In January, acting on multiple tips, IHSA executive director Dave Gannaway caught St. Rita and St. Laurence holding “open gym” workouts at Bo Jackson’s Elite Sports Dome in Lockport. It didn’t take long for Zunica’s critics in high school baseball circles to come cackling in my ear.
The workouts violated IHSA bylaw 3.160, which states “schools may open their gymnasiums or facilities for recreational activities to students or other persons who reside in or outside their district.”
That’s their facilities, not off-campus facilities such as the Bo Dome.
“There was a bylaw violation,” Gannaway said. “It was a violation of holding an open gym outside of their own facility.
“I have a feeling if I waited another week the list of teams would have been 12 or 14 we’d be dealing with.”
The open gym violation is a tricky one. Schools can organize open gyms on their own school campuses, as long as they meet the following criteria: They cannot offer coaching or instruction at any time — and Gannaway said neither team did so at the Bo Dome; participation must be voluntary and not required directly or indirectly for membership on the team; and comparable opportunities must be afforded to all participants.
An open gym off campus, however, is a violation — not that the wording of the bylaw is crystal clear. Put a comma after “gymnasiums” and “facilities,” and you may see it the way Zunica read it. Now if teammates want to go to the Bo Dome and work out on their own, they’re free to do so.
“It was an inadvertent violation,” said Zunica, who led the Mustangs to a Class 4A state second-place finish in the spring. “We misinterpreted the rule. We live by the rules. I don’t necessarily agree with them. I think, in the case of this rule, it’s too restrictive.
So what was St. Rita’s and St. Laurence’s punishment?
The IHSA left it up to the respective schools to punish themselves. “We took the educational route,” Zunica said. “We had a meeting with every head coach of all our sports and educated them on the IHSA’s bylaws. It was very productive.”
But enough to satisfy the IHSA?
“We’re not looking to drill anybody,” Gannaway said. “It’s something we couldn’t overlook. But something like this, we always allow the school to deal with it first, and generally they do a good job doing it.”