Taking both coaches and players by surprise, obscure CCS rules have put the SCHS girls’ volleyball team on probation.

During the summer, the team had two open gym practices between Aug. 1 and Aug. 14, a time called dead period when teams are prohibited by CCS to hold practices.

“We weren’t told there was a dead period, and the head coach wasn’t there to tell us about the rule,” junior varsity coach Megan Morse-Quevedo said.

Teams are only permitted to practice during the summer from the second week of June until July 31, but practices cannot be made mandatory.

Because the SCHS girls’ volleyball team broke the rules, athletics director Tony McGilvery reported the issue to CCS which took action soon after by placing the team on probation for two years.

CCS commissioner Dwayne Morgan said, “it was a serious violation, and it comes with consequences.”

For every practice the team had over the dead period, they must forfeit two regular practices during the season

“It happened on accident, but it is still the responsibility of the coach to know about the rules and let their players know,” volleyball player Ellie Mujushi said.

CCS has also added other rules that limit practice time for high school athletes. The new eighteen-hour rule limits the practice to eighteen hours per week, and three hours per day. For example, if a sport spends one hour weightlifting before school, they can practice for no longer than two hours in the afternoon.

“It’s a good rule. We have so much work from school and if that rule didn’t apply some coaches might make us stay longer at practice,” tennis player Anureet Gill said.

McGilvery said that these rules are a necessity because of the amount of work students have in and outside of school.

“The intent of these rules is to let kids be kids,” he said.