The Division II Legislation Committee used the first day of its three-day meeting in November to conduct a unique session on work/life balance, convening representatives from each sport’s coaches association to review whether current bylaws provide the balance for student-athletes and coaches that the Division II strategic-positioning platform says they should.

The quickest takeaway from the session was that there are no quick answers, simply because of the challenge to square coaches’ competitive will to win with a reciprocal desire to gain relief from the time demands winning requires.

Participants, though, did submit some good ideas that the Legislation Committee will begin considering as possible proposals for the 2009 or 2010 Convention.

For example, several representatives recommended adding dead periods in recruiting, particularly around the winter holiday season. Others recommended tighter evaluation periods at different times of the year.

University of Pittsburgh, Johnstown, wrestling coach Pat Pecora advanced a National Wrestling Coaches Association idea of making wrestling essentially a one-semester sport, starting competition in early January and ending in mid-April. Practice would begin December 1. Pecora cited interest from Divisions I and II coaches on that concept.

Other ideas included:

• Establishing minimum coaching limits based on the number of student-athletes on the squad.

• Precluding coaches from working with club athletes (though some people say the club connection is one of the few ways assistant coaches in particular can supplement their relatively low salaries).

• Establishing an early signing period (mid-November) in soccer.

• Moving the initial telephone contact in track from June 15 to either August 1 or September 1 (to give coaches more free time in the summer).

• Beginning the Division II volleyball season two weeks earlier and playing the Divisions I, II and III championships at the same site and time in December.

“It is becoming increasingly more difficult to balance not only the expectation for coaches to lead successful teams but also execute their roles in mentoring and assisting students on their path to graduation – not to mention all of the recruiting demands,” said Division II Vice President Mike Racy. “For student-athletes, the ‘I Chose Division II’ theme relies on an environment that allows them to compete at a high level while focusing on academics and being involved with other parts of the college experience. We’d like coaches to have the same balance.”