Before a Wisconsin student can attend a first practice or tryout, the school needs a completed WIAA sports physical form on file. Download the current Preparticipation Physical Evaluation (5th Edition, English or Spanish) from the WIAA Health Forms page at wiaawi.org, or pick one up from your school’s athletic department.1Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association. Health – Forms Physical and Publications The form runs four pages, but only one page actually goes to the school.
What the Four Pages Are For
Pages 1 and 2 are the medical history. The athlete and a parent or guardian fill them out together at home, covering prior injuries, hospitalizations, surgeries, current medications, and allergies. A heart health section asks about fainting during exercise, chest pain, murmurs, and irregular heartbeat, and a separate family heart section asks about sudden deaths before age 35 and genetic conditions like hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, long QT syndrome, and Marfan syndrome.2Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association. WIAA Preparticipation Physical Evaluation Form If you’re not sure about a relative’s diagnosis, mark “yes” and let the provider sort it out at the exam rather than guessing “no.” Any “yes” answer needs a brief written explanation in the space provided. Both the athlete and a parent or guardian sign the bottom of page 2.
Page 3 is the physical examination. The provider completes it in the office, signs the bottom, and prints their name, exam date, and phone number. This page stays in your medical records.
Page 4 is the Medical Eligibility Form, and it’s the only page the school actually sees. It carries the provider’s clearance decision, emergency contacts, allergy and medication notes, and a parent or guardian signature authorizing participation and HIPAA disclosure.2Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association. WIAA Preparticipation Physical Evaluation Form
The Five Clearance Statuses
On page 4 the provider selects one of five outcomes:
- Medically eligible for all sports without restriction.
- Medically eligible for all sports without restriction, with recommendations for follow-up evaluation or treatment.
- Medically eligible for certain sports, with permitted and restricted sports listed.
- Not medically eligible pending further evaluation.
- Not medically eligible for any sports.
If the provider marks “pending further evaluation,” the athlete has to return for whatever testing is recommended and get a new page 4 signed before the school can clear them. A provider can also rescind eligibility later if a new condition develops.2Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association. WIAA Preparticipation Physical Evaluation Form
Who Can Sign the Form
Not every medical professional is authorized. The WIAA requires the signature or signature stamp of a physician (MD or DO), the stamp of the clinic the physician is associated with, or the signature of a Physician Assistant or Advanced Practice Nurse Prescriber.3Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association. 2024-25 WIAA High School Rules at a Glance On page 3, the form also lists NP among authorized signers, and on page 4 physicians may authorize Nurse Practitioners to stamp the card with the physician’s signature or the clinic name.2Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association. WIAA Preparticipation Physical Evaluation Form Chiropractors, athletic trainers, and physical therapists cannot sign the form.
How Long the Physical Stays Valid
The exam date controls how many school years the physical covers. A physical taken on or after April 1 is valid for the following two school years. A physical taken before April 1 covers only the remainder of the current school year and the next school year.3Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association. 2024-25 WIAA High School Rules at a Glance Scheduling the appointment in April or later gets you the longer coverage window.
In the off year, when a new full physical isn’t required, the athlete files the WIAA Alternate Year Athletic Permit Card instead. The parent or guardian confirms the student has had no injury or illness serious enough to warrant a medical evaluation since the last full physical, fills in the student’s name, grade, date of birth, address, insurance, family physician, and family dentist, and signs and dates it. If there’s any doubt about fitness to compete, the card instructs the parent to contact a medical provider before signing rather than just checking the box. The Alternate Year Card must be on file before the athlete practices or participates.4Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association. WIAA Alternate Year Athletic Permit Card
The Concussion and Cardiac Acknowledgment
The physical by itself doesn’t finish the eligibility paperwork. Wisconsin law requires schools to distribute a concussion and head injury information sheet to every athlete and coach before each sports season, and the athlete cannot participate until both the athlete and a parent or guardian sign and return it. If the student already signed a concussion sheet for another WIAA sport earlier the same school year, the school doesn’t have to issue a new one for the next season.5Wisconsin State Legislature. Wisconsin Statutes 118.293 – Concussion and Head Injury
Wisconsin also requires sudden cardiac arrest awareness information, which schools typically combine with the concussion materials into one acknowledgment form.6Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. Concussion and Head Injury Statute 118.293 and Sudden Cardiac Arrest The athletic department provides it. Return it alongside the physical paperwork, because missing it will hold up clearance just as surely as a missing physical.
Submitting the Form
Once the provider signs page 4 and the parent or guardian signs the participation and HIPAA authorization on the same page, deliver it to the school. The WIAA specifies that only the Medical Eligibility Form (page 4) needs to be submitted.1Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association. Health – Forms Physical and Publications Some schools take a physical copy at the athletic director’s office; many Wisconsin districts use digital platforms like RankOne or rSchoolToday, where parents upload a scanned or photographed copy of the signed page 4 to the athlete’s profile.
The athletic department verifies the provider’s signature, the exam date, and the clearance status, then updates the athlete to “cleared” so coaches can let the student practice and compete. Review can take several days during the late-summer rush before fall sports, so submit early. If the provider marked any restrictions or “pending further evaluation,” the department will flag the file and contact the family before granting clearance.
Avoiding Delays
Fill out pages 1 and 2 at home before the appointment. Showing up with a blank history eats into appointment time and raises the odds of a missed question, a callback, and a delayed signature. If the family cardiac history is complicated, gather what you can from relatives first, because that section is the one most likely to need a follow-up conversation.
Book the exam on or after April 1 to lock in the full two-year window. Many clinics and urgent care centers offer sports physicals at reduced rates in spring and summer, and scheduling early avoids the August scramble. Check your insurance plan too: many cover an annual well-child visit that can double as a sports physical at no extra cost, while standalone sports physicals billed separately may not be covered the same way.
Keep your own copy of all four pages even though the school only receives page 4. If the family moves districts or the school misplaces the file, a copy at home spares you another clinic visit. Mark the exam date on a calendar so you know whether next year calls for a full physical or just the Alternate Year Card.