Click for Hot Weather and Hydration Resources
July 24, 2012
The extreme temperatures this Summer in advance of the start of another season of high school sports give cause for concern about physical activity in such conditions, and the Michigan High School Athletic Association continues its role in providing its member schools educational information to assist them in minimizing the possibility of heat-related catastrophic injuries to student-athletes.
The topic of heat-related injuries receives a lot of attention at this time of year, especially when deaths at the professional, collegiate and interscholastic levels of sport occur, and especially since they are preventable in most cases with the proper precautions. In football, data from the National Federation of State High School Associations shows that 35 high school players have died from heat stroke between 1995 and 2010.
Each year, the MHSAA provides information to its member schools to help them prepare for hot weather practice and game conditions in the late Summer and early Fall. Football practice can begin at MHSAA member schools on August 6, followed by all other Fall sports on August 8.
Even before the days of the Internet, the MHSAA was providing resources each Spring to assist schools in their preparation for hot preseason practices. That same information is now available online for all interested parties to utilize, including a link to a free online course, A Guide to Heat Acclimatization and Heat Illness Prevention, produced by the National Federation of State High School Associations. The Health & Safety Resources page of the MHSAA Website has a set of Frequently Asked Questions about dehydration and a page dedicated to hydration and heat illness where preventative steps are outlined, as well as the signs and symptoms of heat illness and action steps to take when it is observed.
Visit MHSAA.com, click on Schools, and then on Health & Safety Resources to find the information.
“Heat stroke is almost always preventable,” said John E. “Jack” Roberts, executive director of the MHSAA. “We know now more than we ever have about when the risk is high and who is most at risk, and we’re fortunate to be able to communicate that information better than ever before to administrators, coaches, athletes and parents. We encourage everyone to avail themselves of the information on our website and through other sources, and to take the online course through the National Federation.”
Roberts added that the first days of formal practices in hot weather should be more for heat acclimatization than the conditioning of athletes, and that practices in such conditions need planning to become longer and more strenuous over a gradual progression of time.
“Then, schools need to be vigilant about providing water during practices, making sure that youngsters are partaking of water and educating their teams about the need for good hydration practices away from the practice and competition fields,” Roberts said.
MHSAA Representative Council Elects 1st New President in Decade at Fall Meeting
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
December 19, 2024
The Representative Council of the Michigan High School Athletic Association received reports on the upcoming sponsorship of two recently-added sports, provided support for a study group to discuss the number of postseason divisions for several more sports, and elected a new president for the first time in a decade during its Fall Meeting on Dec. 6 in East Lansing.
Generally, the Council takes only a few actions during its Fall Meeting, with topics often introduced for additional consideration and action during its meetings in March and May. The Council took only one action at this meeting but began conversations on several topics that will be continued throughout the remainder of this school year.
The lone action regarded baseball and a previously-approved requirement for teams to submit their pitch counts online beginning with the Spring 2025 season. The Council approved a one-year delay in that requirement to allow more time for technology development and implementation.
The Council received reports on two sports set to begin with MHSAA sponsorship with the 2025-26 school year – girls field hockey and boys volleyball. The first Girls Field Hockey Committee has met and will be sending several proposals to the Council for action during its March meeting in preparation for the Fall 2025 season. The Volleyball Committee will meet soon with potential proposals for boys volleyball coming before the Council in March or May.
MHSAA staff led a discussion regarding the number of postseason divisions for baseball, basketball, Lower Peninsula cross country, softball, Lower Peninsula track & field and volleyball, which are all sponsored by at least 550 schools. The conversation included data from a 2023 Update Meeting poll question that addressed the topic and discussions that took place during MHSAA sport committee meetings during the 2023-24 school year. The Council discussed if adding fifth divisions to those sports is necessary or desirable and gave support for MHSAA staff to form a study group on the topic and provide a report to the Council during its May 2025 meeting.
Council members discussed social media issues that had arisen in the school sports community over the last several months, and how member schools should address these situations and the role the MHSAA should play in communicating with all schools involved in specific instances.
The Council also received updates from the MHSAA’s Sports Medicine Advisory Committee and discussed several matters related to recently completed fall tournaments, broadcast partnerships, MHSAA Athletic Director Update Meeting and In-Service Programs and other administrative topics.
The Fall Meeting also saw elections of Council officers for the upcoming year. Midland assistant principal and athletic director Eric Albright was elected president, as retired Grand Haven Superintendent Scott Grimes completed his tenure on the Council and 10th and final term as president. Brighton High School athletic director John Thompson was reelected as Council vice president, and Vic Michaels, director of physical education and athletics for the Archdiocese of Detroit, was reelected as secretary-treasurer.
Additionally, Westland John Glenn athletic director Jason Malloy was appointed for a second two-year term on the Council. Monica Merritt, superintendent for Plymouth-Canton Community Schools, was appointed for a first two-year term.
The Representative Council is the legislative body of the MHSAA. All but five members are elected by member schools. Four members are appointed by the Council to facilitate representation of females and minorities, and the 19th position is occupied by the Superintendent of Public Instruction or designee.
The MHSAA is a private, not-for-profit corporation of voluntary membership by more than 1,500 public and private senior high schools and junior high/middle schools which exists to develop common rules for athletic eligibility and competition. No government funds or tax dollars support the MHSAA, which was the first such association nationally to not accept membership dues or tournament entry fees from schools. Member schools which enforce these rules are permitted to participate in MHSAA tournaments, which attract more than 1.4 million spectators each year.