As fireworks light up the skies for Independence Day celebrations, student- athletes and coaches across Oklahoma are also observing a pause of their own: the OSSAA Summer Dead Period.
The Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association (OSSAA) mandates a “dead period” each summer to give athletes, coaches and school personnel a well-deserved break from organized sports. The policy, designed to encourage rest, family time and independence from athletics, spans nine days and always includes the week of the 4th of July.
This year’s dead period began the weekend before July 4 and will conclude after the weekend following the holiday, creating a window when all school-sponsored athletic activity comes to a halt.
According to the OSSAA policy, “Secondary-level students enrolled or pre-enrolled at a member school may not use any member school’s athletic facilities during the dead period in connection with any athletic activity governed by the OSSAA.”
This restriction applies to all OSSAA- sanctioned sports – from foot- ball and softball to cross country and basketball – and is strictly enforced across all Oklahoma secondary schools.
The rule also prohibits any contact between coaches or sponsors and their student-athletes during this timeframe. That includes direct coaching, training sessions, skill development or even informal athletic instruction. Additionally, the policy extends beyond just coaches and assistant coaches. Any school personnel – regardless of their official title – are barred from interacting with athletes for athletic purposes.
The dead period provides not only physical rest but also an opportunity for mental recovery and family bonding, areas often overlooked in the grind of year-round athletic development.
For school athletic departments, it also helps level the playing field across programs by ensuring that no team gains an advantage during this enforced pause.
While some student-athletes may independently pursue personal workouts or attend non-school related camps, they must do so outside of school property and without any contact from school staff connected to athletic programs.
The OSSAA instituted the summer dead period as part of its broader mission to support student well-being and ensure compliance with fairness standards across the state. It remains a consistent, annually anticipated break in the otherwise competitive high school sports calendar.
As the dead period concludes, schools and coaches are expected to resume regular summer activities, including team practices, conditioning programs and scrimmages – all leading up to the much-anticipated fall sports season.
Until then, the quiet fields and empty gyms across Oklahoma serve as a reminder that sometimes, taking a break is just as important as pushing forward. — OSSAA Summertime Dead Period Policy The dead period will occur during the week in July that includes the 4th of July each year. The dead period will be nine (9) days in length and begin the weekend preceding the 4th of July and the weekend following the 4th of July. Secondary-level students enrolled or pre-enrolled at a member school may not use any member school’s athletic facilities during the dead period in connection with any athletic activity governed by the OSSAA. Member school coaches, assistant coaches and sponsors may not have any contact with secondary level enrolled or pre-enrolled students in that member school in any athletic activity governed by the OSSAA for the purpose of coaching, training or instructing. This also includes school personnel not designated as a coach or sponsor.
