Author Topic: Lightning Policy  (Read 993 times)

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Offline ncwingman

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Lightning Policy
« on: September 19, 2021, 04:15:10 PM »
Is there a standardized NCAA policy on lightning delays, such as who makes the decision, how far away, how long the delay must be, etc.?

The football rulebook just says it's in the NCAA Sports Medicine Handbook, and I can't find one of those since 2015. In the 2015 edition, it's very wishy-washy and has suggestions and seems to rely on "venue policy" rather than having actual guidelines and rules to follow. Is that just it, or is there something else with more definitive rules?

Offline refbuz

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Re: Lightning Policy
« Reply #1 on: September 26, 2021, 07:16:30 PM »
I've never been "given" anything concrete, but monitoring for lightning is game management's responsibility.  The home team either has lightning monitoring equipment on site, or they'll subscribe to a service that will give them a notification that there are lightning strikes within a specified radius.  Usually its the head athletic trainer or the game manager themselves who have access to the equipment and make the call to halt play.

Game Management usually holds a pregame meeting with all the key staff members of each team, public safety, officials, tv, etc.  This meeting is commonly called the 105 minute meeting.  During the meeting the site manager will discuss their lightning policy.  Most of the places have similar policies. They'll typically they make an PA announcement when there is a a strike within 12 miles and its a hard stop on a strike within 7 miles.  Unfortunately, not every site holds a 105-minute meeting.  If they don't and there's a potential weather issue, you should make it a point to have a conversation with Game Management about their policy.

Once the game is stopped, it is pretty much the same wait time as a HS game.  30 minutes from the last confirmed strike within the 7-mile radius with each strike resetting the timer.  The FCS national championship had an hour long lightning delay when they played in May.