MOHSRA League Rules

1. EYEWEAR

USA RACQUETBALL APPROVED SHATTERPROOF LENSED EYEGUARDS ARE MANDATORY. (LENSED EYEWARE MANUFACTURED FOR RACQUET SPORTS) CLICK HERE to be directed to the USA Racquetball Rules on Apparel. Rule 2.5 explains eyewear guidelines.

Players will not be allowed on club courts without eyeguards on at all times. Play cannot begin until both players have eye protection. This includes team practices and pre-game warm-ups. (SUNGLASSES ARE ILLEGAL EYEWARE) Illegal eyeguards will result in forfeiture of match. NO EXCEPTIONS. Please note that corrective glasses are NOT necessarily approved eyeguards. As players and coaches, you are constantly representing our MOHSRA League and this rule will be strictly enforced.

2. RULES OF THE GAME

Rules of the game will be played according to the Official USA Racquetball Rule Book. CLICK HERE to be directed to the USA Racquetball Rules Site.

3. TEAM ROSTER

The MOHSRA League will be divided into 5 divisions on the Boys and Girls side. There will be a Varsity League, a JV1 League, a JV2 League, a JV3 League, and a Middle School League.

The team roster will consist of the following players attending classes in grades 9- 12 of the school they represent…

A Boys Varsity team consists of 6 Singles Players and 1 Doubles Team; a total of 8 boys.
A Girls Varsity team consists of 6 Singles Players and 1 Doubles Team; a total of 8 girls.
A Boys JV1 team consists of 4 Singles Players and 1 Doubles Team; a total of 6 boys.
A Girls JV1 team consists of 4 Singles Players and 1 Doubles Team; a total of 6 girls.
A JV2 team consists of 5 Singles Players.

You may enter up to 2 teams into the JV1 or JV2 league, however as a result you will have 2 teams representing your school in the same league and they will likely compete in a match against one another.

For example, Kirkwood Boys may have a Varsity Team, a JV1-A team, a JV2-A team, and a JV2-B team. Hence, Kirkwood would have two Boys teams competing in the same JV2 League. If Kirkwood added a 4th JV squad it would have to be JV1-B.

If you are interested in fielding additional JV players beyond having 2 teams competing at the JV1 and JV2 levels, please consider their placement in the JV3 League.

All Middle School athletes are put into the Middle School League.

****We strongly encourage all teams to enter first year players into the Saturday JV3 League and recruiting players for the Middle School League. It has proven to be a great program for developing new players.

4. ONLINE ROSTER & STUDENT INFORMATION

There will be a boys roster and/or a girls roster for each school. All matches will be forfeited until the roster is submitted online. Roster changes must be made no later than the 5th week of play.

5. STUDENT/PARENT RELEASE FORM

A player may not play in a match unless he/she is listed on the team roster and has his/her student/parental release & emergency contact form signed and returned. He/she will not be allowed on the court without this form being turned into the League Director. This has to be returned to your coach PRIOR to the first scheduled match and must be forwarded to the League Director prior to playing in the first match. It is highly suggested that each player submit to a physical examination dated after the close of the previous school year and prior to participation in league activities. The student/parent release serves as the waiver for all high school tournaments and league matches .

6. PROFESSIONAL PARTICIPATION

Any player competing as a full-time touring professional will be considered ineligible for league participation.

7. TEN MATCH RULE

A player may play on both Varsity and Junior Varsity teams during the same week, however, they cannot exceed a maximum of 10 matches, Varsity and Junior Varsity combined. To further clarify… No player may play in more than 10 league matches total.

8. LEAGUE MATCH FORMAT

A Boys Varsity Team Match will consist of 1 doubles match and 6 singles matches.
A Girls Varsity Team Match will consist of 1 doubles match with 6 singles matches.
A JV1 Team Match will consist of 1 doubles match with 4 singles matches.
A JV2 Team Match will consist of 5 singles matches.
A JV3 & Middle School League (individual competition) session would consist of 1 game against a minimum of 3 different opponents.

9. DOUBLES RULES

No player can play both doubles and singles in the same match
Prior to match coach must determine which players are to play doubles, balance of team players are to be seeded for singles.
Doubles matches cannot be forfeited unless other team's coach agrees it is the most feasible solution. (e.g. forfeiting doubles is simply forfeiting one match and forfeiting two singles matches provides greater scoring benefit for opposing team)

10. GAME SEQUENCE WITHIN A MATCH

Boys & Girls Varsity Games should be played in the following order… The 2, 4, and 6 seeded players, as well as the doubles team are to play the first matches. The 1, 3, and 5 seeded players are to play their matches as the other matches are completed. This allows for adequate refereeing.
JV1 Games should be played in the following order… 1, 3, and Doubles seeds play first. The 2 and 4 seeds will play next.
JV2 Games should be played in the following order… 1, 3, and 5 seeds play first. The 2 and 4 seeds will play next.
Any changes in these sequences is fine, as long as it is agreed to by both coaches.

11. LATE ARRIVALS & MATCH START TIMES

An individual late player will be given 15 minutes to arrive. (This does not apply to late team arrivals due to travel.)
Teams are expected to arrive early to the matches so that they can start on time. Failure to leave school grounds in a timely fashion to arrive at the match is not an excuse. The schedule is posted in advance so that teams can plan accordingly. No team can delay the start of a match for team business (e.g. team photos, meetings, etc.). Coaches will need to schedule that business for practices or after the match. It is important we respect the clubs and opposing teams and make every effort to begin matches on time. Your entire team does not need to be present to start the matches. Coaches from both schools can work together to get the kids who show up first scheduled to play first.

12. MISSING PLAYERS

When a player on a team is missing, the coach has the choice of either a) forfeiting that seed position or b) moving the balance of team up 1 position, keeping team in same sequential positions. Continued forfeit of the same position will be subject to review by the League Director and the League Advisory Committee. No player may compete in more than one match during that day’s play. Any Player may play the games of a missing player to give the opponent a game, but the score does not count in the match. It is considered a friendly match.

13. WHO SERVES FIRST?

A flip of the coin, in the presence of both coaches before the match begins, will determine the first server in the first game. The 2, 4, and 6 seeded players and the doubles team of the winning coach will serve first in the first game of their match. The 1, 3, and 5 seeded players of the other team will serve in the first game of their match.
The first server of the 2nd game is the player that did not serve first in game 1.
The player with the most points in the first 2 games determines the 1st server of the 3rd game (tiebreaker), when necessary.

14. WARM-UP TIME

Warm-up time is limited to 5 minutes from the time the court becomes available.

15. TIME BETWEEN GAMES

There will be a break of no longer than 2 minutes between each game.

16. GAME FORMAT

The winner of 2 out of 3 games played to 15 points, tiebreaker to 11, is the winner of the match.

17. UNSPORTSMANLIKE CONDUCT

Unsportsmanlike conduct will not be tolerated before, during, or after league play. During a match whenever the referee, coach, or club personnel feels that a player has executed or exhibited unsportsmanlike conduct either vocally, i.e. profanity, or by other means during the match the consequence will be:

1st offense: LOSS OF POINT
2nd offense: LOSS OF GAME
3rd offense: LOSS OF MATCH

The proper procedure for the issuance of penalty for the above offenses is as follows…

Stop play
Inform both coaches and player of infraction
Explain infraction and penalty

UNSPORTSMANLIKE CONDUCT BEFORE, DURING OR AFTER A MATCH CAN RESULT IN SUSPENSION.

18. TIME OUTS

Each player may call two time outs of 60 seconds in each game. Coaches may instruct their player to call a time out, however, players must call their own time outs. BOTH PLAYERS MAY LEAVE THE COURT AT THIS TIME. If a player takes more than 60 seconds for a single timeout, the referee may automatically charge any remaining timeouts, as needed, for any extra time taken. Once all time allowed has expired, a delay of game technical foul can be assessed as follows.

1st offense: LOSS OF POINT
2nd offense: LOSS OF GAME
3rd offense: LOSS OF MATCH

***At the JV3 & Middle School level, with the exception of tournament play, timeouts are not called.

19. COACHING RULES

There will be NO coaching by coach, parent or other team members DURING a match. Coaching is allowed only during the time outs and the breaks between games. Applause and encouragement is allowed, but there can be no derogatory comments made toward the opponent. Encouragement and applause should not be too loud and there can be no harassment of players by spectators in the gallery. PLEASE do no harass players or coaches or you will be asked to leave the club.

***EXCEPTION: Only coaches of JV2, JV3, & Middle School Players may coach players between points, only to the extent that it does not result in delay of game.

20. INJURIES

If a player is injured during the course of a match as a result of contact with the ball, racquet, opponent, wall or floor, he shall be granted an injury time-out. An injured player shall not be allowed more than a total of 15 minutes of rest during the match. If the injured player is not able to resume play after a rest of 15 minutes, the match shall be awarded to the opponent. Muscle cramps and pulls, fatigue or other ailments that are not caused by direct contact on the court will not be considered an injury. The consequence will be…

1st offense: LOSS OF POINT
2nd offense: LOSS OF GAME
3rd offense: LOSS OF MATCH

21. DISAGREEMENTS

The team coaches and supervisors are on the honor system to police each other. If there are any disagreements or disputes the match should be continued after it is made aware to both coaches that the match is continuing under protest. Each coach should send a statement, by e-mail, within 7 days, explaining the protest and outlining the situation to dwhitley@vettasports.com. The League Director and the League Advisory Committee will make a ruling or final decision on the matter.

22. TEAM SUPERVISION

All teams must have an adult coach or an adult supervisor, and they must attend all team matches. Failure to do this will result in the forfeiture of the match. Supervisor must arrive prior to the start of a match.

23. JEWELRY

In accordance with MSHSAA guidelines, for safety reasons NO jewelry of any kind is permitted on players during match: Earrings, Watches, Necklaces, etc. PENALTY is as follows…

1st offense: WARNING
2nd offense: POINT LOSS
3rd offense: FORFEITURE OF GAME
4th offense: FORFEITURE OF MATCH

24. DRESS CODE

In accordance with MSHSAA guidelines and host racquetball club policies, plain, tournament or logo shirts, in good condition, with NO alterations, are required. Half shirts, sleeveless shirts, or cut off shirts/shorts are not allowed. Attire must be “school appropriate” (e.g. fit within your school’s dress code) and shirt must, at a minimum, be a full-length short sleeve T-shirt. Pajama like clothing, slippers, short-shorts, short skirts, halter tops, and spaghetti strap tops are inappropriate. Students may not wear clothing which bears obscene or suggestive words or pictures. Items advertising drugs, alcohol, or tobacco products are inappropriate. Clothing that contains holes and tears is considered inappropriate. Bandannas must be worn as a headband only, “DEW RAGS” are not permitted. Pants must be worn appropriately. Undergarments should not be exposed. Any garment worn that is not consistent with this code must be part of a school-approved uniform. The match will not begin until each player is in proper attire.

25. FIFTY PERCENT RULE

To be eligible to play in the Varsity, JV1, JV2, JV3, & Middle School MOHSRA League State Championships, a player must have participated in a minimum of 50% of the scheduled league (participate in 5 league matches).

26. FIRST-YEAR/NEW TEAMS

First-Year Programs not able to field a team on a Varsity level of play may petition the League Director to play a Junior Varsity schedule. Petition MUST be in writing with team roster and submitted to the League Director and the League Advisory Committee for review. If an individual seed posts a winning record during league play of over 60% he/she might be required to play Varsity level playoffs at the same seed position. PLEASE NOTE: This option will only be considered for first year or developing teams and only for one season. A team is not eligible to petition for a Junior Varsity schedule for consecutive seasons. The Ladder League is also a suitable competitive alternative for teams wishing to not play a Varsity schedule
Schools with teams new to the league must also get approval to play a Varsity schedule. It might be determined that the new team is better suited to play a JV schedule. For the purposes of maintaining competitive balance in the league, the League Director and League Advisory Committee may see fit to require a school to play a JV schedule.

27. LEAGUE STATE TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP FORMAT

League/State Team playoff format consists of individual seed brackets. Team points are awarded as its individual players advance. All league players automatically qualify at the seed position played most during the season. The MOHSRA League State Championships is the final event of MOHSRA League. In order to participate in the League State Team Championships, one must participate on a team within the MOHSRA League.

28. TIEBREAKERS

Criteria for player/team ranking and seeding tie-breakers

Total Match Wins
Head to head
- Total Match Wins
- Total games won
Total games won
Total points all games (in first two games versus each opponent. tiebreaker points excluded)

All players considered equal, a coin flip will determine higher seed

Criteria for team tournament result tie-breakers

The team the has their players advance the farthest in the majority of divisions.
- For example, if Kirkwood and Visitation tied in the team point totals for JV2 at State, a tie would be broken in the following way... If Kirkwood had a player go farther than Visitation in 3 out of the 5 JV2 divisions, that would break the tie in favor of Kirkwood.
- For all tournaments that have an even number of divisions, the last division would be excluded for the purposes of breaking the tie. For example, at JV3 State, the tiebreaker would only look at divisions 1-5 to break the tie and division 6 would be excluded.

29. ALL-STATE BALLOT

To be considered for the All-State ballot, player MUST participate in at least 50% of the High School League Matches & Tournaments. This season there are 4 Varsity MOHSRA League Tournaments (Winter Rollout, Top Seed Tournament, Doubles Tournament, and a League State Championship).

30. CANCELLATION OF MATCHES

The League Director MUST be consulted before a match can be cancelled. Any match cancelled without prior consent from the League Director will be defaulted by the team causing the postponement – MUTUAL CONSENT IS NOT ACCEPTABLE. League Director must be involved and informed because those courts could be used to facilitate the make-up of other league matches. ALL CANCELLED MATCHES, as the result of weather or other circumstances, will be rescheduled by the League Director so as to streamline the process and have a single point of contact with all of the participating schools and host clubs.

31. WEATHER POLICY

Step 1: If school is cancelled, so are matches involving that school.
Step 2: Check this website (www.mohsrball.com) and each team coach will receive an email explaining what to do in the event of inclement weather.
Step 3: If a school is requiring that a match be cancelled and Dan has not cancelled it yet, contact Dan Whitley immediately at 314-842-3111 ext 1102. If Dan cannot be reached, contact the opposing coach and notify him/her of the cancellation. Inclement weather is the only instance for matches to be cancelled without the League Director’s consent.
Step 4: Dan will call the host club to notify them that the match will not take place. If Dan cannot be reached, the Head Coach canceling the match must notify the club ASAP.

Due to the possibility of phone or power outages in certain areas, some forms of communication are limited. Please also check www.mohsrball.com or www.vettasports.com for possible information during these times.

32. www.MOHSRBALL.com

This website maintains an online database for the entire league through our r2sports interface. For each scheduled match, it will be the responsibility of the winning team to submit the scores online through r2sports at the conclusion of the match. The process is very simple and does not take long. Dan Whitley will provide information to all of the coaches on how to use the system.

33. MOHSRA STANDARDS FOR COACHING ETHICS

Each coach/parent/volunteer/chaperon/assistant of the team, who is not a high school student, must read the Missouri High School Racquetball Association Standards for Coaching Ethics. It is the responsibility of each Head Coach to make sure that all assistants have read the document. Document can be found here.

34. MOHSRA RACQUETBALL ETIQUETTE CHECKLIST

Each coach must review the Missouri High School Racquetball Association Etiquette Checklist with his/her team prior to the start of the season. It is the responsibility of each Head Coach to make sure that the document is distributed to the kids to give to their parents. We want to prevent as many unnecessary problems as are as possible. Document can be found here.

35. MOHSRA & MSHSAA GUIDELINES

The Missouri High School Racquetball Association (MOHSRA) recognizes Racquetball as a Missouri High School Winter Sport. In our efforts to best parallel Racquetball to MSHSAA sanctioned high school winter sports, the MOHSRA league operates in accordance with the following MSHSAA guidelines. Eligibility to represent a school in interscholastic activities is a privilege students may attain by meeting the essential eligibility requirements established by the Missouri State High School Activities Association (MSHSAA). Eligibility is not a student's right by law.

Bona Fide Student. In order to represent your school, you must be a bona fide student and meet all eligibility requirements. You must be enrolled in and regularly attending classes at the member school. You can only represent the school you attend. Teams participating in the MOHSRA League must have all students representing the same school.

Citizenship. You must be a creditable citizen. Creditable citizens are those students whose conduct - both in school and out of school - will not reflect discredit upon themselves, their school, or the MOHSRA. NOTE: Conduct by the student involving law enforcement should be reported immediately as your conduct may affect eligibility or contest outcomes.

Residence Requirements. A student may be eligible at the public or nonpublic school located in the district in which the student's parents reside. In case of a public multiple-school district, a student may be eligible at the school designated for the student to attend by the board of education.

Transferring Schools. MSHSAA Residence and Transfer Rules mandate that if you transfer schools, you will be ineligible for 365 days. The MOHSRA waives this rule contingent on the requirement that you represent the school you are attending and meet the requirement of being a Bona Fide Student.

Participation Limits. You are only eligible to participate in Grades 9-12. You are eligible to participate in any sport for a maximum of four seasons. Any part of a contest played during a season counts as a season of participation. Your eligibility to participate in high school activities begins when you first enter the ninth grade and lasts for the next eight consecutive semesters (four consecutive years).

Graduated Students. You will be ineligible to participate after graduation from a senior high school. Students who are granted an early release after their junior year are ineligible for further participation. (NOTE: You are eligible to participate in state-level events which extend beyond the date of your school’s graduation at the end of the spring semester of your senior year.)Sportsmanship. If you should commit an unsportsmanlike act while participating in an event, you could become ineligible. If your conduct as a spectator is found to be unsportsmanlike, you could be barred from attending any further high school athletic contests. The unsportsmanlike conduct of any spectator — regardless of age — could cause that spectator to be barred from attending school athletic contests.

Secondary Liability Insurance. All MOHSRA League matches are sanctioned by USA Racquetball. All MOHSRA League players are required to become USA Racquetball members in order for all matches to be sanctioned. As a result, in the event of an accident, secondary accident insurance is provided in addition to any primary coverage that the injured party may already have in place.

Home Schools. Currently Home School Associations, Home Schools, or other non-traditional schools such as on-line schools, virtual schools, etc. are not recognized as affiliate registered schools by MSHSAA and are not allowed to compete with full member schools. MSHSAA is currently reviewing a request by an association of home schools to become an affiliate registered school. Home school associations generally have a standard curriculum and maintain records on student progress, however, students do not attend school at a school building and the association may not track attendance in the same manner as MSHSAA. MSHSAA is considering expanding the definition of affiliate registered schools to contain home school associations. This would allow a home school association to field teams similar to affiliate registered MSHSAA schools. In accordance with MSHSAA guidelines, home school students are not eligible to compete for schools located in the district they live.

Cooperative Team Sponsorship. Same-district schools may together submit a request to the MOHSRA League Advisory Committee for consideration if they need to share a cooperative sponsorship of a racquetball team. Sufficient evidence, such as other club sports teams at participating schools already working in cooperation, must exist to warrant consideration for league approval. Similar to MSHSAA By-Laws, with the approval of the MOHSRA Advisory Committee, students from two member high schools may be combined to cooperatively sponsor a racquetball team provided such is necessary to either have a sufficient number of students to support a program or will result in increased opportunities for students to participate. Both schools must be in agreement on the cooperative sponsorship. The relationship should not be entered into if it negatively impacts the participants from one school in an effort to benefit the other. Mutual benefit must be inherent and tangible.