Entries for August 2009

28

Thanks to problems in professional sports, steroids stay in our sports news headlines.  And sometimes the problems of the pros become confused with the problems of schools.

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Posted in: Health & Safety
25

As high school football programs kick off their 2009 seasons this week, some schools are also looking to 2010 when the MHSAA may add an eight-player division to its Football Playoffs for those Class D schools which are struggling to start or maintain 11-player programs.

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Posted in: Football
21

Some high school sports remain for many years under the radar of the public’s passion, unless you participate or are the parent of a participant.  Then some event or series of events has everyone talking.  That’s how it is with high school swimming and diving.

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Posted in: Swimming & Diving
18

In any successful enterprise, some time will be devoted to trying to learn what the customer wants.  In school sports, there are many diverse customers, but none more important than the student-athlete. 

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Posted in: Sports - General
14

One of the certainties of these uncertain economic times is that more people register to officiate school sports in bad times than in good.

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Posted in: Officials
11

For the first time in history, all MHSAA tournament sports – including football, which started practice yesterday and the rest of the fall sports which can begin practice tomorrow – have a minimum number of days of team practice before the first interscholastic contest.

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Posted in: Sports - General
07
We all read news accounts of economic plight and watch the stock market on a daily basis with one hand over our eyes and the other with fingers crossed, many times feeling helpless against the current tide.

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Posted in: Finance
03

For more than 23 years we’ve been taking some space in MHSAA publications and some time in the busy days of readers for editorials to which I affix my name. These editorials are intended as much to provoke thinking as to report fact. 

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Posted in: Technology

About the Author

Jack Roberts

Jack Roberts has been at the helm of the MHSAA as its Executive Director since 1986, implementing programs and overseeing tournament administration and regulations for the Association which boasts 1,600 member schools, 13,000 registered officials and 13,000 head coaches.

During the last 38 years, Roberts has spoken to educator and athletic groups, business leaders and civic groups in more than 40 states and five Canadian provinces as one of the nation's most articulate advocates for school sports.

Roberts has served on several national association boards and is board president for the Refugee Development Center, and chairs the board of directors of the Michigan Society of Association Executives.

He is a 1970 graduate of Dartmouth College, where he was a three-year starter for the Ivy League's winningest football team during that span.

His wife, Peggy, recently retired from her post as coordinator of the Power of We Consortium. They are passionate world travelers and have two grown sons: John, who is employed by the District of Columbia Public Schools; and Luke, who - with his wife, Alison - are teaching in China.