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The Summer Dead Period is intended to provide at least seven consecutive days when school coaches will have no contact with students in grades 7-12 of the school district in any manner related to any sport sponsored by that school.

Unplanned, casual, normal community contact is permitted.

The Summer Dead Period applies to all levels of MHSAA member schools; coaches and students in grades 7-12.

It is intended that no sport-related involvement, including attendance at school sport-related fundraisers and functions, take place during the Summer Dead Period.

It is intended that no sport activities occur on school premises during the Summer Dead Period that involve school coaches or are sponsored by the school or supported by the school.

Because school personnel are prohibited from holding such activities, it is intended that no school facilities be planned for use by non school groups or individuals for athletic purposes (including student-led practices or conditioning) during the Summer Dead Period.

While this rule has good intentions, especially in the Detroit area where there are so many clubs and extra teams that players seem to play year round. However there are some fundamental flaws that have been exposed in the first few years of this rules existence.

The biggest flaw in this rule is that there is no way to police it. Schools are expected to enforce the rule and their coaches are expected to honor it. The problem with this is that if all the coached were honoring time off for their kids there would be no need for the rule in the first place.

Not to mention, if a coach wants to defeat this rule there really isn't anything stopping him from holding a practice at a off site field.

The next problem is that most schools use the Fourth of July holiday as their off week. The problem with this is that IT SHOULD BE! The fact that a rule has to be made to regulate common sense is both sad and disturbing.

Which brings about the second dead period, the preseason one. With fall sports starting earlier each year, it is crucial to be able to meet with your athletes in August. Especially for coaches with young inexperienced teams, it can take a while for their team to gel.

So while there are some bonuses to this rule (coach actually gets to take a week vacation, avoiding burnout for the coach and the players) overall I believe the no contact rule is flawed and needs some reworking.