BULLETIN
May 1999 Volume LXXV Number 7
Ballots for Representative Council elections
will be mailed to principals of member schools from the MHSAA
office Sept. 1, 1999. The ballots will be due back in the MHSAA
office Sept. 17, 1999.
Six positions for membership on the Representative Council will
be up for election this fall. Vacancies for two-year terms beginning
December 1999 will occur as follows: Class C-D Southwestern Section,
Lower Peninsula; Class C-D Southeastern Section L.P.; Class A-B
Upper Peninsula; Statewide At-Large, Junior High/Middle School;
and City of Detroit.
In addition to the above named Representative Council positions,
there are three Upper Peninsula Athletic Committee positions to
be voted in September. A representative of the Class A-B, Class
C and Class D schools will be elected by the principals of the
Upper Peninsula schools.
Look for the ballots and return them in time to be counted by
the Board of Canvassers. Be sure you mark your ballot correctly
and signatures are affixed in the proper places. Ballots must
have two (2) signatures to be considered valid.
Details of the Representative Council composition may be found
beginning on page 15 of the MHSAA Handbook.
Following the due date of Sept. 17, 1999, the Board of Canvassers
as provided in Article IV of the Constitution of the Michigan
High
School Athletic Association, will meet and declare the winners
for the various vacancies.
In accordance with the approved nomination and election procedures,
listed candidates have submitted their desire to run for a position
by March 15, 1999. They have included an approval to serve from
their respective Superintendent or Principal and have certified
their qualifications to run for the office which they seek. No
write-ins will be possible because each candidate must be approved
by March 15 in order to run for a position on the Representative
Council.
Following is a list of declared candidates and the vacancies which
will occur in December 1999:
REPRESENTATIVE COUNCIL CANDIDATES FOR SEPTEMBER 1999 ELECTION
Southwestern Section, Lower Peninsula, Class
C and D Schools — Norm Johnson,
Athletic Director, Bangor High School
Southeastern Section, Lower Peninsula, Class C and D Schools
— Randy Salisbury, Principal, Britton-Macon High School
Upper Peninsula, Class A and B Schools — Dan Flynn,
Teacher/Coach, Escanaba High School; Tim Hall, Athletic Director,
Sault Ste. Marie-Sault Area High School
Statewide At-Large — John P. Gasidlo, Superintendent,
Ottawa Lake-Whiteford Agricultural Schools; Scott Grimes, Assistant
Principal, Grand Haven High School; Karen Leinaar, CAA, Athletic
Director, Gaylord High School; Dail Prucka, CAA, Athletic Director,
Monroe-Jefferson High School; Brian Zdanowski, CAA, Athletic Director,
Greenville High School
Junior High/Middle Schools — Paul Ellinger, Superintendent,
Hartford Public Schools; Craig Haugen, Principal, Addison Middle
School
City of Detroit — Eunice Moore, Director, Department
of Health, Phys. Ed. & Safety, Detroit Public Schools
UPPER PENINSULA ATHLETIC COMMITTEE
Class D Schools —
Russell Bailey, Principal/Athletic Director, Ewen-Trout Creek
High School
Class C Schools — Michelle Kanipes, Instructor/Coach,
Ironwood-L. L. Wright High School; Dee Jay Paquette, Assistant
Principal/Athletic Director, Munising Public Schools; Don Poshak,
Principal, Calumet High School
Class A and B Schools — Don Edens, Athletic Director,
Kingsford High School
President Robert Grimes opened the meeting
by welcoming Earl Rickman, Board Member from Mt. Clemens, who
was attending his first meeting as a Council member.
Associate Director Jerry Cvengros introduced Russ Bailey, Don
Edens, Dick Koski and Joe Reddinger from the Upper Peninsula Athletic
Committee whose members are invited to attend this meeting on
an annual basis.
Accounts of Meetings - Motion by Randy Salisbury, supported
by Eunice Moore, to approve the Representative Council Meeting
minutes of Dec. 2, 1998; and the minutes of the Executive Committee
Meetings of Dec. 2, 1998, Jan. 20, 1999, and Feb. 25, 1999; as
well as the minutes of the Upper Peninsula Athletic Committee
Meeting of Jan. 15, 1999. Adopted.
REPORTS
Administration - The
executive director provided a review of candidates for the MHSAA
Representative Council and Upper Peninsula Athletic Committee
elections that will be held in the fall. His brief report of winter
tournaments indicated that attendance appeared to be down at many
sites in many sports, but that attendance at the Individual Wrestling
Finals at the Joe Louis Arena was approximately 36 precent greater
than attendance at the two venues for the Individual Finals in
1998. He indicated that the first experience at the Joe Louis
Arena was far from perfect, but that all of the deficiencies of
the experience can be corrected.
The executive director reported that schools have been notified
of their basic classification for MHSAA tournaments for the year
1999-00 and that a memorandum would be sent soon to provide schools
their division assignments in all those tournaments in which schools
are placed equally into three or four divisions. Concern was expressed
for the slow response by many schools in submission of their Enrollment
Declaration Forms. The Representative Council will be brought
proposals in May to simplify the Enrollment Declaration Form to
promote a higher degree of accuracy in the counting of alternative
education students and over-age students.
Legislation - Mike Hawks reported on the legislature generally
and House Bill 4204 particularly.
Litigation - Attorney Edmund Sikorski updated the Representative
Council regarding current litigation of issues that had been resolved
by the Office for Civil Rights in 1982 and 1984.
OLD BUSINESS
Football - Motion
by Randy Salisbury, supported by Dan Flynn, to approve, without
change from the document that had been submitted to schools after
review by the Executive Committee and Football Committee in January,
the policies, procedures and penalties for schools which break
football contracts for reasons other than league actions related
to Football Playoff expansion. Adopted.
Motion by William Newkirk, supported by Eric Federico, to approve
the following three recommendations of the Football Committee:
1. Place the enrollment figure for schools opting up at the mid-point
for the higher classification.
2. Do not utilize neutral sites until the Regional level of Football
Playoffs, even if teams are located 200 or more miles apart.
3. Require teams to exchange videos/films of their last two regular
season games by 9 p.m. Monday following "selection Sunday"
unless both schools agree on another arrangement (the procedure
of exchanging videos of the previous two games played immediately
prior to the next scheduled Playoff game will continue throughout
the tournament).
Adopted.
Classification - The Representative Council discussed staff
work that had been requested by the Classification Committee that
would attempt to balance the desire of larger schools for equal
numbers of schools in each division and the desire of smaller
schools to not be placed in a division where there is a large
difference in enrollment between the smallest and largest school.
Motion by Keith Eldred, supported by Dan Flynn, to reclassify
the Lower Peninsula Cross Country and Track and Field Tournaments
into four equal divisions. Defeated.
Motion by William Newkirk, supported by Keith Alto, to not approve
reclassification of any additional tournaments at this time and
to have the Council choose a course of action at its May meeting
for considering future reclassification policies, but in no event
would any tournament be reclassified prior to the 2000-01 school
year. Defeated.
Motion by Tom Rashid, supported by Randy Salisbury, to continue
to explore in May classification modifications that would be sensitive
to Class D schools' concerns. Adopted.
Motion by Dan Flynn, supported by Eric Federico, that because
of the growth of ice hockey especially among larger schools and
through cooperative programs and because of the collision nature
of the sport, reclassify the Ice Hockey Tournament into three
equal divisions, effective with the 1999-00 school year. Adopted.
Motion by William Newkirk, supported by Robert Riemersma, that
because of the growth in school sponsorship of girls soccer, expand
the MHSAA Girls Soccer Tournament from three divisions to four
divisions in the year 2000. Adopted.
Calendar - The Representative Council reviewed concepts
for a standardized calendar and input regarding several calendar
issues. Included were the results of the survey requested by the
Council in December to help assess schools' preferences regarding
fall sports practice dates in the year 2000 and beyond. According
to 506 replying schools, the average starting date in the fall
of 1999 is Aug. 25 for students, Aug. 23 for teachers and Aug.
8 for athletic directors. Thirty-three percent of the responding
schools indicated that they favored having all fall sports start
practice one week earlier. Twenty-nine percent of the respondents
indicated that they would favor having some but not all of the
fall sports start practice earlier.
Motion by Tom Rashid, supported by William Newkirk, to not approve
the recommendations of the MHSAA Golf and Tennis Committees to
allow fall practice in those sports to begin a week earlier than
the current schedule would allow. Adopted (no change).
Motion by Keith Alto, supported by Gerry David, to not approve
the request of the OK Conference and Grand Rapids City League
to permit golf practice to begin on Wednesday, Aug. 11 in 1999.
Adopted (no change).
NEW BUSINESS
Northville High School (Regulation I, Section
9) - On Sept. 10, 1998, the Executive
Committee considered a late request to waive the transfer regulation
on behalf of a 10th-grade student whose family was building a
house in Northville that had been expected to be completed in
August but then was scheduled for completion in October; while
the student remained living in the Plymouth School District. At
that meeting, the Executive Committee granted the request for
waiver with the conditions that if the family failed to reside
in Northville by the last day of the first semester of the 1998-99
school year, the school would forfeit all contests in which the
student participated during that semester and the student would
be ineligible for interscholastic competition at any MHSAA member
school during the first semester of the 1999-00 school year.
Because the house was not completed by the first day of the second
semester and will remain unfinished and unoccupied until at least
late April or early May, the school requested waiver of penalties
and extension of the timelines stipulated in September. At its
Feb. 25, 1999 meeting, the Executive Committee determined that
the terms of the Sept. 10 Executive Committee Meeting should be
upheld and enforced.
The school appealed that decision, with presentations by the athletic
director and the student's parents which emphasized that the student's
eligibility had been taken out of the hands of the school and
placed in the hands of the building industry, and the student
was suffering for actions of others.
Council members noted that if the family and school had accepted
the application of the transfer regulation in August which determined
the student was ineligible for one semester, then the student
would have become eligible on the first day of the second semester
and no forfeits would have been required for the student's first
semester participation. It appeared to Council members that in
September the Executive Committee was led to believe that the
latest the family would be relocating into the Northville district
would be in October; but the additional information provided with
this appeal revealed that many permits had not been issued at
the time of the Executive Committee's September meeting and that
it should have been obvious to the family and school that an October
relocation was unrealistic.
Motion by Dan Flynn, supported by William Newkirk, to modify the
Executive Committee's action as follows: (1) The student is ineligible
until she and her family have relocated from their current residence
to a residence within the Northville School District; (2) If residency
has been attained, the student will not be ineligible during the
first semester of 1999-00; (3) The forfeits for the student's
first semester participation in 1998-99 shall stand. Adopted.
Ice Hockey - The Representative Council reviewed a summary
of concerns for conduct during the 1998-99 ice hockey season that
included 97 player ejections, nine coach ejections and one suspended
game. Five special circumstances were reviewed, as was the history
of four occasions when the MHSAA has applied special scrutiny
for sportsmanship problems: to ice hockey in 1979 and 1987 and
to soccer in 1988 and 1993.
Motion by Eric Federico, supported by Dan Flynn, to convene in
April a meeting of 1999 MHSAA District, Regional and Final Tournament
Managers to address ice hockey conduct concerns, to bring a report
of that meeting to the Representative Council in May, and to consider
these additional actions at the May Council meeting:
1. Assign the MHSAA Ice Hockey Committee the responsibility of
preparing at its September meeting those proposals which, if adopted
and implemented, could restore confidence that interscholastic
hockey in general and the MHSAA postseason tournament in particular
will be conducted with an atmosphere that is appropriate for educational
athletics.
2. Subsequent to the Ice Hockey Committee's September meeting
and prior to the Council's Dec. 1, 1999 meeting, conduct a mandatory
meeting in one place at one time to review the proposals and obtain
commitment to their implementation if adopted by the Council.
This meeting would be mandatory: only those schools with an administrator
in attendance would be permitted to enter the next MHSAA postseason
Ice Hockey Tournament.
Adopted.
The Council reviewed proposals to host the MHSAA Ice Hockey Semifinal
and Final Tournaments at Cobo Arena in Detroit, the Delta Plex
in Grand Rapids, and the Flint IMA. Motion by William Newkirk,
supported by Earl Rickman, to authorize the staff to complete
negotiations with the Flint IMA to host the MHSAA Semifinal and
Final Ice Hockey Tournament for the next four years, including
in 2002 and 2003 in the IMA's new arena. Adopted.
Vern L. Norris Award - The Council was presented with the
two finalists for the Vern L. Norris Award which had been screened
by the MHSAA Awards Committee from 17 nominees. The Council selected
the recipient of the award, which will be presented at the Officials'
Awards & Alumni Banquet on April 10, 1999.
Meetings - The Representative Council approved expenses
for the March Council Meeting and the schedule for the May Council
Meeting, May 2-4, 1999.
Motion by Tom Rashid, supported by Eunice Moore, to approve expenses
to the National Federation Annual Meeting in July as follows:
room for up to six days at the specified hotel rate, per diem
for up to six days at the IRS limit, conference registration as
required by the National Federation, and unrestricted coach airfare
for one person. Adopted.
Finance Committee Report - Motion by William Newkirk, supported
by Gerry David, to approve the Finance Committee's recommendation
for ticket price increases commencing in 1999-00 for the sports
of baseball, basketball, cross country, ice hockey, skiing, softball,
swimming, tennis, and track and field, amounting to an estimated
total of $79,600. Adopted.
Motion by Eunice Moore, supported by William Newkirk, to approve
the Finance Committee's proposal that the MHSAA provide Representative
Council members with a travel accident insurance policy. Adopted.
It was reported that the Finance Committee is recommending that
the MHSAA continue to keep on the market for sale the one unsold
parcel that remains for the Ramblewood Office Park. Options of
leasing or developing the land in a different manner were determined
to not be in the association's best interest at this time.
Motion by Keith Eldred, supported by William Newkirk, to approve
the Finance Committee recommendations for salary and benefit changes
for MHSAA staff for 1999-00. This included modifications to the
pension plan and support staff sick leave policy. Adopted.
Members Present:
Robert Grimes, Battle Creek
Dennis Kniola, Stevensville
Tom Rashid, Detroit
Dan Flynn, Escanaba
Member Absent:
Christi Brilinski, Boyne City
Staff Members 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 post-season 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.
Flushing High School (Regulation I, Section 1) - A late
request to waive the enrollment regulation was made on behalf
of an 11th-grade student who attends Flushing High School for
two classes a day and is home-schooled for four hours each day.
The school does not grant credit for any of the home schooling,
has no input into the home curriculum, and receives no reports
regarding attendance, academic progress or conduct.
The Executive Committee denied the request for waiver, noting
that it is within each school district's authority to establish
policies that will allow home-schooled students to satisfy the
minimum attendance and/or credit requirements at the school that
are sufficient to earn athletic eligibility.
Republic-Michigamme Schools (Regulation I, Section 1[D]) -
Request was made to waive the regulation to permit the school
to involve 8th-graders on its girls basketball and cross country
teams in 1999, even though its enrollment has moved over 75 (76).
The Executive Committee granted the request for these sports only
for the 1999-00 school year only.
Westland-Huron Valley Lutheran High School (Regulation I, Section
1[D]) - A late request was made to allow 8th-graders from
five feeder schools to participate on the 1999 baseball team at
Huron Valley Lutheran High School. The school's 1998-99 enrollment
is 67 (52 for 1999-00). None of the five schools is a member school.
The Executive Committee denied the request for waiver because
the intent of the regulation is that the 8th-graders come from
only one feeder school which is closely connected to the high
school.
Britton-Macon and Deerfield High Schools (Regulation I, Section
1[E]) - The Executive Committee approved the addition of fall
golf to the cooperative program agreement that exists between
these schools in baseball, softball, football, track and field,
and cross country. Neither school has sponsored golf previously.
Britton-Macon will be the primary school. The combined enrollment
is likely to place the program in Division 4.
Bridgeport High School (Regulation I, Section 9[B]) - Request
to waive the transfer regulation to permit eligibility only at
the sub-varsity level during the current semester was made on
behalf of a 10th -grade student who enrolled Jan. 18, 1999, after
relocating from his mother's residence in Tennessee to his grandparents
in Bridgeport.
The Executive Committee granted the request, provided the student
did not previously participate in any sport at the 9th-grade level
or higher.
Chelsea High School (Regulation I, Section 9) - Request
to waive the transfer regulation was made on behalf of an 11th-grade
student who enrolled Jan. 5, 1999, at Chelsea High School after
he moved from his grandmother, with whom he lived in Florida since
the fall of 1991, to his aunt in Chelsea, with whom he had lived
from age 3 ½ to 10 ½ when his mother was in and
out of jail.
The Executive Committee granted the request for waiver.
Clinton Township-Chippewa Valley High School (Regulation I,
Section 9) - Request to waive the transfer regulation to permit
eligibility at the start of the first semester of the 1999-00
school year was made on behalf of an 11th-grade student who withdrew
from De La Salle Collegiate High School on March 1, 1999. He enrolled
at Chippewa Valley on Feb. 26, but attended his first class on
March 1.
The Executive Committee granted the request for waiver.
Dearborn-Divine Child High School (Regulation I, Section 9)
- Request to waive the transfer regulation was made on behalf
of a 12th-grade student who has relocated between the residences
of her divorced parents. She had attended Divine Child Schools
until her move to her father's home in September 1998 when she
transferred to Dearborn Heights-Crestwood High School. She returned
to her mother's residence and re-enrolled at Divine Child in November.
St. Alphonsus High School is actually nearer her mother's residence.
The student also has a sister who is a 9th-grader at Divine Child
and the family is a long-standing parishioner of Divine Child
Church.
The Executive Committee granted the request for waiver.
Detroit-Cass Technical High School (Regulation I, Section 9[C])
- Request to waive the transfer regulation to permit eligibility
after 90 school days of enrollment at Cass Technical High School
was made on behalf of a student who enrolled at Cass Tech Oct.
19, 1998, after transferring from St. Martin De Porres High School
for additional curriculum choices.
The Executive Committee granted the request for waiver, effective
with the student's 91st school day of enrollment at Cass Tech
High School.
Grosse Pointe South High School (Regulation I, Section 9) -
Request to waive the transfer regulation to permit immediate
eligibility was made on behalf of an 11th-grade student who enrolled
at Grosse Pointe South High School Feb. 1, 1999, when relocating
from South Africa to his uncle. The student's father died in 1983.
His mother remains in South Africa.
The Executive Committee denied the request for waiver.
Jackson-Northwest High School (Regulation I, Section 9[B])
- Request was made to waive the transfer regulation to permit
eligibility at the sub-varsity level only during the current school
year for a 9th-grade student who transferred from Brooklyn-Columbia
Central to Jackson-Northwest, when the student and his mother
moved from the residence of his father in Brooklyn to the residence
of his grandfather in the Northwest district in October. The student
did not participate in school sports at Columbia Central. At its
November meeting, the Executive Committee granted the request,
allowing the student immediate eligibility only at the sub-varsity
level during the 1998-99 school year.
Subsequently, the school has requested that the student be allowed
eligibility at any level effective with his 91st school day since
enrolling at Northwest High School on Oct. 21, 1998.
The Executive Committee denied the request for waiver.
Saginaw-Nouvel Catholic Central High School (Regulation I,
Section 9[B]) - Request was made to permit sub-varsity eligibility
during the second semester of the 1998-99 school year for a 9th-grade
student who enrolled Feb. 12, 1999, after a transfer from Essexville-Garber
High School where he did not participate in any sport.
The Executive Committee granted the request for waiver during
the second semester of the 1998-99 school year at the sub-varsity
level only.
Traverse City Christian High School (Regulation I, Section
9[C]) - Request to waive the transfer regulation to permit
eligibility after 90 school days of enrollment at Traverse City
Christian was made on behalf of a 9th-grade student from Traverse
City-St. Francis High School who enrolled March 8, 1999.
The Executive Committee granted the request for waiver, effective
with the student's 91st school day of enrollment at Traverse City
Christian High School.
Warren-Macomb Christian High School (Regulation II, Section
11[E]) - Request was made to waive applicable regulations
to permit the scheduling of a Thursday through Saturday Christian
schools boys soccer tournament commencing Aug. 26, 1999, when
the earliest date allowed for competition is Aug. 27 in 1999.
The Executive Committee denied the request for waiver and deferred
additional discussion to the March 26, 1999 Representative Council
Meeting when several calendar topics will be reviewed.
Allen Park High School (Regulation II, Section 15) - Request
was made to award a medal for the MHSAA Individual Wrestling Finals
to a competitor who was guaranteed no lower than sixth place had
he not been disqualified, but who missed the time of his bout
because of an argument that occurred between his parents.
The Executive Committee denied the request for waiver, consistent
with policies applied to other students in this and other MHSAA
tournaments.
Lake Linden-Hubbell and Dollar Bay-Tamarack City Junior High
Schools (Regulation III, Section 1[D]) - The Executive Committee
approved a cooperative program in football at the junior high
school level. Lake Linden-Hubbell Junior High School would be
the primary school.
Northern Lakes Conference (Regulation III, Section 1[C]) -
Request to waive the enrollment regulation and specifically
Interpretation No. 215 was made to allow 6th-grade students to
play on 7th and 8th-grade teams in boys and girls basketball in
the fall of 1999.
Acting separately with respect to each school involved –
Alba, Boyne Falls, Ellsworth, Harbor Springs-Harbor Light Christian,
Mackinaw City, Vanderbilt and Wolverine – the Executive Committee
granted each request to waive applicable Handbook provisions to
permit the use of 6th-grade students on 7th and 8th-grade teams
in boys and girls basketball only during the fall season of 1999
only; and the Executive Committee requested the MHSAA Junior High/Middle
School Committee again discuss 6th-graders' participation at its
next meeting.
Redford-John D. Pierce Middle School (Regulation III, Section
1[C]) - Request to waive the enrollment regulation and specifically
Interpretation No. 215 was made to permit a 5th-grade student,
who is two years behind his age group, to participate on the 7th
and 8th-grade teams of this member middle school.
The Executive Committee granted the request for this student only,
for the remainder of the current school year only.
Republic-Michigamme Middle School (Regulation III, Section
1[C]) - Request to waive the enrollment regulation and specifically
Interpretation No. 215 was made to allow 6th-grade students to
participate on 7th/8th-grade basketball teams during the 1999-00
school year. (High school enrollment was 67 in 1998-99; the 1999-00
enrollment is 76.)
The Executive Committee granted the request for 7th/8th-grade
basketball only, for the 1999-00 school year only.
Southfield-Faith Christian Academy (Regulation III, Section
1[C]) - Request was made to waive the enrollment regulation
and specifically Interpretation No. 215 to allow 6th-grade students
to participate with 7th and 8th-grade students in track and field.
The Executive Committee granted the request for 7th/8th-grade
track and field only, for the remainder of the current school
year only.
Watersmeet Junior High School (Regulation III, Section 1[C])
- Request was made to waive the enrollment regulation and
specifically Interpretation No. 215 to allow 6th-grade students
to participate in the 7th/8th-grade girls and boys basketball
programs during 1999-00. (High school enrollment in 1998-99 was
55; will be 56 in 1999-00.)
The Executive Committee granted the request for waiver for 7th/8th-grade
girls and boys basketball only, during the 1999-00 school year
only.
Ramblewood Park Condominium - Owners of Units 1 and 3 have
proposed a new entry sign for the complex.
The Executive Committee indicated its strong preference for the
current office park sign over the alternative designs proposed
for the corner of Coolidge Road and Ramblewood Drive and thought
it premature for Units 1 and 3 to go to the additional expense
of constructing a new sign at this time. The Executive Committee
directed there be no change in the sign until construction on
Unit 5 and full utilization of unit sign opportunities on Units
1 and 3 have been completed and it can be demonstrated there are
frequent customer/client difficulties in locating the primary
tenant of Unit 1 or Unit 3.
Representative Council - The Executive Committee reviewed
the schedule and agenda for the March 26, 1999 meeting.
Next Meetings - The next meetings of the Executive Committee
are Thursday, April 22, 1999, at 9 a.m. in East Lansing; and Saturday,
May 1, 1999, at 6 p.m. in Thompsonville.
In the December-January 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 fourth of these issues – the scope of school sports – a bit deeper.
The more I observe the world of sports, the
prouder and more protective I become of school sports.
In school sports, we strive to achieve lengths of seasons and
trips, as well as numbers of contests per week and per season,
that allow participants to be students first and athletes second
(or even third). In contrast, some intercollegiate programs cause
teams to play in any state in the nation, on any day of the week,
at almost any hour of the day or night.
It should be no surprise that college presidents and conference
commissioners are embarrassed with athletes' graduation rates
that are not defensible in sports programs sponsored by educational
institutions. How can it be right for a majority of Division I
men's basketball players to never graduate from college?
Youth leagues in ice hockey, soccer and other sports tempt students
to the same scheduling and travel excesses, lowering GPAs if not
graduation rates of their players.
We prohibit students from participating in high school all-star
games and national high school championships, unlike most every
other level of sports in America that blindly pursue the "bigger
is better" philosophy that takes even pre-teens to national
and even international tournaments.
In school sports, we reject alcoholic beverages for our television
sponsors, in contrast to some telecasts of athletic events by
colleges, where alcohol is the reason for more academic failures
and dropouts than any other cause, and binge drinking is epidemic
and becoming increasingly deadly to college students. How can
it be right to allow alcoholic ads?
For MHSAA events, we also refuse advertising and sponsorship by
casinos and even the Michigan Lottery, both of which are making
gambling a way of life in society. Meanwhile, national intercollegiate
athletic executives identify sports betting as the greatest threat
to the integrity, and thus the popularity, of intercollegiate
athletics.
In school sports, we have rules which, in the name of modesty,
establish the minimum dimensions of swimming suits, while the
governing body of women's beach volleyball has rules which, in
the name of sexploitation, establishes the maximum for bikini
bottoms worn by female players. How can that be right?
In school sports, we limit the value of trophies, medals and merchandise
to $15 per item. We prohibit cash payments. We require high school
athletes to be amateurs, unlike what we're seeing in intercollegiate
and Olympic athletics.
We refuse to equate victory with monetary gain, which is part
of what creates the appetite for performance-enhancing drugs.
The Feb. 15, 1999 cover story of Newsweek Magazine stated, "The
greatest threat to the image, integrity and even the continued
existence of elite level international competitions from the World
Cup to the Tour de France to the Olympic games themselves is the
use of illicit performance-enhancing drugs."
We reject the "No. 1 syndrome" that equates Olympic
silver medals with losing.
There are so many excesses and abuses in sports we read about
daily, most of which we avoid in school sports by good old-fashioned
rules and regulations, and restraints on egos and profits. The
more I see of sports on other levels by other sponsors, the more
I respect the heritage of and continuing vision for school sports
. . . not perfect, but as pure and wholesome as any sports we
can find in America today.
Members Present:
Patricia Christiansen, Riverview
Deb Gaines, Breckenridge H.S.
Joe Haines, Kenowa Hills H.S.
Bobbe Johnson, Portland
Debbie Karaba, North Muskegon H.S.
Tracy Lentz, Portage Central H.S.
Kelli Matthes, Lake Orion H.S.
Gary Morris, Bishop Foley H.S.
Phyllis Olszewski, East Jordan H.S.
Amanda Pelukas, Allen Park H.S.
Kelli Piatt, West Ottawa H.S.
Jan Stahr, Flat Rock H.S.
Beth Taylor, Bedford H.S.
Members Absent:
Brenda Moore, Houghton Lake
Marc Throop, Richland
Staff Member Present:
Suzanne Martin, East Lansing (Recorder)
The Competitive Cheer Committee met to review tournament procedures,
competitive cheer rules and the methods of disbursing information
to member schools, coaches and judges.
This year the agenda included topics suggested by the Detroit
Catholic League, Southwestern Michigan Coaches, the Competitive
Cheer Coaches Association of Michigan and all individuals who
placed their concerns and suggestions in writing to the MHSAA.
The committee assisted MHSAA staff in updating the Competitive
Cheer Manual with editorial corrections. Also, pictures of skills
will be updated to provide a more accurate depiction of those
skills. The arm positioning for the herkie jump will be clarified.
The committee asked staff to require the following procedures
and documents from competitive cheer hosts:
1. In the event of illness or injury on the day of the event at
the competition site, allow a team to be placed at the end of
the competitive order for the next round.
2. When conducting the draw for order of competition, do not allow
a team to compete last in a round then first in the next round.
3. Request a reporting of scores that provides to every coach
at the competition the scores of all rounds for all teams from
all judges.
4. Provide an opportunity for base scoring at the Finals. This
would assist officials in determining a starting point in judging
for the day and it would help eliminate pressure on the team that
competes first in each round to set the standard for placement.
Topics discussed by the committee but not placed
in the form of a motion:
1. Add a semifinal round of competition in the tournament series.
2. Assign teams to Regionals based on competitive level.
3. Separate class C and D teams for tournament series competition.
4. Determine difficulty in Round 3 by multiplying the difficulty
points by a determined multiplier times execution points received.
This proposal is based on a desire to include a risk factor in
determining the score.
5. Assign a higher point value to flairs that are performed above
shoulder level.
6. Increase the range on the difficulty chart used in Round 3.
Clarifications in Categories of Judging
The committee spent an extensive amount of time to clarify and
then correct the language currently written on the scoresheets
for categories of judging.
The categories involved were Floor Mobility, General Impression
and Round 1 jumps:
Floor Mobility in Round 1 will include accuracy of formations,
spacing, effectiveness, ease of transition, visual patterns from
formation to formation.
General Impression in Round 2 will include floor mobility. General
Impression in Round 3 will include floor presence.
Unison of Execution was deleted from the jumps category in Round
1. The language was replaced with "timing".
The committee requests that the nuances of judging floor mobility
and general impression be clarified prior to the 1999-2000 competitive
season.
Safety Judge Scoresheet Changes
As a result of a review of safety judge responsibilities and violations
that need be more clearly defined as safety issues, the following
items will be included on the safety judge score sheet:
1. Shoes and eye glasses will be included in the three-point deduction
for detached hair devices.
2. Hair on shoulders will be included in the 7 point deduction
for illegal hair device.
3. Team member contact during a tumbling/gymnastic skill or jump
will be a seven-point deduction in all three Rounds.
4. A fall by the flyer that received no assistance "by spotter"
will continue to be a seven-point deduction. "By spotter"
will be deleted.
5. "Different" will be eliminated from the eight formations
required in Round 3.
6. A category will be added for "required jumps in Round
1 not performed in unison". It will be a 14-point deduction.
Cheer Judge Scoresheet Changes
1. Referencing recommendations to the Representative Council,
if new skills are approved for round two, some existing skills
will be shifted from one point value category to another:
a) The front hurdler would become a 10 point value jump.
b) A one-hand cartwheel would be added to the 12 point category.
2. The Round 3 scoresheet will have an area for the judge to indicate
a 2.0 fall was penalized.
3. Referencing recommendations to the Representative Council,
the Round 3 Difficulty Chart will be changed to reflect point
values for teams of 13, 14, 15 and 16 competitors, if approved.
4. When a coach reports that a team will compete with a "hole"
because of illness or injury the maximum the team can receive
in General Impression will be 8 points.
5. Round 1, 2, and 3 scoresheets will be revised so that judges
will be able to submit a score with whole numbers or .5 in the
following categories:
• Round 1 - the two required jumps
• Round 2 - all categories except General Impression
• Round 3 - subcategory Execution only.
Points of Emphasis
• MHSAA staff will clarify for judges and coaches and place
in the manual, the difference between a 14-point deduction for
not performing a Round 2 skill as it is described and an execution
deduction, i.e. heel stretch, universal jump, herkie jump.
• MHSAA staff will provide in writing, in still photo form
and video form the NEW 10-count precision drill.
Date-- City-- Site
1. Thursday, August 5-- Gaylord-- Holiday Inn
2. Friday, August 6 --Escanaba --Days Inn
3. Tuesday, August 10-- Jackson-- Holiday Inn
4. Wednesday, August 11-- Frankenmuth --Zhenders
5. Friday, August 13-- Grand Rapids-- Holiday Inn, East
6. Tuesday, August 17 --Bloomfield Hills-- Fox & Hounds
7. Thursday, August 19-- East Lansing-- MHSAA
(New AD Workshop)-- (9am-3pm)
8. Friday, August 20-- Kalamazoo --Holiday Inn, West
9. Tuesday, August 24-- Clare-- Doherty Hotel
Registration: $15 (includes lunch), payable to MHSAA–8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., except No. 7
Name:______________________________________________ Position:____________________
Affiliated School:______________________________________ School ID#_________________
School Address: _________________________________________________________________
City:_______________________________________________________ Zip:________________
Work Phone: (_____)_____________________ Home Phone: (_____)_____________________
PLEASE RETURN TO: Jerry Cvengros/Sally Fisher,
MHSAA, 1661 Ramblewood Dr., East Lansing, MI 48823
A comprehensive teleconference for all coaches
and school nutrition educators in all sports will take place on
September 27, when the Michigan High School Athletic Association
and the United Dairy Industry of Michigan sponsor Nutrition Solutions
for Sports Performance.
The 90-minute live video teleconference will be made available
at no charge to schools and other receiving outlets throughout
the state beginning at 7 p.m. (EDT) that day.
This is the second nutrition videoconference that the MHSAA has
made available to member schools with underwriting by the United
Dairy Industry of Michigan. The first was in 1996, and was specifically
targeted at wrestling schools as part of the education program
of the Michigan Weight Monitoring Program. This year's conference
will address the needs of all athletes in all sports.
The teleconference will feature two nationally-known nutrition
experts. Dr. Jacqueline R. Berning is an assistant professor at
the University of Colorado who serves as a nutrition advisor to
several professional sports teams, including the two-time defending
Super Bowl Champion Denver Broncos. Ruth Carey is a registered
dietician and a nutrition consultant to the Portland, Oregon,
Public Schools, who has also served as a consultant for a number
of soccer teams.
From a training perspective, Tim Wakeham, the assistant strength
and conditioning coach at Michigan State University, will bring
his expertise to the program.
In addition, a professional athlete's nutrition and training regiment
will also be featured; and information about the Sports Nutrition
Award for 1999-00 will also be presented.
Serving as the moderator and host of the teleconference will be
Warren Reyonlds, the long-time sports broadcaster and personality
from Grand Rapids. Reynolds has previously called play-by-play
of MHSAA Boys Basketball Finals, and moderated the teleconference,
Future Funding For School Athletics, in 1993.
A mailing for schools and Intermediate School District offices
to sign up as receiving sites was scheduled for April. For more
information, contact Karen Bernardi at the United Dairy Industry
of Michigan office in Okemos toll free at 1-800-241-6455. The
receiving registration deadline is Friday, May 28, 1999.
Officials rating forms for varsity or sub-varsity
baseball, girls soccer, and softball were sent in late April to
all MHSAA member schools sponsoring those sports. The forms are
designed to be “read” by a mark sensor scanning device.
Many of the blanks already have been completed and returned. The
deadline for receiving forms in this office will be May 28, 1999.
Rating blanks received after this date will not be processed.
Athletic directors are reminded that only one rating may be submitted
for each official regardless of the number of times the official
works contests for one school. Each official may receive a varsity
and a sub-varsity rating from one school for working more than
one level of competition.
The mark sensor forms do require attention and adherence to specific
preparation rules.
1. Use only a No. 2 pencil — NO INK.
2. Fully mark each space selected.
3. Print the officials ID number and name in the space provided
and fully darken the appropriate spaces under the entry. Officials
ID numbers are found in the Officials Directory.
4. Indicate “Varsity” or “Sub-varsity” rating.
5. Print the school ID number in the space provided and fully
darken in the appropriate spaces under the entry. School ID numbers
are in the School Directory in parentheses following the school
name.
6. Use only the original forms sent to your school. Copies of
the form cannot be read by our equipment because the carbon properties
in the copy machine ink violate the system.
7. Keep forms as neat and free of wrinkles, folds and holes as
possible.
8. Athletic directors are asked to review the ratings and make
copies of the ratings sent for their files in case problems develop.
File copies help solve problems.
It is important that rating forms be reviewed by athletic directors
before mailing to insure that they are completely and properly
filled out. All schools should be positive that EITHER the superintendent
OR the principal AND the athletic director OR the coach sign and
review the ratings forms and that they be returned to the MHSAA
office at the earliest opportunity.
NOTE: When an official receives a rating value of 5, the school
must submit an Unsatisfactory Rating Explanation form to the official
and to the MHSAA with the Rating Form. WITHOUT THE DOCUMENT the
“5” rating will be expunged from the officials rating
record.
An official may be rated as varsity and/or sub-varsity only once
pre sport, per school, per year.
During the 1998-99 school year, 33 high school
seniors - 25 boys and 8 girls - participated as MHSAA Legacy officials.
This year's class brings the total to 134 students who have become
registered and active officials during their senior year of high
school through the Legacy program.
The program was conceived by officials, teachers of officiating
classes and staff members of the MHSAA and first implemented in
the year 1992.
Basic to the program is the belief that properly and adequately
coached from the outset, young people with an interest in officiating
can develop as capable officials so that in the future they will
be prepared to follow in the footsteps of their adult guide. It
is a goal of the program that student officials learn the correct
way to perform as an official.
Each student official (high school senior) must be prepared to
dedicate time to study, practice and learn officiating skills,
as well as officiate 7th and 8th grade contests. Student officials
must understand the need for time commitment before they embark
on this experience.
The student's guide is a veteran official who will chart the course,
help arrange contests and introduce the student to the practices
and procedures of officiating. Assistance with tests and clinic
experiences is a part of this responsibility. The teaching guide
accompanies the student official to MHSAA rules meetings.
Former athletes remain one of the basic populations from which
MHSAA contests officials are developed. They enjoy athletics,
have an understanding of the games and a love of the competition.
In addition, athletes have an understanding and appreciation of
the sportsmanship that is important to competition.
Becoming a member of the officiating "team" through
the Legacy program allows students to remain connected to the
sport which was enjoyed so much as a player.
MHSAA and National Federation Sanctioning Procedure
The following situations must be approved by
the MHSAA before any meet or tournament 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 nonschool 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 April 3, for events to be held in May & June.)
*Dates preceded by an asterisk are National Federation sanctioned.
**Dates preceded by two asterisks are border state approved.
MAY—
*9 – Eastside Junior and Senior High School Softball Tournament,
Indiana
*14-15 – St. Charles Soccer Invitational, St. Charles, IL
27 – Muskegon Chronicle Track Meet
JUNE—
1 – Meet of Champions (Track)