As a student-athlete, there are a lot of rules you have to follow, including NCAA regulations, athletic department codes of conduct, and those made at the coach’s discretion.
They are meant to force student-athletes to stay out of trouble.
Within universities, students hold parties with alcohol and other temptations, creating a breeding ground for irresponsible and potentially illegal behavior.
For the average student, while this behavior can still be detrimental to their academic performance or relationships with others, they are allowed a certain level of privacy.
Student-athletes are not guaranteed the luxury of privacy.
They are the faces of the university that other colleges see and represent Longwood University at all times. They are part of the brand. While all teams wear the logo, some receive more external attention than others.
Along with my position as the sports editor of The Rotunda, I am a member of the Longwood women’s soccer team. This makes me a student-athlete associated with this brand and the opinions that come with it.
In light of recent negative press involving student-athletes and substance abuse, I had a casual conversation with Longwood’s Director of Athletics Troy Austin, a former Duke football player, about his general opinion of ‘dry seasons.’ We mulled over the benefits and negatives of ‘dry seasons’ on student-athletes for a while, just sitting in his office.
A ‘dry season’ is a team-regulated policy that removes alcohol from student-athletes’ lives while in-season. Considering other drugs, like marijuana, are always illegal in Virginia, it is assumed that will not be used in or out of season nor is underage drinking ever permissible.
Austin said he never drank as a student-athlete in college and waited until he was 21, but this was a personal choice. The Duke University football team didn’t have a ‘dry season’ policy or any kind of rules preventing them from drinking the night before a game if they chose to.
“I’m going to be honest with you, some of the guys who drank the night before still played better than me,” Austin recalled with a chuckle.
Currently, Longwood athletics does not have a blanket ‘dry season’ across all teams. However, the department does set a rule in the 2015-2016 Student-Athlete Handbook stating “student-athletes may not consume alcohol 48 hours prior to competition” and leaves room for more team rules on alcohol to be determined by the head coach.
This policy aligns with the American College of Sports Medicine’s recommendation to athletes to “avoid alcohol beyond low-amount social drinking for 48 hours” pre-competition.
While the 48-hour rule does stand, there are not any set consequences listed in the 2015-2016 Student-Athlete Handbook for violating the rule. There are consequences for alcohol-related offenses committed by student-athletes when reported to his/her head coach but not for simply breaking the 48-hour rule.
Therefore, a major question is, who enforces this rule? What motivation do student-athletes have to follow a rule that may not be emphasized to them?
Austin noted all department rules are given at a meeting at the beginning of each school year, and the department athletics handbook is accessible on the website. But is that enough?
It is uncertain what the in-season policies of Longwood teams are, as Longwood athletics declined to share “team-specific policies.”
“Coaches have the discretion to impose rules on their student-athletes beyond those I just mentioned (the drug and alcohol policies of the university and athletics), but we consider those team policies internal to their respective programs,” said Chris Cook, the assistant vice president of athletics communication, in an emailed statement.
The women’s soccer team follows a strict 24/48-hour rule in season; this means that 24 hours before a team practice, there is no drinking allowed and 48 hours before competition, no drinking is allowed.
This rule effectively creates a dry season, very limited times for team members to act foolishly under the influence. The team holds each other accountable, removes parties, where other influences lie, from the equation, and focuses on the sport. The team finished fifth, upper half, in the conference this past season, with a record over .500 in conference and overall.
Maybe a dry season isn’t for everyone.
Austin made the point that sometimes “micromanaging can be counterproductive,” and I agree. With some athletes, going a full season without a drop of alcohol might lead to dangerous binging after the final game.
At the same time, according to the NCAA’s 2013 study of substance use amongst student-athletes, available online, 61 percent of student-athletes reported “imposing team penalties would be fair and appropriate” in terms of drug use. The NCAA estimated that 65 percent of NCAA schools participated in its quadrennial survey, including all divisions.
After our conversation, Austin noted ‘dry season’ as a topic to bring up during the next department meeting, saying it was “certainly something we can look into.”
No one wants to leave a legacy of ending the fun, but this could allow Longwood athletics to advance their reputation through a small measure that could not only improve their image, but also their performance.
*Editor's Note: Halle Parker is the sports editor of The Rotunda, a sophomore on the Longwood women's soccer team and the president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. This editorial reflects her opinion, not that of The Rotunda.
