'A HISTORICAL MOMENT': The CIF-SS eliminated the association rule Thursday, giving coaches more time to work with their athletes. OCVARSITY.COM FILE PHOTO Related links Coaches comment on CIF-SS ruling Fryer examines CIF decisions, other hot topics

CIF-SS drops association rule; playoff proposal withdrawn

High school coaches will now be allowed to spend more time with their athletes.

LONG BEACH The flashier and more emotionally charged proposal stayed on the sideline as expected.

But that still wasn't enough to squeeze all the drama from Thursday's CIF-SS Council meeting.

A seemingly unassuming proposal lower on the agenda produced an upset that will be remembered for years.

In a vote that was quickly dubbed historical, the group of Southern Section principals and athletic directors voted, 41-37, in favor of eliminating the association rule.

In a rare celebratory display, the vote drew a small spattering of applause.

“That was a historical moment,” said John Dahlem, the council's past president.

In an anticipated move, the Century League withdrew its controversial playoff proposal just before it faced a vote.

The league's plan sought to create separate playoff divisions for public and private schools.

In the weeks leading up to the Council meeting, the proposal generated numerous media headlines and stirred debate.

The association rule proposal, meanwhile, generated hardly any discussion before its vote.

The Southern Section has long been a safe-haven for the rule, which limits the amount of time athletes and coaches can spend together outside the season of sport.

The Southern Section is the only section in the state with the rule. The new regulations start July 1.

Among the many implications: high school coaches will now be able to coach their own athletes in club settings.

“I think we'll probably see more high school teams in spring and fall leagues,” Los Alamitos boys basketball coach Russ May said.

Some aren't sure if an increased presence from club sports is better for high school athletics.

“If the club coach is also the high school coach, he is going to say, possibly, ‘You can not play for my school unless you play for my club,' ” Dahlem said. “That's where the principals are really going to have to stand up.”

There also are concerns about athletes becoming too specialized and not playing multiple sports.

“We're not going to do anything differently,” Edison football coach Dave White said. “I feel like we already ask too much of the kids anyway.”

Orange County voted mostly in favor in keeping the association rule.

The proposal came from the Girls Water Polo Advisory Committee, and that origin became part of the theater.

Before the vote, there was clarification that the proposal was seeking to eliminate the association rule for all sports – not just girls water polo.

Shortly after the vote, Garden Grove principal Colleen Cross voiced her concern that the confusion affected the vote. But the campaign for a re-vote generated little support.

Brea Olinda principal Jerry Halpin told the council that his league felt strongly about its playoff proposal but wanted to review legal concerns and analyze more data.

In other action by the council, a Century League proposal to expand playoff entries in sports besides football and wrestling passed, 41-37. A proposal to extend the length of quarters in freshman football from 10 to 12 minutes was approved, 43-34.

Click here to see what some county coaches had to say about the CIF dropping the association rule

Contact the writer: dalbano@ocregister.com, sfryer@ocregister.com