scores accepted - as soon as your season is complete and no later than 10:00 A.M. the day prior to pairings. See dates below.

3. Teams will be seeded on a point index. The top 16 teams per division will be eligible for the tournament.

Only games at the varsity level with members of our Association or games with out-of-state schools that are members of their comparable state athletic association, will count in determining the point index.

Games listed and no disposition noted in the VPA office will be considered a loss. IN PREPARING THE APPLICATION, THE ENTIRE SEASON’S VARSITY SCHEDULE MUST BE LISTED.

The point Index can be found as follows:

The points will be totaled and the total divided by the number of games played to find the point index. All teams will be paired in the order of their index.

The Activities Standards Committee has approved the following procedure for breaking ties:

A. The team with the best record against the other team[s], ie. head to head competition
B. The team with the best record against common opponents
C. The team with the best won - lost percentage
D. Strength of schedule based upon the judgment of the Committee.
E. Coin flip

4. The first round playoffs could be on the day immediately following the pairings.

TOURNAMENT DETAILS

1. Officials for the finals will be chosen by the Executive Director, and his/her designee, of the VPA. A $5.00 premium will be paid to officials who work a State Final Game.
2. The date and times for tournament games will be assigned by the Vermont Principals' Association.
3. Each school in tournament play will be issued up to seven complimentary admissions. These seven names will be listed on a school letterhead, signed by the Principal, and presented at the gate.
4. At the playoffs and quarter-finals, the higher seeded team will furnish the timekeeper and scorekeeper. The site of the games through the quarter-finals will be played at the school of the higher seeded team.
5. At all semi-finals and finals in the tournament, an official of the school who is a member of the Vermont Principals' Association will be in attendance. This school official should be someone other than the coach. The Principal or designated representative of the host school shall make every effort to attend games. It is recommended there be at least one police officer at these games.
6. At the state finals, winner(s) and runner-up plaques will be awarded. Members of the two finalist teams will receive an individual medal. Teams desiring more medals than are awarded may purchase them from the VPA at $7.50 per medal.

VPA TOURNAMENT GUIDELINES

The following VPA sponsored tournament guidelines have been developed to help local site administrators in hosting a VPA tournament activity:
* No games may be played prior to the scheduled dates.
* Officials will be assigned and paid through the VPA office and/or assignor.
* The host school (usually the higher seeded team) shall be responsible for the following:
(a) proper site preparation
(b) ADMISSION PRICES:
(1) $3.00 students and $6.00 adults for all finals and for semi-finals in basketball, ice hockey and gymnastics. All reserved seats are $7.00.
(2) $3.00 student and $4.00 adult for all play ins, play downs and quarterfinals in basketball and hockey.
(3) host schools may charge an admissions fee for other tournament events (not listed above) provided that the other school(s) receive advance notification.
(d) provide new balls/pucks through the VPA administered basketball and ice hockey semi-finals. The VPA will provide balls Rawlings and NFHS pucks for the championship games.
(e) shall provide a qualified adult scorer through the semi-finals (through the quarter-finals in basketball and ice hockey)
(f) responsible for crowd control:
(1) An administrator, or person designated by him/her, from the host school will be present to supervise the game, through the playoffs. This person should identify himself/herself to the officials.
(2) If the site of the higher seeded team is not suitable for state tournament play, in the event of no neutral site, the lower seeded team's site shall be used, as specifically stated in the sport's guide.
(g) provide adequate medical/first aid services.

(h) Please call game results to the media:
Burlington Free Press 1-800-698-2255 (Sports)
1-800-427-3124 (General)
Rutland Herald 802-775-5511
Caledonian-Record 1-800-523-6397
WSYB 1-877-241-5960
1-802-775-5597 to leave message at Box 253
WCAX 1-888-202-4870
WVNY 1-802-860-2222
Times-Argus 1-800-649-0285
WSNO 1-802-476-4168, ext. 228

VPA REGULATIONS AND BY LAWS [REGULAR AND TOURNAMENT SEASON

MOUTHGUARDS

* For the 2007-2008 season, mouth guards will be mandatory for participation in soccer, field hockey, basketball, football, wrestling, lacrosse, and ice hockey. This policy was passed to be effective with the Fall of 2002.

EJECTION OF PLAYER[S] AND COACH[ES]

A player or coach who is ejected from a game for the following infractions which are behavioral in nature shall be suspended from playing or coaching the next two contests : [ one contest for football, skiing, and gymnastics]

a. Unsportsmanlike conduct
b. Malicious contact, includes fighting
c. Taunting

The player[s] or coach[es] may not participate at any other school level in the sport they were ejected from during the suspension.

All other non-behavioral ejections shall carry the penalty assessed by the rules which govern that sport.
Players or coaches ejected for a second time will be suspended for the remainder of the season.

Note: Any team that receives three major ejections of coaches or athletes (2 games) will be required to meet with the Activities Standards Committee before entering or continuing in the tournament.

A full explanation of these rules is found in Section I,General Rules [L] of the VPA Bylaws.

Reporting of Game Disqualifications

The following process shall be used in reporting a game disqualification(s) by game officials:
* The official shall notify a player(s) or coach(es) that he/she has been disqualified from the contest.

* The official shall notify the commissioner/assigner that a player(s) or coach(es) was disqualified from a contest for behavioral reasons.

* The commissioner/assigner shall notify the principal or athletic director and the VPA Office within a twenty four (24) hour period as to the length of the disqualification of that player(s) or coach(es).

* In the case of out-of-state and/or sub-varsity competition a school is obligated to report as provided in reporting of game disqualifications.

VPA Member School Game Disqualification Reporting Process

The member school shall be responsible for confirming the game disqualification with the VPA within forty eight (48) hours with either a verbal or written report (either method being acceptable).

DAY OF REST FOR ATHLETES

Each student athlete must be provided one day of rest per calendar week.

RAFFLES

50/50 raffles will be allowed at any Vermont Principals’ Association finals (championships) and the semi-final contests in football, ice-hockey and basketball; plus divisional qualifiers in wrestling and track/field, when these events are held at school sites.

POLICY ON ASSAULTIVE BEHAVIOR TOWARD AN OFFICIAL

This standard applies to all regular season and tournament play, including before and after the contest:

a. Coach:

A coach who strikes, shoves, kicks or makes other aggressive physical contact with another person (e.g. official, another coach, player, fan) shall be expelled immediately and banned from further participation or coaching in all sports for one year from the date of the offense.

Before reinstatement, the coach and his/her principal shall meet with the Activities Standards Committee.

b. Player:

Any member of the squad who strikes, shoves, kicks or makes other aggressive physical contact with an official shall be expelled from the game immediately and banned from further participation in all sports for one year from the date of the offense.

NOTE: Member of the squad includes player, manager, score keepers, timers, and/or statisticians.