As high school football season begins Friday night, will new rules for practice camp pay off?

Decorah Viking head football coach Bill Post talking with players before one of last year's games

(Note: This story is based on an interview of Decorah head football coach Bill Post done by KDEC's Darin Svenson.  We appreciate Darin's help.)

The high school football season will kick off Friday night, as Decorah hosts North Fayette/Valley at 7:30 p.m. at Viking Stadium.
 
The Vikings head into the game having completed pre-season football practices under a new set of rules by the Iowa High School Athletic Association.  The rules were drawn up based on the recommendations of the medical community, discussed last December, then approved in March by the ISHAA.
 
The new regulations state that football teams cannot hold more than one practice per day—and that a practice cannot exceed three hours in length.  Warm-up, stretching, strength training. cool down and other activities related to the practice (but not optional weight training) are considered part of a practice and subject to the time limit.  The new rules also stated the first two Sundays of football camp shall be days of complete rest, with no stretching, conditioning, drills or any other types of practices.
 
IHSAA administrator of football Todd Tharp stated, "The health and safety of athletes is always everyone's number one priority.  These new measures apply equally to all schools."
 
Decorah Viking head football coach Bill Post says "We're pretty safe" In meeting the new rules.  "The whole thing is a safety factor," he told Darin Svenson, adding, "You don't want to get your guys hurt."  Post says the new IHSAA rules outline five different categories of contact—and his program has been very careful to make sure they held the right type of practice.  "We're fine with what we're doing," he says.
 
The Iowa High School Athletic Association has also been taking steps to define illegal helmet contact and to address protocols for dealing with possible concussions and other head injuries.
 
(decorahsports.com will have complete coverage of Friday night's Decorah football game, including photos)