Get Prepped for a Fantastic Finale
May 24, 2013
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
We love this time of year. And not just because school is nearly out for summer.
There’s little argument that the week ahead is the most exciting of each MHSAA school year. And you’ll want to set your bookmarks for MHSAA.com and Second Half for updated results and coverage not just next week – but through the rest of this spring season.
The MHSAA.com Score Center is our home for scores from all District softball, baseball and soccer games, which begin Tuesday. You also can view real-time brackets for every District by going to the “Sports” page for each, and updated brackets for lacrosse by visiting our girls and boys pages for that sport as well.
In the Lower Peninsula, we’ll have same day or next morning results as golf Districts are played, and first-day results from next weekend’s Girls Tennis Finals on May 31 – followed by final results at the conclusion of play June 1. We’ll post Finals results for Upper Peninsula golf and tennis as we receive them Wednesday and Thursday, and then results for all seven Lower and Upper Peninsula Track and Field Finals as they come in June 1.
But results are only the start. As we have during the fall and winter, Second Half will provide coverage including photos from every MHSAA Final – beginning with Wednesday’s Upper Peninsula Girls and Boys Golf and Boys Tennis Finals. Keep an eye on Second Half throughout the week, or follow the Second Half feed on the cover page of MHSAA.com.
Transfer rule clarification
We released Monday the actions our Representative Council took earlier this month at its Spring Meeting, including an addition to the athletics-related portion of our transfer rule. Based on some questions we’ve received and read, here’s some further explanation of what will be installed for 2014-15:
The longer period of ineligibility for athletes who transfer because of athletics is not new. This has previously existed for cases in which a school could prove that it lost a student to another school purely for sports-related reasons.
What’s new is what must be proven and by whom for the longer ineligibility period to take effect. Now, a school that lost a student does not have to file a report with the MHSAA for the case to be considered. As long as one of a set of offending activities can be verified – including practicing, competing or training with a member of the new school’s coaching staff during summer or non-school sports activities or seasons – that student will have to sit 180 days instead of the usual period of roughly a semester. The 15 exemptions that allow a student to be eligible immediately – like making a full move to a new district or a student’s school closing – may still apply.
So, to conclude: The longer athletics-related ineligibility period is not new, just how athletics-related transfers are considered and reported. Click to read the full release.
Kickoff is coming
And that means we’re collecting varsity football schedules.
In fact, we have most of them thanks to our athletic directors, their secretaries, coaches and many others who chip in to help us keep complete and accurate information throughout the season.
But there are still plenty of steps in getting ready for August – and a huge one is locking down correct leagues for our teams this season, especially as schools continue to switch things up.
Check out your school’s schedule page by click on the “Schools” button in the menu bar at the top of MHSAA.com and searching for your school. Once on the school page, click the blue “Boys” button next to football. The schedule will appear in the middle of the page, with standings to the left.
See an error in a schedule or the standings? Email me at [email protected]. I thank you in advance.
Kramer’s words of wisdom
Long before Roy Kramer served as athletic director at Vanderbilt University, commissioner of the Southeastern Conference and creator of the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) for Division I college football, he coached multiple sports at East Lansing High School.
He recently was named winner of this year’s Duffy Daugherty Award, given in honor of the former Michigan State University coach to a valued coach or contributor to college football. The award, presented in East Lansing, is among those recognized by the College Football Hall of Fame.
Kramer finished his acceptance speech with a stirring endorsement of the sport that brought the crowd of more than 300 to its feet. If you’re a fan, former or current player or coach, see below.
PHOTO: Athletes race toward the finish of a relay during this spring's Alma College Invitational. (Click to see more at HighSchoolsSportsScene.com.)
Century of School Sports: On This Day, December 13, We Will Celebrate
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
December 10, 2024
This Friday, December 13, 2024, the Michigan High School Athletic Association will commemorate its 100th anniversary, a special day selected from a milestone school year as the MHSAA continues to celebrate a “Century of School Sports.”
But why December 13?
Short answer: On that day, the first Representative Council of the newly-formed MHSAA met for the first time.
Longer explanation: The MHSAA’s predecessor – the Michigan Interscholastic Athletic Association – had provided oversight of school athletics from 1909-24, and adjourned its final annual meeting Dec. 5, 1924. The reasons for the end of the MIAA and formation of the MHSAA are fascinating on their own, and we’ll cover that at a later date.
But as for this important date we are discussing this week:
- At the end of the MIAA, all that remained was a committee elected to represent various sections of the state and various sizes and types of schools during the transition – a 12-member Representative Council.
- Prior to the MIAA’s conclusion, a basketball rules interpretation meeting had been scheduled and publicized for Saturday, Dec. 13, 1924, in Ann Arbor. Several athletic directors, basketball coaches and officials were expected to attend, and it was decided to also conduct the first meeting of the Representative Council that day as well.
- The Council meeting was held at the Michigan Union. Ten of 12 Council members were present, with the board including representatives from multiple regions and both peninsulas, schools large and small, public and nonpublic; junior high schools and the state department of education, and with expertise in physical education, administration and coaching – in essence, the same mix that makes up much of the Council a century later.
- Officers were elected, funds were transferred from the former MIAAA to the new MHSAA, a committee was appointed to begin discussing policies for junior high sports as they had begun to emerge, and the first Executive Committee – then known as the “Committee on Appeals” was formed to consider appeals of eligibility decisions made by the state director. The 1925 MHSAA Basketball Tournament was discussed and a committee formed to work toward those arrangements. Finally, a football eligibility situation was considered and a member school suspended, to be reinstated two months later after satisfying a series of conditions to make restitution for the use of ineligible players.
And the rest is history, with more made every year.
To commemorate this 100th anniversary, the MHSAA has received tributes from Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist II, and the Michigan Legislature signed as well by Sen. Sam Singh and Rep. Penelope Tsernoglou from the MHSAA office’s legislative districts.
The gubernatorial declaration states in part, “We honor the MHSAA’s rich legacy and the countless athletes, coaches, and volunteers who have contributed to the success of Michigan high school sports. The MHSAA’s commitment to enhancing the lives of student-athletes and strengthening communities across the state is truly remarkable.”
The legislature’s proclamation adds, “May this day serve as a testament to the MHSAA’s remarkable achievements and its enduring commitment to the advancement of high school athletics and the well-being of student-athletes across Michigan.”
Previous "Century of School Sports" Spotlights
Dec. 3: MHSAA Work Guided by Representative Council - Read
Nov. 26: Finals Provide Future Pros Early Ford Field Glory - Read
Nov. 19: Connection at Heart of Coaches Advancement Program - Read
Nov. 12: Good Sports are Winners Then, Now & Always - Read
Nov. 5: MHSAA's Home Sweet Home - Read
Oct. 29: MHSAA Summits Draw Thousands to Promote Sportsmanship - Read
Oct. 23: Cross Country Finals Among MHSAA's Longest Running - Read
Oct. 15: State's Storytellers Share Fall Memories - Read
Oct. 8: Guided by 4 S's of Educational Athletics - Read
Oct. 1: Michigan Sends 10 to National Hall of Fame - Read
Sept. 25: MHSAA Record Books Filled with 1000s of Achievements - Read
Sept. 18: Why Does the MHSAA Have These Rules? - Read
Sept. 10: Special Medals, Patches to Commemorate Special Year - Read
Sept. 4: Fall to Finish with 50th Football Championships - Read
Aug. 28: Let the Celebration Begin - Read
PHOTOS At left, gubernatorial and legislative commemorations recognize the MHSAA's 100th anniversary. At middle, the book "Athletics in Michigan High Schools - The First Hundred Years" is opened to the chapter introducing the early days of the MHSAA.