When the Ivy League implemented a seven-week "rest period" for all student-athletes in 2002, coaches and players alike were unhappy with the rule. But a revision of the rule to allow coaches more flexibility in scheduling the rest period has pacified concerns that it was unnecessary and could put Ivy teams at a disadvantage when competing against teams from other conferences.
The Council of Ivy Group Presidents mandated in the summer of 2002 that coaches schedule seven weeks of "rest" per year, in one-week increments. During "rest periods," student-athletes could not practice with coaches and could not use some athletic facilities. Those restrictions were in place for the 2002-2003 academic year.
"The main thing was to have the students have more time to decide on their own what to do, with the idea perhaps to pursue other extracurriculars or maybe spend more time studying," said Carolyn Campbell-McGovern, senior associate director of the Ivy League.
Opponents of the rule argued that Ivy League teams would be put at a disadvantage when competing with other Division I schools that had no such rest period and already had the advantage of athletic scholarships. They were also unhappy with being told how much rest time they needed by a group that was not directly involved with athletics.
"It was rough to deal with," said women's soccer head coach Phil Pincince. "It ruined the rhythm we were trying to build with our players."
Diane Short, head coach of the volleyball team, said the restrictions were too hard on her players. "The student-athletes wanted to come in and practice, and here they were not allowed to," she said.
At Brown, student-athletes argued that as students who were smart enough to attend an Ivy League institution, they were more than capable of scheduling their own time.
"It was frustrating because it felt like some bureaucracy was telling us how to spend our time," said baseball pitcher Shaun McNamara '06.
A year later, the league acquiesced to the concerns of athletic directors, adopting a proposal from Ivy athletics directors that the league allow coaches to schedule the 49 rest days one at a time.
"The rule is now a lot more flexible and less intrusive for student-athletes to keep up their level of skill, but it still meets the presidents' goal," Campbell-McGovern said.
The rule now allows coaches to give their players off days during the season as well. Teams are required to have one day off per week during the season that does not count toward the 49 days, a restriction that has always been in place. A second off day in a week may be counted toward the 49-day requirement.
According to the Ivy League's compliance Web site, students can receive supervision from conditioning coaches and use weight rooms during rest periods. Two-sport athletes can also participate in their second sport during a rest period, which allows track athletes to compete year-round because cross country, winter track and spring track are considered three different sports. However, weight and conditioning coaches are not allowed to conduct workouts or use sport-specific facilities or equipment.
Still, there remain some on both sides who wish things were different.
"I know for some sports taking a week off can be a pain in the butt, but when you have a week off, it's kind of exciting to be able to just do whatever the heck you want - be it sit in Starbucks or go hang out with friends you haven't seen for a while, or see a speaker on campus," said softball player Courtney Jenkins '07.
Other athletes still are frustrated by being told when to take time off.
"It's important to rest, especially as a pitcher, but I'm not a huge fan because it's some group telling us how to spend our time," McNamara said. "We're in college, we should be able to budget our time ourselves."
Pincince, the women's soccer coach, said he agrees with the principle behind the rest period.
"The idea is to get the Brown degree," Pincince said. "Playing soccer is a big bonus."
