MOHSRA & MSHSAA GUIDELINES

The Missouri High School Racquetball Association (MOHSRA) recognizes Racquetball as a Missouri High School Winter Sport.  In our efforts to best parallel Racquetball to MSHSAA sanctioned high school winter sports, the MOHSRA league operates in accordance with the following MSHSAA guidelines.  Eligibility to represent a school in interscholastic activities is a privilege students may attain by meeting the essential eligibility requirements established by the Missouri State High School Activities Association (MSHSAA).  Eligibility is not a student's right by law. 

Bona Fide Student.   In order to represent your school, you must be a bona fide student and meet all eligibility requirements.  You must be enrolled in and regularly attending classes at the member school.  You can only represent the school you attend.  Teams participating in the MOHSRA League must have all students representing the same school.  

Citizenship.  You must be a creditable citizen.  Creditable citizens are those students whose conduct - both in school and out of school - will not reflect discredit upon themselves, their school, or the MOHSRA.  NOTE: Conduct by the student involving law enforcement should be reported immediately as your conduct may affect eligibility or contest outcomes. 

Residence Requirements.  A student may be eligible at the public or nonpublic school located in the district in which the student's parents reside. In case of a public multiple-school district, a student may be eligible at the school designated for the student to attend by the board of education.  

Transferring Schools.  MSHSAA Residence and Transfer Rules mandate that if you transfer schools, you will be ineligible for 365 days.  The MOHSRA waives this rule contingent on the requirement that you represent the school you are attending and meet the requirement of being a Bona Fide Student.  

Participation Limits.  You are only eligible to participate in Grades 9-12.  You are eligible to participate in any sport for a maximum of four seasons. Any part of a contest played during a season counts as a season of participation.  Your eligibility to participate in high school activities begins when you first enter the ninth grade and lasts for the next eight consecutive semesters (four consecutive years).

Graduated Students.  You will be ineligible to participate after graduation from a senior high school. Students who are granted an early release after their junior year are ineligible for further participation. (NOTE: You are eligible to participate in state-level events which extend beyond the date of your school’s graduation at the end of the spring semester of your senior year.)Sportsmanship.  If you should commit an unsportsmanlike act while participating in an event, you could become ineligible.  If your conduct as a spectator is found to be unsportsmanlike, you could be barred from attending any further high school athletic contests.  The unsportsmanlike conduct of any spectator — regardless of age — could cause that spectator to be barred from attending school athletic contests.

Secondary Liability Insurance.  All MOHSRA League matches are sanctioned by USA Racquetball.  All MOHSRA League players are required to become USA Racquetball members in order for all matches to be sanctioned.  As a result, in the event of an accident, secondary accident insurance is provided in addition to any primary coverage that the injured party may already have in place.  

Home Schools.  Currently Home School Associations, Home Schools, or other non-traditional schools such as on-line schools, virtual schools, etc. are not recognized as affiliate registered schools by MSHSAA and are not allowed to compete with full member schools. MSHSAA is currently reviewing a request by an association of home schools to become an affiliate registered school.  Home school associations generally have a standard curriculum and maintain records on student progress, however, students do not attend school at a school building and the association may not track attendance in the same manner as MSHSAA.  MSHSAA is considering expanding the definition of affiliate registered schools to contain home school associations.  This would allow a home school association to field teams similar to affiliate registered MSHSAA schools.  In accordance with MSHSAA guidelines, home school students are not eligible to compete for schools located in the district they live.

Cooperative Team Sponsorship.  Same-district schools may together submit a request to the MOHSRA League Advisory Committee for consideration if they need to share a cooperative sponsorship of a racquetball team.  Sufficient evidence, such as other club sports teams at participating schools already working in cooperation, must exist to warrant consideration for league approval.