FB: Old Dominion Athletic Conference

[HSCTiger74]

  I was planning to do it again if everyone was OK with that, but will certainly yield the position if there is anyone who's really jonesing for the opportunity. (Anyone? ... Bueller? ... Anyone?).
  As jk suggested it is still a little early, but with only four weeks to go the thought has been rattling around at the back of my mind and I was planning to start checking the schedules in the next few days to start setting things up.
  Let me know what you all think.

[jknezek]

  I was planning to do it again if everyone was OK with that, but will certainly yield the position if there is anyone who's really jonesing for the opportunity. (Anyone? ... Bueller? ... Anyone?).
  As jk suggested it is still a little early, but with only four weeks to go the thought has been rattling around at the back of my mind and I was planning to start checking the schedules in the next few days to start setting things up.
  Let me know what you all think.

I'm all for it and I thank you in advance.

[tigerfanalso]

ODAC Pre Season Coaches Poll

HSC
RMC
GC
W&L
BC
SU
CUA
E&H

So who cares about the coaches poll but I do hope its correct.

[wally_wabash]

Nice little preview here for our game on the 6th, officially dubbed as The Gentlemen's Classic. 

[hasanova]

Nice little preview here for our game on the 6th, officially dubbed as The Gentlemen's Classic.

Should be a great experience for both teams and their fans.

[Scots13]

The name sort of reminds me of a drink my roommate and would have an occasion.. Gentleman Jack, on the rocks of course.

I'll definitely be keeping a close eye on the game. An HSC win would be huge for the ODAC and the rest of the region, too.

[wally_wabash]

This also seems like a good time/place to shill for the Wabash video webcast.  If you're an HSC fan not making the trip or an otherwise impartial but interested observer, Wabash's webcasts are very good.  You can find links all over the place..the D3football.com scoreboard, Wabash's webpage, and I think saw that HSC's website also has the video stream linked. 

[hasanova]

Guilford's football team reports to campus on August 13 ... is this the first practice day allowed in DIII or does it vary a little school by school when players report?  (Yeah, I know the NESCAC only plays 8 and gets a later start).

[wally_wabash]

Guilford's football team reports to campus on August 13 ... is this the first practice day allowed in DIII or does it vary a little school by school when players report?  (Yeah, I know the NESCAC only plays 8 and gets a later start).

It's going to vary by school.  The calculus involved in figuring out when you can start practice is dependent on when your first game is (which is 9/6 for most of us) and when the first day of classes is (which is going to be different for everybody). 

That said, August 13 seems to be a pretty popular start date.  I've seen a handful of fans report that their team (Wabash included) are either reporting on Wednesday or starting practice on Wednesday. 

[wabashsid]

Thanks for the plug for the broadcast, Wally. We are already planning some additional touches for this game (quick five-minute interview with Coach Favret for example taped Friday when the H-SC team arrives). We've enhanced the graphics package a bit, worked out some bugs in the communication system between truck and announcers, and added some audio features along with our normal four-camera shoot. I think people will really enjoy it.

An additional reminder, the game automatically archives on our Livestream site (http://new.livestream.com/wabashcollegelive) within minutes of the end of the broadcast. So whether you are at the game and want to watch a replay when you get home (or back to the hotel after enjoying dinner in Cville or part nearby) or enjoyed it so much you want to watch it again and again and again, you can. We also archive the broadcast on our YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/wabashcollege). If you would like to get a feel for our broadcasts, you can watch any of last year's home games on the football playlist.

[HSCTiger fan]

Guilford's football team reports to campus on August 13 ... is this the first practice day allowed in DIII or does it vary a little school by school when players report?  (Yeah, I know the NESCAC only plays 8 and gets a later start).

Here's a caculator I found online that determines practice start dates for D3 Sports - http://web1.ncaa.org/compliance/exec/startdate

I have no idea to its accuracy.

[D3MAFAN]

Guilford's football team reports to campus on August 13 ... is this the first practice day allowed in DIII or does it vary a little school by school when players report?  (Yeah, I know the NESCAC only plays 8 and gets a later start).

Here's a caculator I found online that determines practice start dates for D3 Sports - http://web1.ncaa.org/compliance/exec/startdate

I have no idea to its accuracy.

Awesome Calculator!

[sigma one]

For all the math majors out there, and just interested parties, here is the practice calculation directly from the NCAA Division III Manual:
          PRACTICE OPPORTUNITIES--FOOTBALL.  In football only, to establish the starting date for pre-season practice, the institution shall count one practice opportunity for each day beginning with the opening day of classes and one practice opportunity for each day classes are not in session in the week of the first scheduled intercollegiate contest.  Next, the institution shall count practice opportunities on an alternating basis in a two-one two-one format (i.e., the first of the remaining days is counted as two, the next day is counted as one, the next two, etc.) up to and including the 20th opportunity.  Finally, the institution shall count one practice opportunity for each of the five days before the day of the 20th opportunity
           And later . . .Sundays before the institutions opening day of classes are included in the counting.  Sundays after the institution's opening day of classes are excluded from the counting.
           And still later . . .Preseason practice shall begin with a five-day acclimatization period for both first-time participants (e.g., freshmen and transfers) and continuing student-athletes. . . .The five-day acclimatization period shall be conducted as follows (a) Institutions may not conduct conditioning, speed, strength or agility tests before the start of the five-day acclimatization period.  (b) During the first day of the five-day acclimatization period, an institution may conduct either:  (1) One on-field practice, not to exceed three hours in length.  The institution may also conduct a one one-hour walk-through session.  No protective equipment (e.g., helmet, shoulder pads) may be  worn, no equipment related to football (e.g., football, blocking sled) may be used and conditioning activities may not occur during the walk-through session.  Student-athletes must be provided with at least three hours of continuous recovery time between any sessions . . .
          And later still . . .During the remainder of the five-day period, participants shall not engage in more than one on-field practice, and one one-hour walk-through session.  No protective equipment . . .may be worn, no equipment related to football . . .may be used and conditioning activities may not occur during the walk-through session.  Student-athletes must be provided with at least three hours of continuous recovery time between any sessions.
     During the first two days of the acclimatization period, helmets shall be the only piece of protective equipment student-athletes may wear during the on-field practice session and conditioning session (as opposed to the walk-through session).  During the third and fourth days of the acclimatization period, helmets and shoulder pads shall be the only pieces of protective equipment student-athletes may wear during the on-field practice session.  During the final on-field practice session of the five-day period and on any day thereafter, student-athletes may practice in full pads.
       Finally. . .Following the five-day period, student athletes may practice in full pads.  However, an institution may not conduct multiple on-field practice sessions (e.g., two-a-days or three-a-days) on consecutive days. . . . Student-athletes shall not engage in more than three hours of on-field practice activities on those days during which one practice is permitted . . .Student-athletes shall not engage in more than five hours of on-field practice activities on those days during which more that one practice is permitted.
        The Manual then goes on to stipulate First Contest [eleven weeks before the first round of the Division III Football Championship], Preseason Joint Practice, Scrimmage or Exhibition [one permitted], etc.

This is a lot of words, but I know everyone figures it out.

[hasanova]

Thanks, sigma one.  Feels a little like the Manual for the Holy Hand Grenade in Monty Python. lol

[jknezek]

I hadn't noticed it before but my jaw dropped a few minutes ago. W&L's four hardest games (projected) all come in a row. Home for Centre, at Guilford, home for HSC, home for RMC. That is going to be one tough stretch. It's possible W&L starts 0-3 in the ODAC this year, but something tells me they will sneak one of those first three games.

I guess it could be worse. This could be a reversed schedule year.