New transfer proposal would reduce sitout time

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There’s a new proposal from the CIF being sent out to the 10 sections throughout California for consideration that would revise transfer rules, and most notably, reduce the amount of time an athlete would be required to sit out at the varsity level after transferrring without moving.

Under the proposal, if a student switches school without moving and doesn’t qualify for a hardship waiver, he or should will have a ‘Sit Out Period’ for any sport that they have played in the previous 12 months. The dates they would become eligible would be Oct. 1, 2012 for the fall, Dec. 31, 2013 for the winter and April 1, 2013 for the spring.

In other words, instead of being ineligible for one year, they’d be sidelined a little more than one month. It still would be illegal to transfer for athletic reasons and you still can’t follow a fomer coach or club coach to another school.

This revision would drastically reduce the number of hardship appeals. The only appeals allowed would be for a finding by the section commissioner that the student was in violation of following a coach or undue influence.

Students could gain immediate eligibility by demonstrating a hardship in following areas: Court ordered transfer; children of divorced parents; safety incident; return to previous school; foster child; military service; married status; board of education ruling.

Let the debate begin.

-- Eric Sondheimer