BULLETIN
February 1999 Volume LXXV Number 5

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EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING
Traverse City, December 2, 1998

Members Present:
Robert Grimes, Battle Creek
Dennis Kniola, Stevensville
Tom Rashid, Detroit
Dan Flynn, Escanaba
Norm Johnson, Bangor

Staff Member Present:
Jerry Cvengros, East Lansing
Jack Roberts, East Lansing (Recorder)

Executive Committee Authority and Responsibility - The Executive Committee was reminded of its authority under Article VII of the MHSAA Constitution and specifically its responsibility to consider each application for waiver of an eligibility requirement on its individual merits, determining if the regulation serves the purpose for which it was intended in each case or if the regulation works an undue hardship on any student who is the subject of a request for waiver. (These underlying criteria may not be restated for every subject of this agenda.)

The Executive Committee was reminded that it was the responsibility of each member school involved to provide sufficient factual information about the specific request for the Executive Committee to reach a decision without further investigation. If information is incomplete, contradictory or otherwise unclear or has been received too late to be studied completely, the Executive Committee may deny the request for waiver or delay action. Such requests may be resubmitted to the Executive Committee with additional information at a subsequent meeting or appealed to the full Representative Council.

A determination of undue hardship is a matter addressed to the discretion of the Executive Committee within the educational philosophy and the place of voluntary extracurricular competitive athletics in the academic environment. The Executive Committee was cautioned to avoid making exceptions that would create precedent that effectively changes a rule without Representative Council action or local board of education adoption, which would exceed Executive Committee authority.

Students for whom waiver of a particular regulation is granted must be eligible in all respects under all other sections and interpretations of the regulations prior to participation.

Consistent with rulings of the Attorney General, schools are not bound by the decisions of the Executive Committee, but the Association may limit participation in the postseason tournaments it sponsors to those schools which apply rules and penalties as promulgated by the MHSAA and adopted by each member school's board of education.

Corunna and Owosso High schools (Regulation I, Section 1[F]) - The Executive Committee waived the application deadline and authorized the executive director to approve the application for a cooperative program in boys swimming and diving when it is completed in all respects.

Lake Linden-Hubbell and Dollar Bay High Schools (Regulation I, Section 1[E]) - The Executive Committee approved the addition of football to the cooperative agreement that exists between these schools in ice hockey. Lake Linden-Hubbell has sponsored the sport previously and will be the primary school. The combined enrollment will be 279, making this program Class C by 1998-99 classification.

Mesick and Buckley High Schools (Regulation I, Section 1[E]) - The Executive Committee approved a cooperative program in boys and girls track and field between these schools. Both schools sponsored the sport last year. Mesick will be the primary school. The combined enrollment will be 382 and the result would be the loss of one Class D program.

Bloomingdale High School (Regulation I, Sections 4 & 5) - Request was made to waive the maximum semesters regulation for a student who intended to have his fourth first semester and his seventh semester overall occur in the fall of 1997. He competed in one preseason football scrimmage before being withdrawn from school Sept. 25, 1997. He did not return to school during the 1997-98 school year. On the basis of the information provided at its Nov. 17, 1998, meeting, the Executive Committee denied the request for waiver. The matter was resubmitted with additional information.
Because the student participated in only a few plays of the scrimmage before incurring an injury, never attended class beyond the fourth Friday after Labor Day, and was prohibited by his father from attending school during the remainder of the 1997-98 school year, the Executive Committee granted the request for waiver allowing the student to participate in interscholastic athletics during the remainder of the 1998-99 school year.

Athens High School (Regulation I, Section 9) - Request to waive the transfer regulation was made on behalf of two students- an 11th-grade male and an 10th-grade female-who had attended Athens Schools for many years. They both enrolled at Howell High School for the start of the 1998-99 school year, both living at the residence of the parents of the 10th-grade female student. They returned to Athens in October, each living in the grandparents' residence he/she had left. Neither participated in athletics at Howell. At its Nov. 17, 1998, meeting, the Executive Committee denied the request for immediate unrestricted eligibility for either student. The matter of the 11th-grade male was resubmitted for the Executive Committee's consideration on the basis that he was returning after a brief time away to the same school and to the same people who had served in lieu of his parents since 1994.
The Executive Committee granted the request for waiver effective with the 91st school day since the student's re-enrollment at Athens High School.

Detroit-Holy Redeemer High School (Regulation I, Section 9[B]) - Request was made to waive the transfer regulation to permit eligibility at the sub-varsity level for a 10th-grade student who attended Holy Redeemer for the first semester of the 1997-98 school year, transferred to Southfield High School for the second semester because of finances, and re-enrolled at Holy Redeemer Aug. 18, 1998. He has played no high school sports.
Pursuant to the requirements of Section 9(B), the Executive Committee denied the request for waiver.

Goodrich High School (Regulation I, Section 9) - Request to waive the transfer regulation was made on behalf of a 12th-grade student who attended Pontiac Central High School during 1997-98. He turns 18 on Dec. 21, 1998. The student is unable to live with either his mother or his father, who were never married. He lived in a variety of places from March until August 1998, the most recent being with a family friend who was evicted from her one-bedroom apartment. He is living now with a family whom he met through Providence, an inner-city outreach for at-risk youth.
The Executive Committee granted the request for waiver.

Holly High School (Regulation I, Section 9) - Request to waive the transfer regulation was made on behalf of an 11th-grade student who attended West Highland Christian Academy for more than five years and who has changed schools because of a disagreement between that school board and his family about his education.
The Executive Committee denied the request for waiver.

Kalamazoo Christian High School (Regulation I, Section 9[B]) - Request to waive the transfer regulation to permit eligibility at the sub-varsity level during the first semester of the current school year was made on behalf of a 10th-grade student who attended Kalamazoo Central High School during 1997-98 where he did not participate in interscholastic athletics.
The Executive Committee granted the request for waiver for eligibility only at the sub-varsity level during the first semester of the 1998-99 school year.

New Lothrop High School (Regulation I, Section 9[B]) - Request was made to waive the transfer regulation to permit eligibility at the sub-varsity level on behalf of a 10th-grade student who enrolled at New Lothrop High School at the start of the current school year. She attended 9th grade at Corunna High School where she did not participate in school sports.
The Executive Committee granted the request for waiver for eligibility only at the sub-varsity level during the first semester of the 1998-99 school year.

Pellston High School (Regulation I, Section 9[B]) - Request to waive the transfer regulation to permit eligibility at the sub-varsity level during the 1998-99 school year was made on behalf of a 10th-grade student who previously attended East Jordan High School where he has not played school sports. The student was court-placed in the Petoskey School District but elected to attend Pellston, where he enrolled Nov. 10, 1998.
The Executive Committee granted the request for waiver for eligibility only at the sub-varsity level during the first semester of the 1998-99 school year.

Pellston High School (Regulation I, Section 9[C]) - Request to waive the transfer regulation to permit eligibility after 90 school days of enrollment at Pellston High School was made on behalf of a 12th-grade student who re-enrolled in October, after attending Mackinaw City High School. She attended Pellston schools from kindergarten through 11th grade.
The Executive Committee granted the request for waiver effective with the 91st school day since the student's re-enrollment at Pellston High School.

Pontiac Northern High School (Regulation I, Section 9) - Request to waive the transfer regulation was made on behalf of an 11th-grade student who attended Pontiac Northern during 1997-98 and attended Rochester High School from the start of the current school year until he returned to Northern on Oct. 7. He has continued to reside in the Northern school district.
The Executive Committee granted the request for waiver effective with the 91st school day since the student's re-enrollment at Pontiac Northern High School.

Pontiac-Northern High School (Regulation I, Section 9) - Request to waive the transfer regulation was made on behalf of an 12th-grade student who attended Pontiac Northern High School for 9th and 10th grades when he resided with a sister. He transferred to the Lake Orion School District's adult education program for 1997-98 while he lived with the family of a girl with whom he was having a child. He has returned to the original residence and school for 1998-99. He participated in no sports at Lake Orion where alternative education students may be eligible for interscholastic athletics.
The Executive Committee granted the request for waiver pending submission of information satisfactory to the executive director that the student's parents do not provide a viable option for residence and the student has an extensive history of residence with his sister in Pontiac.

Waterford Mott High School (Regulation I, Section 9[B]) - Request to waive the transfer regulation to permit eligibility at the sub-varsity level during the first semester of the 1998-99 school year was made on behalf of a 10th-grade student who enrolled at Waterford Mott in August after attending Pontiac-Notre Dame High School for 9th grade where he did not participate in interscholastic athletics.
The Executive Committee granted the request for waiver for eligibility only at the sub-varsity level during the first semester of the 1998-99 school year.

West Branch (Rose City)-Ogemaw Heights High School (Regulation I, Section 9) - Request was made to waive the transfer regulation on behalf of a 10th-grade student who attended Ogemaw Heights High School for 9th grade until April. He then enrolled at Traverse City West High School when he moved with his mother who was separating from her husband (the student's stepfather). On Sept. 25, 1998, he re-enrolled at Ogemaw Heights when he returned to live with his stepfather who has raised him since he was five years old. The divorce is not final.
The Executive Committee denied the request for waiver.

Leland and Lake Leelanau-St. Mary Middle Schools (Regulation III, Section 1[D]) - The Executive Committee approved a 7th/8th-grade cooperative program in girls volleyball between these schools. Leland will be the primary school.
Representative Council - The Executive Committee reviewed the agenda for the Representative Council Meeting to be held later in the day.

Next Meetings - The next meeting of the Executive Committee will be held at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 20, 1999 in East Lansing. Thereafter the Executive Committee will meet at 9 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 25, 1999 in East Lansing (with the Finance Committee Meeting to follow), and 9 a.m. on Thursday, March 25, 1999 in East Lansing.

Accounts of Meetings - Motion by William Newkirk, supported by Michael Shibler, to approve the following accounts of meetings: Representative Council Meeting of May 3-5, 1998; Executive Committee Meetings of May 2, June 10, Aug. 12, Sept. 10, Oct. 14, and Nov. 17, 1998; Upper Peninsula Athletic Committee Meetings of Sept. 14 and Oct. 15, 1998; and Board of Canvassers Meeting of Sept. 18, 1998. Adopted.

Legislation - The executive director identified areas of concern for educational athletics that may result because of inexperience, personal agendas and the absence of two-party checks and balances in the Michigan Legislature.

Litigation - Attorney Edmund Sikorski reported that the Michigan Supreme Court in the Kirby case has revalidated previous court rulings that have upheld positions of the MHSAA and revalidated MHSAA authority to conduct its postseason tournaments in a fair and efficient manner without judicial interference.

Mr. Sikorski provided updates on (1) the status of gender discrimination litigation in Federal District Court in Michigan that is unlikely to be resolved before the year 2000; and (2) the activity of several state high school associations to assist the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association to win a reversal in the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals to a federal district court in Tennessee which found that association's recruiting rules to be violative of freedom of speech.

Administration - The executive director reviewed plans for the MHSAA Annual Business Meeting on Dec. 3, 1998.

The executive director reviewed the efforts by staff and the Michigan Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association Sportsmanship Committee to evaluate the first two Statewide Sportsmanship Summits and develop plans for the future. Motion by Randy Salisbury, supported by Eunice Moore, to support these directions of the MHSAA and MIAAA:

1. The MHSAA will plan a one-day statewide summit on an every-other-year basis, with the next events scheduled for Sept. 27, 2000, and Sept. 25, 2002.

2. During 1999-2000, the MHSAA will support efforts by leagues and local school districts to improve sportsmanship, especially first-time efforts and those that target adults spectators, redirecting expenses of the Statewide Sportsmanship Summit to (a) the production of a new video focussing on adult spectators, and (b) a mini-grant program to encourage and enhance league and local efforts.

3. The MHSAA's annual Sportsmanship Kit provided without charge to all schools and the media will include in 1999 the curriculum, communications, resources, etc., for sportsmanship programs for adult spectators which the MIAAA will attempt to develop through its March convention and July workshop.

Adopted.

The executive director provided a positive update on the development of Ramblewood Park Condominium and the details of an offer to purchase the smaller of the two remaining parcels. Motion by William Newkirk, supported by Margra Grillo, to authorize the executive director to complete the sale of Unit No. 5 for $142,000 net of any commission when all of the MHSAA's requirements are fulfilled. Adopted.

The Council was provided an update regarding the amateur rule and tennis players at MHSAA member schools. It is anticipated that although a large majority of schools appear to favor the MHSAA's application of the amateur rule to all interscholastic tennis players, it is expected that a proposal will come from one or more schools to modify the amateur rule as it applies to tennis or individual sports or all sports.

The Council also discussed the transfer rule as it applies to students who have been involved in cooperative programs. Three options for future action were presented by the executive director, and Council members offered two suggestions for improving one of those options. These options will be considered for action by the Representative Council in May.

The executive director reviewed the authenticating mark program of the National Federation, and several Council members expressed concern for the process of development, timing, need for and purpose of this initiative. Motion by William Newkirk, supported by Margra Grillo, to delay MHSAA member schools' compliance on any level in any sport until not earlier than the 2000-01 school year, to ask the National Federation to reevaluate this initiative, and to schedule further action regarding this program at the Council's December 1999 meeting. Adopted.

It was reported that the MHSAA membership approved the Constitutional amendment prepared by the Representative Council which will not create a second position on the Representative Council for the City of Detroit but allow the one representative from the City of Detroit to come from schools of any classification and allow all City of Detroit public schools, regardless of classification, to vote. The amendment passed with a 79 percent favorable vote, and it becomes effective Aug. 1, 1999.

Results of the 1998 Update Meeting survey were reviewed by the executive director. Most noteworthy was an apparent change in attitude by the membership since 1990 when 72.7 percent of Update Meeting respondents indicated they favored no change in the MHSAA's minimum academic standard for athletic eligibility. On the 1998 Update Meeting survey, 64.4 percent of respondents indicated they favor elevating the MHSAA minimum academic standard for athletic eligibility.

The November survey of track and field schools found that 62 percent of respondents prefer no change in the dates for the MHSAA Track and Field Regional and Final Tournaments. Sixty-six percent of respondents would prefer that track and field be reclassified into four equal divisions. The tournament schedule may be considered by the Representative Council at its May meeting, while the classification issue is scheduled for the Council's March meeting in 1999.

The fall survey of soccer schools indicates that 56.5 percent would prefer to delay the spring tournament series one week. This is consistent with the results of the 1998 Update Meeting survey. This will be scheduled for the Council's action in May.

Following the 1998 Lower Peninsula Boys and Girls Cross Country Finals, Lower Peninsula schools which sponsor cross country were surveyed on matters related to classification and tournaments. Nearly 74 percent of responding schools favor reclassification of cross country into four equal divisions. With respect to the tournament, nearly 63 percent of respondents favor a one-site, all-class tournament; 80 percent favor combined team and individual races; and 68 percent approve of the Michigan Speedway as the site for the one-site, all-class format with combined team and individual races. The issue of reclassification will be considered by the Representative Council at its March 1999 meeting. The tournament format and venue is dealt with later in this meeting.

Model Transfer Policy - In May 1998, the Representative Council directed the staff to draft a brief model policy for schools to consider when students transfer following student/athletic code violations. This was discussed in August by the Executive Committee which requested that the draft policy be submitted to the Representative Council for this meeting.

Motion by Norm Johnson, supported by Dennis Kniola, to approve the "Model Policy for Transfers Following Violations of a School's Student/Athletic Code" to be included in the MHSAA Handbook as a non-binding recommendation for local school district consideration. Adopted.

Upper Peninsula Schools' Tournament Participation - In May 1998, the Council appointed an ad hoc committee to review current policy and possible modifications of policy regarding Upper Peninsula schools' participation in statewide MHSAA tournaments. The committee recommended that in girls volleyball and boys and girls cross country, the separate Upper Peninsula tournaments be discontinued and that UP schools participate in unified MHSAA tournaments. The vote of Upper Peninsula schools was 21-15 in favor of the change for girls volleyball; 18-13 against the change in boys and girls cross country.

Motion by Dan Flynn, supported by Gerry David, to eliminate the separate Upper Peninsula Girls Volleyball Tournament and to include Upper Peninsula schools with Lower Peninsula schools in a unified Girls Volleyball Tournament beginning with the 1999-2000 school year. Adopted.

Football Playoff Expansion - The Representative Council reviewed survey results that showed 91 percent of the schools that sponsor football and responded to the survey favor the expansion plan that had been circulated and discussed throughout the state during the summer and fall; and that 85 percent of those schools favor implementation of the expansion plan in 1999 rather than 2000 as had been proposed. All correspondence received by the MHSAA was also provided to Council members. A modification of the proposal was presented by staff to eliminate any disadvantage of an eight-game schedule for schools that can't find a ninth game or prefer a shorter season or later start to games.

Motion by Norm Johnson, supported by Dan Flynn, to implement in 1999 the proposed five-week, 256-team Football Playoffs with the modification that teams that play only eight games can be "automatic qualifiers" if they win five games or more. Adopted.

Motion by Eric Federico, supported by Keith Alto, to recommend that all leagues and independent schools slide all games forward one week and that officials remain assigned to games, not dates. Adopted.

Motion by Dan Flynn, supported by Michael Shibler, to stipulate that the MHSAA will apply Regulation V, Section 2 (Failure to Keep Contracts) unless a specific game cannot be played as a direct result of a decision of its league related to Football Playoff expansion. Adopted.

Motion by Tom Rashid, supported by Norm Johnson, for the staff to develop, for the Representative Council's consideration in March, potential specific penalties for schools which break football contracts for the 1999 and 2000 football seasons for reasons other than league action related to Football Playoff expansion. Adopted.

Fall Sports Practice - The Council reviewed input from member schools that have suggested an earlier date for the start of fall season practices for all sports, as well as for tennis and golf specifically. Motion by Paul Ellinger, supported by Michael Shibler, to survey the member schools regarding fall sports practice dates for the year 2000 and beyond. Adopted.

Trimesters - Chesaning, Durand and Ovid-Elsie High Schools submitted to the Executive Committee in August proposals to allow schools to interpret the wording of Regulation I, Sections 4, 5 and 7 to be more accommodating to students in schools with trimesters. The Executive Committee requested that the Representative Council discuss these issues and then in May, vote on one or more of three possibilities:

1. No change.

2. Different rules for schools with trimesters than schools with semesters.

3. A 90-school-day period of ineligibility for all students who are academically ineligible after either a trimester or a semester.

A fourth possibility was suggested by a Council member that also will be considered in May: a 90 school day period of ineligibility for schools with trimesters but no change for schools with semesters.

Rating Officials - It was reported that the most common violation of the MHSAA Handbook is Regulation II, Section 7(B) - failure to rate any officials at all in a sport for which ratings are maintained. Compliance is getting worse. The Executive Committee requested at its August meeting that the Representative Council agenda include a discussion of this topic and the possibility of publishing in the MHSAA Bulletin the names of schools which fail to rate any officials at all in a sport for two consecutive years. Several Council member expressed the need to take a harder line with schools that violate this regulation, while some Council members were concerned that students do not lose the opportunity to participate in MHSAA tournaments because of the administrative failings of school staff.

Motion by Tom Rashid, supported by Dan Flynn, to publish in the MHSAA Bulletin the names of schools which fail to rate any officials at all in a sport for two consecutive years. Adopted.

Tournament Balls - The staff presented the recommendation that no action be taken at this time with respect to the provision of tennis balls at MHSAA postseason tournaments, but proposals were available from three dealers to provide the official baseball for MHSAA District, Regional and Final Baseball Tournaments, and there were three proposals to provide the official softball at the District, Regional and Final levels of the MHSAA Softball Tournament.

Motion by William Newkirk, supported by Randy Salisbury, to authorize staff to complete agreements for the Rawlings R100 baseball to be provided as the official baseball to District, Regional and Final Baseball Tournaments during 1999-2000 through 2001-02, and the Wilson A9011SST softball to be provided as the official softball to the District, Regional and Final Softball Tournaments for 1999-2000 through 2001-02. Adopted.

Tournament Sites - Motion by Randy Salisbury, supported by Dan Flynn, to approve in principle a five-year extension (through 2004) of the contract with the Pontiac Silverdome for the MHSAA Football Finals. Adopted.

The Council reviewed proposals from four sites to host the MHSAA Girls Basketball Semifinals and Finals in December 1999 through December 2004. Action will be requested by mail ballot several weeks following the Finals at Rose Arena of Central Michigan University Dec. 3-5, 1998.

Proposals are expected from at least three facilities to host the MHSAA Ice Hockey Semifinals and Finals for five years following the 1999 event at the Flint IMA. The Council should have the information necessary to make a decision at its March meeting.

Motion by Randy Salisbury, supported by Norm Johnson, to continue the one-site, all-class Cross Country Finals with combined team and individual races at the Michigan Speedway in 1999 and 2000. Adopted.

The Council was apprised of the MHSAA's efforts to encourage the construction of facilities which are as perfectly suited as possible to the needs of the association's postseason tournaments. These efforts are nearing fulfillment with respect to boys and girls soccer in East Lansing and have begun for girls softball in Battle Creek.

Motion by William Newkirk, supported by Gerry David, to provide, as contingencies are met, payments of $25,000 per year for three years to encourage the completion of a side-by-side soccer stadium complex in East Lansing that meets the complete requirements of the MHSAA to conduct its Girls and Boys Soccer Finals which the MHSAA could do free of any facility expenses or fees for a minimum of 10 years after its completion. Adopted.

Health and Safety - Information regarding baseball and softball bat performance standards and possible rules changes at the intercollegiate and interscholastic levels were discussed. The MHSAA will be communicating to schools in a variety of ways that both softball and baseball bats will be required to meet performance standards not later than the interscholastic season in the year 2000.

Information regarding both illegal and legal drugs and supplements was shared with the Council. There was consensus that the National Federation statement on anabolic steroid use which last appeared in the 1993-94 MHSAA Handbook should be included in the 1999-2000 Handbook, which should also include the National Federation Sports Medicine Advisory Committee position statement on the use of drugs, medicine and food supplements in interscholastic sports.

Women in Sports Leadership Award - Associate Director Jerry Cvengros reported that there were 11 nominees for the 10th Women in Sports Leadership Award and that the Awards Committee narrowed the candidates to five, which were presented to the Representative Council. Council members were asked to vote for one or two candidates. The name of the recipient(s) will be released at an appropriate time and the recipient(s) will be honored during the awards luncheon of the 1999 Women in Sports Leadership Conference.

Charles E. Forsythe Award - Mr. Cvengros reported that there were 13 nominees for the Charles E. Forsythe Award and that the Awards Committee narrowed the candidates to three, which were presented to the Representative Council members for a ballot vote. The name of the recipient(s) will be released at an appropriate time and the recipient(s) will be honored during the 1999 Class A Boys Basketball Final Tournament game.

Meeting Expenses - Expenses for this meeting were approved at the specified hotel rate, the IRS specified meal allowance, and a 30¢ per mile mileage allowance round-trip.

Future Meetings - The next meeting of the Representative Council will be held on Friday, March 26, 1999, 8:30 a.m. at the MHSAA building in East Lansing. The spring meeting of the Representative Council will be May 2-4, 1999, in Thompsonville.

Motion by William Newkirk, supported by Gerry David, to deny the request for waiver. Adopted.
A plaque and gift were presented to Margra Grillo in recognition of her service on the Representative Council for the past four years.
The meeting was adjourned.

President Robert Grimes convened the Council's organizational session for 1999.

Selection of Appointed Members - According to the MHSAA Constitution, "It is the annual responsibility of the Council to ascertain that the Council elective process has provided for the representation of females and minorities. If, in the judgment of the Council, these results have not been achieved, said Council shall appoint not to exceed four Representative Council members-at-large for two-year terms."

Dewayne Jones was reappointed to a second two-year term.

Margra Grillo's second two-year term had expired. Three persons had indicated their desire to be considered for appointment. Council members were invited to vote by ballot for one of these persons. Appointed through this ballot election was Earl C. Rickman, Board of Education Member, Mt. Clemens Community Schools.

Election of Officers - Officers elected to serve through the fall, 1999 meeting of the Representative Council were President Robert Grimes, Vice President Dennis Kniola, and Secretary-Treasurer Tom Rashid.

The President appointed Dan Flynn to serve on the Executive Committee on a regular basis during 1999, with the fifth position filled on a rotating basis by other Council members.

William Newkirk and Paul Ellinger were invited by the President to serve with him and the Secretary-Treasurer on the MHSAA Finance Committee for 1999.

The meeting was adjourned.

Earl Rickman, who serves on the Mt. Clemens Board of Education and who is a member of the board of directors of the Michigan Association of School Boards, was appointed to the MHSAA Representative Council on Dec. 2, 1998, according to the procedures of the MHSAA Constitution.

It is the annual responsibility of the Council to ascertain that the Council elective process has provided for representation of females and minorities. If, in the judgement of the Council, these results have not been achieved, the Council may appoint up to four (total) members at large for two-year terms.

Dwayne Jones, Athletic Director and Physical Education Director for the Ferndale Public Schools, was re-appointed to the Council for a second two-year term.

Other appointed members are Gerry David, athletic director at Gaylord St. Mary Cathedral High School, and Christi Brilinski, a faculty member for the Boyne City Public Schools.

Robert Grimes, Superintendent of Pennfield Public Schools in Battle Creek, was re-elected Pres ident of the MHSAA Representative Council for 1999 at the Council’s Dec. 2, 1998 meet ing in Traverse City. The former principal of Pennfield High School has served on the Rep resentative Council from 1981 to 1995 and 1987 to present, matching Williamston Middle School Ath l etic Director Keith Eldred for the longest current tenure, 15 years.

Re-elected Vice-President for 1999 was Dennis Kniola, Principal of Stevensville-Lakeshore Junior High School, who has served on the Council for 14 years, from 1983 to 1985 and from 1986 to present.

Re-elected Secretary-Treasurer was Tom Rashid, who has served as the private and parochial school representative on the Council since 1988. Mr. Rashid is Director of Health, Athletics, Phy sical Education and Safety for the Archdiocese of Detroit.

Mr. Grimes has appointed 10-year Council veteran Dan Flynn of Escanaba to serve as the per man ent member of the MHSAA Executive Committee for 1999. The fifth position on the Executive Committee rotates from meeting to meeting.

Appointed by the President to serve on the Finance Committee with him and the Secretary-Treasurer during 1999 were Paul Ellinger, Superintendent at Hartford Public Schools, and William Newkirk, Superintendent at Sanford-Meridian Public Schools. Mr. Ellinger is a 13-year veteran on the Representative Council; Mr. Newkirk has served 10 years.

The Representative Council has established procedures for indicating the intention to run for elected positions on the MHSAA Representative Council.

1. Any individual who is a representative of a mem ber school (administrator, faculty mem ber or board of education member) may submit his or her name to the MHSAA office by March 15.

A. Candidates must have superintendent or principal approval in writing.

B. It is essential that candidates be quali fied for the position they seek.

1) If the position is for a representative of a certain area of the state, they must represent a school of the appro priate class (A and B or C and D) in that geographic area.

2) If they seek the position of a state wide at large representative, they must be a faculty or board of edu ca tion member of an MHSAA member school. This includes administrators but not non-faculty coaches.

3) If they seek the position of statewide representative of junior high/middle schools or private and parochial high schools, they must be faculty (teacher or administrator) or board mem bers for such schools.

2. Names submitted will be published in the May Bulletin and typed on the ballot mailed to member schools in September.

Elections will be held in the fall for the fol low ing positions:
Class C and D Schools—2 openings
Southwestern Section
Southeastern Section
Class A and B Schools—1 opening
Upper Peninsula
Statewide At-Large—1 opening
Junior High/Middle Schools—1 opening
City of Detroit—1 opening

The procedures established for indicating the intention to run for elected positions are the same for the Upper Peninsula Athletic Committee as those stated above for the Representative Council.

Elections will be held in the fall for the following:
Class D U.P. School—1 opening
Class C U.P. School—1 opening
Class A-B U.P. School—1 opening

A procedure has been adopted by the Representative Council to select MHSAA committee members. In the early spring of 1999, all superintendents, principals, athletic directors, and coaches who desire to serve on MHSAA committees may submit their names for nomination. This is a summary of the make-up and responsibilities of MHSAA standing committees:

SPORT COMMITTEES
1. Consist of a balance of administrators and var sity coaches in the particular sport, plus the president of the coaches asso cia tion for that sport.
2. Responsible for:
(a) recommending to the Representative Coun cil changes regarding MHSAA reg ulations relative to the sport.
(b) recommending to the staff procedures, sites, and assignments for the MHSAA tourna ment in that sport.
Baseball/Softball, Basketball, Comp. Cheer, Cross Country/Track & Field, Foot ball, Golf, Gym nastics, Ice Hockey, Skiing, Soccer, Swim ming & Diving, Tennis, Volley ball, Wrestling

TOURNAMENT COMMITTEES
1. Consist of administrators.
2. Responsible for selecting sites and assign ing teams for all levels of MHSAA tourna ments in the particular sport.
Girls & Boys Basketball (meets twice), Cross Country/Track & Field Site Selection, Track & Field Standards

SEEDING COMMITTEES
1. Consist of tournament managers and var sity coaches.
2. Responsible for determining seeded players and their positions in each flight and for assisting the tournament managers in conducting the tournament draw. Must have knowledge of players statewide and rules for making the draw.
Girls Tennis Area Seeding Directors, Boys Tennis Area Seeding Directors

OFFICIAL SELECTION COMMITTEES
1. Consist of tournament managers, athletic directors and coaches.
2. Responsible for selecting officials for most levels of tournaments in most sports.
Baseball, Boys Basketball, Girls Basketball, Competitive Cheer, Football, Girls Gymnas tics, Ice Hockey, Boys Soccer, Girls Soccer, Girls Softball, Girls Volleyball, Wrestling.

OTHER STANDING COMMITTEES (Estab lished and appointed by the Rep re sentative Council for specific purposes)
1. Athletic Equity Committee — Com mit tee is to meet once a year to rec om mend to the Repre sentative Council annual ob jec tives designed to encourage par ticipa tion by more women and minorities in inter scholastic coach ing, officiating, and ad min is trative positions.
2. Awards Committee — This committee meets once as a group and corresponds throughout the year to establish policies and procedures and screen candidates for four MHSAA awards: Forsythe, Bush, Norris, and Women in Sports Leadership.
3. Classification Committee — The committee meets annually to study and make recom menda tions to staff and Council regarding policies and procedures of classifying schools for tour na ments and elections. It consists of two representatives each from MASB, MASA, MASSP and MIAAA, plus other appointees to assume adequate representation of all sizes and types of schools.
4. Board of Canvassers — Comprised of a superintendent, two high school principals, one junior high/middle school principal and one athletic director. Members are re sponsible for count ing the bal lots for the election of Rep resentative Council mem bers and mem bers of the Upper Peninsula Ath letic Com mittee. Generally, the com mittee meets only once, but in the event of ties or run offs, the entire committee or a por tion of the committee returns for the purpose of counting runoff ballots.
5. Junior High/Middle School Committee — This committee is comprised of junior high/middle school principals and athletic directors to review rules and regulations as they pertain to junior high/middle schools.
6. Scholar-Athlete Committee — Established to administer the MHSAA Scholar-Athlete program, this committee consists of approximately 30 people who agree to attend two of three scheduled meetings each year and review award applications through correspondence.

Criteria for Nomination and Selection of MHSAA Committee Members
There are several criteria to consider before completing the Nomination Form:
1. Coaches should be on the school faculty and able to obtain release time from school.
2. The nominee should have at least two years of experience in the position currently holding.
3. Most committees require only a one meeting date commitment at the MHSAA building in East Lansing. Committee meetings are held during the work week.

Appointments to committees are based on the following criteria:
1. Committees should have male, female, and minority membership which reflects the total pool of available personnel.
2. Committees should maintain geographic and class size representation.
3. Some administrators will be appointed to sport committees.
4. The coaches association president/secretary of each sport is appointed to that sport committee, if the person is a school employee. If the President/Secretary is not a school employee, the Association must send a designee who is an administrator, faculty member or board of education member of an MHSAA member school.

Names of nominees will be submitted to the Representative Council for selection.
Over 300 people will be selected from the list of nominees submitted to serve on 38 MHSAA committees.

PUBLICATIONS - MHSAA Bulletin distributed to junior and senior high schools and registered officials; Officials Directory and School Directory and calendars prepared; Book of Champions published; MHSAA Handbook distributed to junior and senior high schools; rule books for football, basketball, track, swimming, wrestling, gymnastics, soccer, softball, spirit, ice hockey, volleyball, and baseball distributed to schools and registered officials; blanks and forms were distributed to schools. Stripes and Mentor were published and distributed to all registered officials and head coaches, respectively. The Officials Guidebook was published for distribution to all prospective officials. The Coaches Guidebook was published and distributed to all schools. The Competitive Cheer Manual was published for the fifth time.

RULES MEETINGS/CLINICS - General meetings and rules meetings held in baseball/softball, competitive cheer, football, basketball, swimming and diving, tennis, track and field, golf, wres-tling, gymnastics, volleyball, soccer, and ice hockey for coaches and registered officials; Officials' Awards and Alumni Banquet honored 20 and 30-year officials. Special meetings were conducted for coaches association presidents and league and conference executives. Tournament managers meetings were held in most sports. Meetings were held with representatives of local officials associations. An ad hoc Officials Review Committee was convened to develop initiatives to better serve and support officials, local officials associations and officials assignors. In-service programs for officials assignors and sessions to train the basketball, football, volleyball, wrestling, soccer, baseball and softball trainers of approved officials associations were conducted. The 10th Women in Sports Leadership Conference was held. Meetings for competitive cheer judges and coaches were held separately across the state for the fifth time.

COMMITTEES - Over 300 different individuals served on the following Association committees during the 1997-98 school year:

Representative Council
Classification
Soccer
Executive Committee
Competitive Cheer
Soccer Officials Selection (Boys)
Upper Peninsula Athletic Committee
Competitive Cheer Judges
Soccer Officials Selection (Girls)
Swimming
Athletic Equity
Cross Country/Track & Field
Tennis
Awards
Cross Country Site Selection
Tennis Seeding (Boys)
Baseball/Softball
Football
Tennis Seeding (Girls)
Baseball/Softball Umpires
Football Playoff Officials Selection
Track & Field Standards
Golf
Track Managers
Basketball
Golf Managers
Volleyball
Basketball Tournament (Boys)
Gymnastics
Volleyball Officials Selection
Basketball Tournament (Girls)
Gymnastics Officials Selection
Women in Sports Leadership
Basketball Officials Selection
Hockey Planning
(Boys) Hockey Officials Selection
Wrestling
Basketball Officials Selection
Junior High/Middle School
Wrestling Head Referees
Scholar/Athlete
Wrestling Managers
Board of Canvassers
Ski
Wrestling Officials Selection

PARTICIPANTS - Approximately 250,000 students were members of interscholastic athletic squads during the 1997-98 school year.

REGISTERED OFFICIALS - There were 11,054 officials registered in one or more sports during the year.

UPDATE MEETINGS - Meetings for 1,118 people were conducted during the fall in Frankenmuth, Kalamazoo, Adrian, East Lansing, Gaylord, Pontiac, Comstock Park, Marquette, and Cadillac.

PACE SEMINARS - There were approximately 1,000 participants who completed one or more courses in the Program of Athletic Coaches' Education at sites throughout the state during the 1997-98 school year.

ATHLETIC DIRECTORS IN-SERVICE - 270 athletic directors participated in the Athletic Directors In-Service programs at 9 sites throughout the state during August 1997.

From the Executive Director

In the last issue of the Bulletin, the editorial "Time Well Spent" previewed four critical issues of educational athletics — scholarship, sportsmanship, safety and the scope of school sports. This editorial takes the first of these issues — scholarship — a bit deeper.

The most basic policy of school sports - the premise and the first rule — is that persons must be students of the schools they represent in competition.
Some people who do not choose public schools for their children's classroom education but would allow their children to associate with those schools for the sports teams their preferred program of education either cannot or will not provide, object to the foundational principle of our programs.
Most often they use the argument that they pay taxes, believing doing so purchases their son or daughter the right to engage in an activity for which they are not enrolled. Of course, aside from the hypocrisy of their position, they ignore that no such right has been established by Michigan or federal legislatures or judiciaries.
Even students who are enrolled in a school don't have the right to participate in voluntary, extracurricular interscholastic athletics; so obviously, students who are not enrolled in that school don't have the right.
Allowing unenrolled students to participate in interscholastic sports would transform the programs from school sports to community sports. And so transformed, there would be little justification for schools to devote preciously limited time and resources to sports. And schools would lose a valuable tool for engaging students, their parents and the community at large in school life.

There is nothing wrong with missing classes for other school activities, unless it happens too frequently.
Some of what I remember best about high school are those occasions when school activities took me out of the classroom. Some of what worried me most about my sons' high school experiences is when they were out of the classroom too much and struggled to meet the academic challenges of their instructors.
Conflict with classroom time is not just an athletic topic. Studies with which I am familiar — Kansas does the best job of measuring loss of classroom instructional time — indicate that there are non-athletic activities that most frequently keep kids out of class, and that most athletic activities in most schools require no classes to be missed.
My experience and that of my sons would agree. For us, it was vocal music that caused us to miss class most often. For us, sports rarely took us out of class.
For us, the time out of class wasn't wasted. It was very valuable in building friendships with classmates, poise and pride in our school as we performed around the town and the state.
The same is just as true for the athletic events that take students out of school during the classroom hours. But I want to urge that we try to minimize such conflicts.
A sports program that supports the academic mission of schools makes classroom conflicts rare exceptions (infrequent and special), not routine interruptions (more as a burden than a blessing).
A special eye needs to be kept on spring and fall sports that require daylight, and thus tempt schools to begin events before the classroom day has ended. If schools limit the length of travel and number of competing teams for weekday events, classroom conflicts can be minimized.
One of the reasons MHSAA member schools have agreed to a 600-mile round-trip travel limitation on interstate competition except with schools from border states is to avoid the temptation of the most successful and highest profile teams to participate in national scope tournaments, which cause an inordinate amount of resources to be spent on a few athletes who are then required to miss an inordinate amount of school.
A watchful eye needs to be trained on MHSAA postseason tournament plans. While some conflicts with school are unavoidable, sometimes teams depart many hours or even a previous day before it is necessary and cause classroom conflicts and travel expenses the tournament planners had intended should be avoided.

There are few issues that create more controversy within a school district than when the idea is floated to establish a minimum grade point average for athletic eligibility.
Some people passionately and persuasively argue that it is necessary for accomplishing the purpose of educational athletics that students achieve average or better than average classroom performance to gain the privilege of participation in school sponsored sports.
Others argue with equal zeal and wisdom that these high standards discriminate against those who may need the program most and who, in earning C or D grades, may have given superior academic effort than students who obtained A grades with little or no effort.
Results of the 1998 MHSAA Update Meeting survey found 64.4 percent of respondents favored elevating the MHSAA minimum academic standard for athletic eligibility, compared to the 1990 survey when 72.7 percent of respondents indicated they favored no change. This shift, while unsettling to some, is comforting to me even though I personally oppose a minimum GPA for athletic eligibility.
That school districts passionately debate this topic also is a comfort, for it is proof of the foundation and continuing mission of interscholastic athletics: school sports exist to help schools reach, motivate and educate students.
The difference between school sports and sports programs for the same age group sponsored by non-school organizations is that we raise such issues and have this debate.

Each spring, some of Michigan's high school spring sports teams head south for warmer and drier weather in which to conduct practice; and almost every year there are one or more schools discovered and reported by others to be competing in violation of MHSAA regulations.
MHSAA Handbook Interpretation No. 158 of MHSAA Regulation II, Section 6 prohibits an MHSAA member school from engaging in competition in any sport against any other school if either team has traveled more than 600 highway miles round-trip.
The limitation applies to both games and inter-school scrimmages (only intra-squad games would be allowed) in all sports that conclude with an MHSAA postseason tournament. The definition of scrimmage includes practice sessions involving students from more than one school. So MHSAA member schools must be certain not to schedule any kind of competition and not to conduct practice at the same time and place as another school.
Confirmed violations of these regulations have been dealt with seriously in the past in an effort to keep the playing field fair to those schools which are committed to adhering to the rules they agreed to adopt and enforce.
Schools which desire to conduct practice sessions out of state at a site more than 600 highway miles round-trip from their location must complete and submit to the MHSAA office the "Out-of-State Travel Declaration" form at least 30 days in advance of departure. See MHSAA Handbook pages 46 and 97.
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NOTE: Schools voluntarily join the MHSAA and, to that end, it is necessary that each school district sign each year a Membership Resolution adopting the rules and regulations of the MHSAA as their own and agreeing to primary enforcement of those rules. While a school district is not bound by the decisions rendered by the MHSAA regarding rule violations, the MHSAA may condition eligibility for its tournaments on compliance with its rules and its determinations concerning rules violations and the penalties to be imposed for violations of the rules. See Attorney General Opinions No. 4795 (1977) and No. 6352 (1986). Many school districts have additional rules that may also apply to the subject matter of this column.

The Representative Council of the Michigan High School Athletic Association voted on Dec. 2, 1998, to delay MHSAA member schools' compliance with a mandate appearing in the playing rule books of the National Federation of State High School Associations for the 1999-00 school year that high school contests may only be played if the National Federation "Authenticating Mark" appears on the puck or the ball used in the contest.
The Council's action delays schools' compliance on any level in any sport until not earlier than the 2000-01 school year. A decision regarding that year will be made by the Council at its December 1999 meeting.
Without the Council's action, the authenticating mark would have been required for MHSAA member schools' competition at the varsity and sub-varsity levels in ice hockey, baseball, basketball, football, soccer, softball and volleyball; and schools would have been forced to use up existing inventories in practices.
It is the National Federation's intent that manufacturers' products pass independent testing at each manufacturer's expense, and that the manufacturer pay the National Federation 25 cents per inflated ball and 25 cents per dozen pucks, baseballs and softballs. However, the National Federation advised its Board of Directors in October that the overall mark-up may be $1 to $2 per inflated ball or dozen.
The National Federation projects the additional cost to schools to be $20 per year on average. Others, including MHSAA member school athletic administrators, project the cost will average up to $250 per year or more, depending on the amount of product purchased and the total of pass-through costs to schools by manufacturers, distributors and dealers.
The National Federation developed this initiative as a means to generate manufacturers' support of high school athletics; but it is apparent the result will be local schools, not manufacturers, which subsidize the National Federation through this program.
A secondary purpose of the program, to standardize balls and pucks, is seen as unnecessary because such standardization already exists through manufacturers' compliance with the specifications of balls and pucks stated in National Federation rules prior to the additional requirement that the produce carry the authenticating mark.
Last October, members of the National Federation Board of Directors expressed concerns regarding the administration of the NFHS authenticating mark program. A motion to delay the implementation was defeated. However, the Board of Directors did adopt the policy that state associations would have broad leeway to work with schools, manufacturers, and dealers to implement the program in a way that minimizes hardship to all interested parties. The MHSAA Representative Council acted pursuant to that policy.

“Sports Rapp” by Russell Rapp
The Morning News, Blackfoot Idaho
September 28, 1998

Another weekend has passed and with it an assortment of gridiron games. From the pro ranks, through the vast array of college games, to the remote 8-man high school contest, athletes have donned the pads and squared off across the pigskin.
And like every other week, the professional game has maintained its theme of profit and greed, the college gams has continued to waffle between legitimacy and idiocy and the high school game has silently remained the epitome of all that is good about sport.
Yes, for my money the best game is not played on a Sunday in some monolith of a stadium named after its sponsor, nor on a Saturday on some campus where Superpower University somehow squeaked by Boondock Technical School of Rotary Telephone Repair, by the score of 72-0; but on the freshly mowed field behind the school in places named Snake River, Arco, Aberdeen and Shelley.
For it is there, that young men still participate for the pure love of the game, who knock an opponent into the next time zone and then reach down to help him up. It is there that coaches remember that coaching is teaching. It is there that fans come to watch sport at its finest and simplest.
Yes, give me Friday nights and guys like Stan Buck, who after soundly beating the Bonneville Bees goes on record not boasting about the win but stating that the Bees have kids with more heart than most programs, kids who give110 percent.
Give me Friday nights and a concession stand at Snake River that sells the best hamburger in the West, smothered in onions, for two bucks; with the proceeds to benefit the wrestling team. Unlike the pros where you'll pay four dollars for a Diet Coke. Four bucks. For that kind of money, the owner ought to be dispensing the drink himself.
Give me Friday nights and cheerleader who actually lead cheers with a crowd that actually responds, not some venue where the pom-pon bearers are there for the prurient interest of the drunks in the first ten rows.
Give me Friday nights when each and every opponent is respected, when every game counts, when a coach does not have the luxury to look ahead to next week's foe. Fridays when the revenues go into the community coffers and not into some whining billionaire's pocket.
Give me Fridays and a hometown public address announcer who knows everyone in the stands and on the field, and legitimately cares about each and every one of them, who will be doing business with them on Monday morning.
Give me Fridays and fans who have a vested interest in the games. Fans who are biased and vocal but who appreciate good football, hustle and determination. Fans who brave the weather and cold hard aluminum bleachers because they love seeing the hometown boys give it their all.
Give me Friday nights and players who are not blinded by their bank accounts and the gold chains around their necks. Players who will probably never have the opportunity to play on Saturdays or Sundays, yet still participate with fervor and, zeal. Players like Rich Woodfin, the smallest guy on the field, who somehow manages to pick his way through defenders to return a kickoff ninety-five yards and then goes out on Monday through Friday and pulls down a 4.0 GPA.
Yes, give me Friday nights. The best night for football.

On Dec. 2, 1998, the MHSAA Representative Council voted to eliminate the separate Upper Peninsula Girls Volleyball Tournament and to include Upper Peninsula schools with Lower Peninsula schools in a unified Girls Volleyball Tournament beginning with the 1999-00 school year.
This historic action follows a discussion in May of 1998 by the Council and the appointment of an ad hoc committee to review current policy and possible modifications of policy regarding Upper Peninsula schools' participation in statewide MHSAA tournaments. That committee recommended that in girls volleyball and boys and girls cross country, the separate Upper Peninsula tournaments be discontinued and that Upper Peninsula schools participate in unified MHSAA tournaments.
Schools of the Upper Peninsula were surveyed, and their vote was 21-15 in favor of the change for girls volleyball, but 18-13 against the change in boys and girls cross country.
Upper Peninsula Class A and B schools will be assigned to separate District Tournaments in the Lower Peninsula, with qualifiers advancing to Regionals conducted in the Lower Peninsula. Class C and D schools from the Upper Peninsula will likely be assigned to one of three District Tournaments that would be scheduled in the Upper Peninsula. Those three District winners in each of the two classes would add a District winner from the northern Lower Peninsula to complete the Regional entries. The Regional will probably be scheduled in the Upper Peninsula with winners advancing to Quarterfinal play in the Lower Peninsula.
Volleyball is the second most popular girls sport, with 686 schools sponsoring the sport during 1997-98.

In response to a survey of participating schools conducted immediately after the 1998 MHSAA Lower Peninsula Boys and Girls Cross Country Finals, the MHSAA Representative Council voted Dec. 2, 1998, to return that event to the Michigan Speedway in 1999 and 2000.
Nearly 63 percent of respondents to the November survey favored a one-site, all-class tournament. Eighty percent favored combined team and individual races. Sixth-eight percent approved the Michigan Speedway as the site for the one-site, all-class format with combined team and individual races.
In making its decision, the Representative Council reviewed not only the survey results but also took into account correspondence received from member schools. The Michigan Speedway has been favored by the MHSAA Cross Country Committee and the Association of Track Officials of Michigan.
The format and site are more expensive for the MHSAA than was the case when team and individual races were contested separately and the four classes participated at different venues. The increased investment by the MHSAA to provide the experience at the Michigan Speedway results from the input of those directly involved, the majority of whom wish the Finals to be an experience that is unique in the season and unique in the country.
Cross Country is the fifth most popular sport for which the MHSAA conducts post-season tournaments. It is sponsored by 585 schools for boys and 570 schools for girls.

The MHSAA Representative Council will decide on March 26, 1999, if cross country will join the growing list of sports being reclassified into equal divisions.
Reclassification into four equal divisions was favored by 79.6 percent of respondents to the 1999 Update Meeting survey and by 73.9 percent of those responding to the mail survey in November. In both cases, however, Class D respondents were mostly opposed to the change.
The matter goes next to the MHSAA Classification Committee in January, which may add its recommendation to the subject. Last January, the MHSAA Cross Country and Track and Field Committee voted 23-3 to reclassify both cross country and track and field into four equal divisions.
If adopted, reclassification could begin as early as the 1999 cross country season.

The 1999 National Citation recipient of the National Federation Interscholastic Coaches Association will be MHSAA Associate Director Jerry Cvengros. He's a former president of the organization. Cvengros was a highly successful coach at Escanaba High School before joining the staff of the MHSAA in 1988. He administers the Program of Athletic Coaches' Education (PACE) for the association. Rick Van Tongeren of Grand Rapids Forest Hills Central High School has been named the National Coach of the Year for Skiing by NFICA. Sectional recipients of NFICA recognition are Stan Gooch (Flint-Central High School) in basketball, Tom Roberts (Midland-Dow High School) in baseball, Gordon Aldrich (Corunna High School) in cross country, Jodi Menore (Temperance Bedford High School) in volleyball, Chuck Wright (Grosse Pointe Woods University Liggett High School) in tennis, and Evonne Picard (East Lansing High School) in golf.

The National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association honored two Michigan administrators among the 21 persons recognized by the NIAAA during the Annual Conference of High School Directors of Athletics Dec. 13-17 in Las Vegas.
Jane Bennett, Athletic Director at Ann Arbor Huron High School for 20 years, was a recipient of an NIAAA Distinguished Service Award. Among many of her accomplishments is her leadership of the NIAAA Certification Committee that in addition to developing a nationwide certification program for athletic administrators, has caused more Michigan athletic directors to obtain the status of "Certified Athletic Administrator" than in any other state.
Dennis Kniola, Principal of Stevensville-Lakeshore Middle School, was one of two non-NIAAA members who received the Distinguished Service Award. He has been a coach, an athletic director for 21 years, and the middle school principal since 1991, in addition to staying active as a baseball and basketball official. He is serving his 13th year as a member of the Michigan High School Athletic Association Representative Council and is currently Vice President.

One of the most successful high school girls basketball coaches in Michigan, Kathy McGee of Flint Powers Catholic High School, is the recipient of the 1999 Women in Sports Leadership Award by the Representative Council of the Michigan High School Athletic Association.
Each year the Representative Council considers the achievements of the women coaches, officials and athletic administrators affiliated with the MHSAA who show exemplary leadership capabilities and positive contributions to athletics. The award is presented during a luncheon at the Annual Women in Sports Leadership Conference in Lansing each February.
McGee belongs to an outstanding group of high school girls basketball coaches who have more than 400 career victories. In 23 seasons at Powers, her record of 420-124 is among the top 10 winningest coaches in Michigan. Four of her teams have reached MHSAA title games, with the 1991 and 1996 squads winning the Class B championship. In addition, McGee has also served Powers as a teacher for 20 years, and is in her seventh year as athletic director at the school. While at Powers, she has also coached softball, and served as a forensics/debate coach and yearbook moderator.
Active in basketball and athletic administration circles, McGee was the first female appointed to the Basketball Coaches Association of Michigan's Board of Directors in 1990, and she was president of that organization in 1992. She served as an assistant coach for a USA Basketball 17 and under age group team which played in the World Youth Games in Moscow during the past year. She is also a member of the Women's Basketball Coaches Association and the Michigan Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association.
A 1969 graduate of Elkton-Pigeon-Bay Port High School (now Laker High in Pigeon), McGee has earned two college degrees from Central Michigan University — the first being a Bachelor's in Secondary Education in 1973; the second a Master's in Secondary Education and School Administration in 1986. McGee was nominated for the award by the Basketball Coaches Association of Michigan.
"A woman of leadership, not just sports leadership, is how you would define Kathy McGee," said MHSAA Executive Director John E. "Jack" Roberts. "Kathy McGee has instilled excellence as a teacher, activities coordinator and community leader -- not just as a coach -- in her school and her town. Her accomplishments have touched all students and all sports, making her an excellent role model. She is a worthy recipient of the Women In Sports Leadership Award."
McGee is the tenth recipient of the Women In Sports Leadership award.
Past recipients are: 1990 -- Diane Laffey, Harper Woods 1991 -- Carol Seavoy, L'Anse 1992 -- Patricia Ashby, Scotts 1993 -- Jo Lake, Grosse Pointe 1994 -- Brenda Gatlin, Detroit 1995 -- Jane Bennett, Ann Arbor 1996 -- Cheryl Amos-Helmicki, Huntington Woods 1997 -- Delores L. Elswick, Detroit 1998 -- Karen S. Leinaar, Delton

The first fall sports recipients to be honored through the Michigan High School Athletic Association's Sports Nutrition Award program—underwritten by the United Dairy Industry of Michigan—were recognized in December during the MHSAA Girls Basketball Finals. For the past three years, the Sports Nutrition Award focused on wrestling, and awarded over $75,000 in grants, scholarships and prizes during that time. For the first time in 1998-99, the program has been extended to honor schools in the 24 sports in which the MHSAA sponsors postseason tournaments.

Six of the schools were selected in a drawing from all of the entries received in their respective sports to receive a $1,000 cash grant for their program, and a $500 scholarship for a student-athlete chosen by their own criteria. In addition, a seventh school was honored after being judged to have conducted the most creative nutrition education program of all the entries submitted. The merit award will present a $2,000 cash grant to a school's sports program and a $1,000 scholarship to a student-athlete of its choosing.

The schools chosen to receive fall Sports Nutrition Awards are:
Girls Basketball — Saranac High School, Head Coach Robert Koerner, nutrition liaison Cindy Koerner; scholarship recipient Jodie Huver. Boys Cross Country — Sandusky High School, Head Coach Wayne Roberts, nutrition liaison Sandra Roberts; scholarship recipient Ryan Brown.
Girls Cross Country —Northville High School, Head Coach Chris Cronin, nutrition liaison Karin Nelson; scholarship recipient Alexis Troschinetz.
Football — Saginaw Swan Valley High School, Head Coach Chuck Koons, nutrition liaisons Greg Whitney and Mark Sanger; scholarship recipient Andy Ramirez.
Girls Swimming Diving — Mt. Pleasant High School, Head Coach Deb McAlpin, nutrition liaison Nate Tomson; scholarship recipient Regan Goodrich.
Girls Tennis — Davison High School, Head Coach Nutrition Liaison Jennifer Hall; scholarship recipient Jessica Sprovtsoff. All of the applications were considered for the Merit Award, given to the school judged to have the most creative sports nutrition education program. A committee of UDIM and MHSAA representatives selected the girls cross country application from Warren Mott High School. The head coach is Mark Urquhart, the nutrition liaison is Michele Urquhart, and the scholarship recipient is Kathy Harenski. The Sports Nutrition Award program is part of UDIM's sports nutrition education campaign, which is the focus of its partnership with the MHSAA. Schools in all sports were invited to participate in a program where they could implement a nutrition education program from a variety of options. Schools only needed to provide verification of participation in the program, to become eligible for the prize drawing.

The only school in the history of the Michigan High School Athletic Association's Girls Basketball Tournament to win four consecutive titles, Flint Northern High School, was honored through the Association's "Legends Of The Games" program at halftime of the 1998 Class A Girls Basketball Final on Dec. 5 at Rose Arena in Mt. Pleasant. In its second year, the Legends program promotes educational athletics by showcasing some of the great teams of past years. Flint Northern won MHSAA Class A crowns in 1978, 1979, 1980 and 1981. Thirteen members of those four teams were in attendance to receive commemorative plaques and a banner to display at the school during the ceremony.
Many in attendance for the 1978 MHSAA Class A Final between Flint Northern and Detroit Mumford understood they had witnessed something special. A crowd of 3,576 turned out for the game in East Lansing-a record for the girls tournament at the time. Flint Journal sports writer Phil Pierson pointed out to the readers back home that this was a dynasty in the making. "There is every reason to believe that the Vikings' victory celebration following the 60-48 triumph over Detroit Mumford in Jenison Fieldhouse Saturday will be repeated in 1979," wrote Pierson. "With three members of the starting five back, the Vikings figure to have as good or better nucleus than anyone next season.
Not only are the numbers good, but the quality is outstanding with Pamela and Paula McGee having a year of eligibility left and Leteia Hughley owning two more campaigns." It was the ninth MHSAA basketball title in the school's history, but the first girls cage crown. Indeed, destiny could not be denied. The 6-3 McGee twins were the stars of the tourney. Pamela had scored 16 points in the Final, while her sister added 15. Combined, they pulled down 38 rebounds in the championship contest. Hughley, an outstanding talent in her own right, quietly did her job, feeding the ball inside to the pair of budding All-Americans.
Finally and most importantly was Coach Dorothy Kukulka, who had guided the team to a 23-0 mark and was just beginning to establish herself as one of the premier coaches in the state. As predicted, Northern earned another title in 1979. This time the team rolled to a spotless 25-0 mark, capped by overwhelming Harper Woods Regina, 62-34, in the title game. The 28-point margin equaled the Finals game record.
The McGee twins again dominated, this time with Paula leading the team with 25 points, 24 rebounds, three blocked shots and four steals. Pamela added 15 points and nine rebounds. Northern had posted 48 consecutive victories over two seasons, and had posted an incredible 59-4 mark during the "McGee Era." Kukulka was awarded "Coach of the Year" honors by the Detroit Free Press and the Associated Press.
Kukulka certainly had depth returning for the 1980 season, as Tucker, Leteia and Lawanna Hughley were coming back. But the days of dominating an opponent by outrebounding and outshooting them were gone. Coach K responded by building a team around speed and defense, with Hughley controlling the game's tempo. With a pair of MHSAA titles and a long winning streak, the pressure was immense entering the 1980 season.
The Vikings responded to the challenges by finishing the regular season undefeated. Then came the playoffs, where the Vikings disposed of a taller squad from Farmington Hills Mercy in the quarterfinals and previously unbeaten Detroit Murray Wright in the semifinals, thanks to a 37-point effort by Hughley. The Final presented a rematch of the 1979 semifinal vs. Jackson. Jackson trailed 48-43, but pulled to within two, 48-46, with 49 seconds left. However, free throws by Felicia Cooper and Hughley sealed the victory for the Vikings, 52-46. It was the 74th consecutive win for Northern.
Again Kukulka was named "Coach of the Year." Seven players graduated from the team following the season. It was expected that 1981 would be a rebuilding year. The 14-member squad featured nine underclassmen, and Cooper was the only senior starter. Still the team set out with the goal of winning a fourth championship.
Tears fell as the long winning streak ended at 75 games with a 59-51 loss to the Grand Blanc Bobcats in the second contest of the 1981 season. Kukulka tried a number of personnel combinations during the year, with as many as 11 individuals scoring in some contests. Cooper and juniors Evette Ott and Monica Hughes led the team.
Two of Northern's six losses in 1981 had come vs. conference rival Saginaw. The Vikings avenged the defeats by ousting the heavily favored Trojans from the tournament in the first round of regionals, 52-43. Yvonne Thompson, a sophomore who was brought up earlier in the year from the JV squad to shore up the teams weakness in rebounding, led the team with 13 points and 22 boards in the contest. Davison was knocked off in the regional finals, while Farmington Hills Mercy was the victim for the second straight year in the quarterfinals. Northern defeated Grand Haven in the semifinals and then, for second time in three years, the Vikings defeated Harper Woods Regina in the Final.
The 37-32 win marked 32 consecutive tournament victories and an unprecedented four consecutive crowns for Kukulka's Vikings, no small feat considering the program was less than 10 years old when it captured the 1981 crown. After years of trying, Kukulka was able to convince administrators to start a girls sports program at Northern in 1973.
"Establishing and cultivating the program required the ardent support of the players, parents, administration, staff, community, and a rich athletic tradition enhanced through the media," Kukulka said. A graduate of Michigan State University and St. Clair Shores St. Gertrude, Kukulka compiled a 189-37 mark in 11 years behind the bench.
Incredibly, her squad would return for the Class A final for a fifth consecutive appearance in 1982. This time, the Vikings fell to Farmington Hills Mercy, 61-58, built upon a stunning fourth-quarter rally at University of Detroit's Calihan Hall. Ironically, Mercy was the last Class A team to own the crown before Northern's long reign. Following a 17-5 campaign in 1983, Kukulka took a leave of absence from the world of basketball. She chose not to return.
"No one represents girls basketball better than Kukulka," wrote Free Press sportswriter Mick McCabe in naming her "Coach of the Year" in 1980. "She exudes class, a fact reflected in the way her players act on and off the court."
(Copy by Ron Pesch, MHSAA Historian)

Members Present:
Ken Dietz, Hartford H.S. John Malatinsky, Official, Holt
Terry Evanish, Gladwin H.S. Peter Olson, Benzonia-Benzie Central H.S.
Jim Feldkamp, Troy Public Schools Stephen Piereson, Ishpeming H.S.
Eric George, Mt. Clemens H.S. David Soules, Detroit-East Catholic H.S.
Dorothy Gill-Jackson, Muskegon Heights Dennis Starkey, Petoskey H.S.
Gary Jenkins, Official, Westland Tom Valko, Pres. MIBCA, Marysville H.S.

Members Absent:
Cindy Elliott, Travers City-St. Francis H.S.
Jim Gilmore, Tecumseh H.S.
Leteia Hughley, Flint-Northern H.S.
Lori Hyman, Dexter H.S.
Grover Kirkland, Flint-Northwestern H.S.

Staff Member Present:
Nate Hampton, East Lansing (Recorder)

The meeting was called to order at 9:30 a.m. Following a statement of committee responsibility and member introductions, the committee reviewed the minutes of the Dec. 10, 1997 Basketball Committee including recommendations to the Representative Council and office staff.

Discussions continued with review of our recently completed Girls Basketball Finals hosted by Central Michigan University. All accounts gave glowing remarks to the host and tournament administration, noting that the largest and second-largest attendance marks have been achieved since CMU has been host to our Girls Semifinals and Finals. Also noted with favor was the Semifinal format change.

The committee reviewed the rules meeting attendance requirement for both coaches and officials, the Basketball Rules Meeting format and possible sites for 1999-2000 school year and the formation of the National Federation Basketball Rules Questionnaire.

The committee also discussed the MHSAA's current policy of classifying schools that sponsor basketball. It was reported that the Basketball Coaches Association has had discussions and may come forward with a proposal to classify competing schools into eight equal divisions for competition. There was discussion; but not sentiment, for using criteria in addition to school enrollment for making school assignments within the eight divisions. An example may be school location (urban, rural, metro) and the populations that a school may draw students.

The committee looked closely at issues relating to last year's recommendations to the Representative Council and staff. These topics included the following:
1) Pregame handshake policy. Following alternating team introductions players will shake the hand of the opposing coach and the previously introduced player.
2) Bench decorum/taunting and baiting. Continue to stress these issues at rules meetings and in publications.
3) School pep bands at Final Tournament center.
4) Three-person officiating crews.
5) 40-point differential rule.
6) Classification of teams.

MICHIGAN POINTS OF SPECIAL EMPHASIS
1) 20-second timeouts
2) Rough play

RECOMMENDATIONS TO STAFF
1) Officials Selection Committee: Select Quarterfinal officials from the two Regionals making up the Quarterfinal. Rotate No. 1 and 2 each year.

RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE REPRESENTATIVE COUNCIL
Regarding 3-Person Officiating Crews:
1) Recommend that three-person crews are used starting with the Regional level of tournament competition. (9-1 in favor)

Regarding 40 Point Differential Rule:
2) Request the National Federation Basketball Committee include in its rules codes the following: By state association adoption a point differential may be established to provide a running clock to complete regulation competition. The point differential may only be established during the second half of a contest. (Unanimous)

Regarding The Girls Final Site:
3) Consider the Breslin Center, Michigan State University, as the Finals site for at least the next two years. (6 in favor, 4 abstained)

Regarding Contest Limits During the Season:
4) Allow 22 contests during the currently defined regular season. (6-5 in favor)

The meeting was adjourned at 12:15 p.m.

Members Present:

Jane Bennett, Ann Arbor-Huron H.S.
Vic Michaels, Detroit Catholic H.S. League
Christi Brilinski, Boyne City H.S.
Ruth Mielke, Bath H.S.
Tom Gauerke, Grosse Pointe North H.S.
Kim Moe, Marcellus H.S.
Dene Hadden, South Haven H.S.
Lynda O'Malley, Rockford H.S.
Blake Hagman, Kalamazoo (Advisory)
Dick Pauly, Pigeon-Laker H.S.
Karen Leinaar, Delton Kellogg H.S.
Paul Price, Fife Lake-Forest Area H.S.
Jodi Manore, Pres., MIVCA, Temperance
Mark Thomas, Grand Rapids-Northview H.S.
Mark McLoughlin, Rochester Hills-Lutheran Northwest H.S.
Deborah VanKuiken, Bridgeport H.S.

Member Absent:
Carol Brewis, Dearborn-Divine Child H.S.

Staff Member Present:
Gina Mazzolini, East Lansing (Recorder)

The 1998-99 Volleyball Committee met on Nov. 17, 1998, in the MHSAA office in East Lansing. After a welcome and introductions, the committee was reminded the purpose of the meeting and the process for proposing rule changes.

1. The committee reviewed the proposals from the 1997 Volleyball Committee and subsequent action by the Representative Council. Staff provided rationale for Council action.

2. Proposals From MIVCA -
a. Have the same season start date for girls volleyball and boys basketball.
The discussion started with a concern that winter sports have four start dates while other seasons have one common start date. The volleyball start date is later to allow the 698 girls basketball teams to advance through the District Tournament without conflict with gym space or athletes.
The committee then stated that if the rationale is good for a late volleyball state date, a later boys basketball start date would further help the situation. It would allow girls basketball schools to host District Tournaments and not impact other sport practices. The winter sport student-athletes would also be available to support the girls teams in District competition.
The committee then made the following motion: Begin boys basketball and girls volleyball practice on Thursday, the week of Nov. 15. (Unanimous)
b. Move girls volleyball season to the fall and the girls basketball season to the winter. (13-2 opposed)
c. Play 3-out-of-5 matches in the MHSAA Tournament series. (12-3 in favor)
d. MIVCA membership seeks help from the MHSAA on the following issues:
1. Move the MIAAA Conference off the Volleyball Finals weekend.
2. Mandate use of two officials for all volleyball contests (junior high, in particular).
3. Continue to search for ways to promote the Volleyball Finals.
4. Send "strong" letters to member schools who use inadequate facilities for tournament matches.

3. General Volleyball Concerns -
a. The Upper Peninsula schools have voted 21-15 in favor of one Final Tournament. (Unanimous)
b. The new international volleyball format uses rally scoring in all games (3/5) with 25-point games in the first four games and a 15-point game in the Final game. No action was taken by the committee.
c. Update on the Youth Volleyball Clinic to be held in conjunction with the Volleyball Finals. No action was taken by the committee.
d. Proposal to rotate the playing schedule for all classes at the Final level. Each year a different class would play first. No motion was made by the committee.
e. Proposal to modify the schedule at the Final Tournament. Have each class play their tournament in a half day. Play back-to-back Semifinal matches, take an hour break and play the Final match. This would alleviate overnight stays by teams and spectators. Motion failed 15-0.

4. Proposals from the MHSAA Volleyball Committee -
a. Have an MHSAA Officials Selection Committee assign District and Regional officials as they now assign the higher levels. Motion passed 15-0.
b. Require District Tournaments through Quarterfinals to use trained/experienced adults as line judges (unless the school has a group of students who are trained and have been doing this all year). Motion passed 15-0.
c. Encourage, enhance and support the education and training of volleyball officials. (The action was supported by Committee.)

RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE REPRESENTATIVE COUNCIL

1. Begin girls volleyball and boys basketball on Thursday, the week of Nov. 15.
2. Play 3-out-of-5 matches from the District Tournament through the Finals.
3. Have an MHSAA Officials Selection Committee assign District and Regional officials as well as the higher levels as they do now.

The committee meeting was opened with introductions from all members and an explanation of the purpose of the meeting. All committee members attended which resulted in a good exchange of ideas.
FALL SEASON START DATE:
Foremost amongst the agenda items was a request to evaluate the practice/season start date for fall golf. The request was initiated by coaches in which the school starting date has become earlier in August. In the past, school teams have been able to attend large invitational meets in August on non-school days and therefore not interfere with school time. This along with the fluctuation of the start date, from Aug. 9 to Aug. 16, depending on the year, the season start date has become more of a concern. Recommendations to the Representative Council regarding this matter resulted after a lengthy discussion.
FINALS COURSE ROTATION:
Keeping with the Golf Committee's request of previous years, the MHSAA staff will continue to rotate divisions to different golf courses for the L.P. Finals. In the fall of 1999, Division 1 will be at Eldorado, Division 2 at the Emerald, Division 3 at Forest Akers East and Division 4 at Forest Akers West.
This spring 1999, Girls Golf will be divided into three divisions for the first time. The committee requested that each division is placed on a separate course to play throughout the two-day event. At this reporting, the sites will be at the two MSU Forest Akers courses and a third site to be determined.
TOPICS OF DISCUSSION
The following items of concern were provided in writing to the Golf Committee and were discussed without formal action being taken:
• Place all four divisions in boys L.P. golf and three divisions of girls L.P. golf on University Courses. This means there would be no particular geographic area used for Finals.
• Consider requiring teams to meet a specific team score in order to enter into regional competition.
• Allow teams traveling from long distances to the Finals site, to play a practice round on Finals course during the black out period.
• Set minimum and maximum yardages for Final courses.
REPRESENTATIVE COUNCIL RECOMMENDATIONS
1. The Golf Committee supports the plan for MHSAA to survey member schools sponsoring fall sports with regard to changing the start of practice. (Unanimous)
2. Change the start date of fall golf practice. (14-1 in favor)
Rationale: Coaches want teams to experience 18-hole events; invitationals can be held early in the season before school begins; tryouts can be held over a week as opposed to one or two days which currently occurs; coaches are available earlier because schools are starting earlier.
3. Final Tournament Competition - allow all players who are within seven strokes of the lowest score posted after the first day to continue to compete on the second day of the event for individual honors. (Unanimous)
4. To qualify for the second day of competition at the Finals, allow all teams tied for 12th place to advance, without reference to the fifth player's score. (Unanimous)
5. Institute a slow play penalty at Finals competition: GAM Marshalls would assess a two stroke penalty on a player or players after (a) a verbal warning had been given by a GAM Marshall and (b) the player(s) was timed to determine whether he/she was picking up the pace of play. (Unanimous)

1. I favor a classification system that equalizes the number of schools in each division of each sport for all sports in which an MHSAA tournament is conducted.
Yes 638 (78.7%) No 173 (21.3%)

2. I favor reclassifying the MHSAA Lower Peninsula Boys and Girls Track and Field Meets into four equal divisions of approximately 149 schools (currently approximately 173, 171, 157, 94).
Yes 633 (79.3%) No 165 (20.7%)

3. I favor reclassifying the MHSAA Lower Peninsula Boys and Girls Cross Country Meets into four equal divisions of approximately 134 schools (currently approximately 180, 194, 135, 71).
Yes 633 (79.6%) No 162 (20.4%)

4. I favor delaying the Girls Soccer Tournament by 1 week so that Districts begin the week of Memorial Day, and the Finals one week (to the second Saturday after Memorial Day).
Yes 452 (62.1%) No 276 (37.9%)

5. I favor delaying the Lower Peninsula Boys and Girls Track and Field Regionals 2 weeks (to the weekend after Memorial Day) and the Finals one week (to the second Saturday after Memorial Day).
Yes 371 (47.3%) No 414 (52.7%)

6. I favor a TEAM Final in Lower Peninsula Boys and Girls Track and Field that would be contested between the Regionals and Finals. Teams placing 1st in Regionals would qualify for the Team Finals. No team scores or trophies would be awarded at the Individual Finals the following week.
Yes 401 (51.3%) No 380 (48.7%)

7. Do you favor this rule? "If after participating on a non-school team a student transfers high schools and is not immediately eligible under 1 of the 15 exceptions to the transfer regulation, then that student will be deemed ineligible in that sport for 2 semesters."
Yes 229 (29.3%) No 552 (70.7%)

8. I favor elevating the MHSAA minimum academic standard for athletic eligibility (passing 20 credit hours).
Yes 514 (64.4%) No 284 (35.6%)

9. Do you favor an MHSAA policy that prohibits in MHSAA tournaments students who have been found by their local school districts to have used tobacco or alcohol?
Yes 325 (40.5%) No 477 (59.5%)

10. Performance-enhancing drugs (e.g., steriods)?
Yes 500 (62.5%) No 300 (37.5%)

11. Legal nutritional supplements, Creatine or over-the-counter medications?
Yes 224 (28.3%) No 568 (71.7%)

Respondents' Title
77 Superintendents (9.1%)
230 Principals (27.2%)
461 Athletic Directors (54.4%)
22 Coaches (2.6%)
23 Board Members (2.7%)
34 Other (4.0%)

Respondents' Classification
262 Class A (30.9%)
246 Class B (29.0%)
202 Class C (23.8%)
111 Class D (13.1%)
26 Jr High / Middle (3.1%)

TOTAL SURVEYS RECEIVED = 847

The following situations must be approved by the MHSAA before any meet or tourn ament held:
1. Those events which are sponsored by other than member schools and held within the state.
2. Those events between member schools of Michigan and bordering states (regardless of the number of schools involved) and hosted by a member school. The bordering state association must also grant approval for such event through the MHSAA.

National Federation Sanctioning is required for:
1. any interstate contest involving three or more states or four or more schools where one or more of the schools is from a state which does not border Michigan; and
2. any interstate contest sponsored by a non-school organization;
3. any international contest.

Application for sanctioning of such meets must be made through the MHSAA at least 30 days prior to the contest. All sanctioned or approved meets are listed below. (Includes requests received and approved by January 1999 for events to be held in February and March.

*Dates preceded by an asterisk are National Federation sanctioned.
**Dates preceded by two asterisks are border state approved.

February:

6 - Freshman Volleyball Invitational, USA Volleyball Center, Grand Rapids
- West Michigan Competitive Cheer Classic, Caledonia

13 - JV Volleyball Invitational, Northwood University, Midland
- Varsity Volleyball Invitational, USA Volleyball Center, Grand Rapids
- SAC-Lions Volleyball Tournament, Spring Arbor

20 - JV Volleyball Invitational, USA Volleyball Center, Grand Rapids
- "The Wood" Varsity Volleyball Invitational, Midland
- MISCA Meet, Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti (Note: The MISCA Meet counts as one of the allowable team competitions).
- Pontiac Classic - Competitive Cheer, DeWitt

26 - JV Volleyball Invitational, U of M, Dearborn
27 - Varsity Volleyball Invitational, U of M, Dearborn
- 8th-Grade Volleyball Tournament, SVSU, University Center

March:

16 - Boys Indoor Track & Field, GRCC, Grand Rapids

17 - Girls Indoor Track & Field, GRCC, Grand Rapids

*20 - Girls Huron River Relays - EMU, Ypsilanti