The Divisions I, II and III Management Council Administrative Review Subcommittees (ARS) approved a blanket waiver involving outside competitions and the sports of men's and women's water polo for the Speedo Top 40 and Premier League. Here's the text of the action:
NCAA Bylaws 14.7.1 (outside competition -- sports other than basketball) and 14.7.3.1 (exceptions to outside competition regulations -- in all sports). January 30, 2007. The NCAA Division I Management Council Administrative Review Subcommittee (ARS) approved a blanket waiver for the 2007 spring term and 2007-08 academic year to permit Division I student-athletes who participate in the sport of water polo to participate in the Speedo Top 40 and Premier League. Speedo Top 40 and the Premier League occur during the academic year and have been determined by the NCAA Legislative Review/Interpretations Committee (LRlC) to not meet the outside competition exception related to national team tryouts and participation (Bylaw 14.7.3.1), since these events do not result in a student-athlete being directly selected to a national team. However, these events are one of the ways in which a student-athlete may be designated for further review and invited to USA Water Polo training programs and selection camps. Although the Speedo Top 40 and Premier League events occur during the academic year, they do not cause student-athlete participants to miss class as they are held over weekends. Specifically, the Speedo Top 40 is held annually the first weekend in November and the Premier League runs on several weekends during; the months of February, March and April. USA Water Polo is in the process of evaluating national team selection systems currently used by other national governing bodies in an effort to develop a permissible model that does not jeopardize student-athletes' college eligibility. Further, USA Water Polo will work together with the NCAA Olympic Sports Liaison Committee to either make changes within USA Water Polo's events structure or propose a legislative change. Lastly, the subcommittee strongly encourages institutions to work with their student-athletes to make arrangements to miss minimal to no class time in order to participate in these events. Please note that this waiver does not apply to institutional coaching activities.