MHSAA Provides Heat Management Reminders in Advance of 2023 Fall Practices
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
August 1, 2023
Temperatures reached record highs in some parts of Michigan at the start of this summer, and heat waves have made headlines nationally over the last month. Although the state didn’t experience similar extremes during July, the beginning of August always is a pertinent time for reminders that more hot weather is likely in many areas and should be prepared for as Michigan High School Athletic Association practices are set to begin Monday, Aug. 7.
Each year, the MHSAA provides information to its member schools to help them prepare for hot weather practice and game conditions during the late summer and early fall. Practices for all Fall 2023 sports – cross country, football, Lower Peninsula girls golf, boys soccer, Lower Peninsula girls swimming & diving, Lower Peninsula boys and Upper Peninsula girls tennis, and volleyball – may begin Monday, Aug. 7.
The “Health & Safety” page of the MHSAA Website has links to several information sources, including the MHSAA preseason publication Heat Ways, which is available for download and includes valuable information on heat management in addition to requirements and resources regarding head injuries and sudden cardiac arrest.
The first days of formal practices in hot weather should be more for heat acclimatization than the conditioning of athletes, and practices in such conditions need planning to become longer and more strenuous over a gradual progression of time. Schools also must consider moving practices to different locations or different times of day, or change practice plans to include different activities depending on the conditions. Furthermore, football practice rules allow for only helmets to be worn during the first two days, only shoulder pads to be added on the third and fourth days, and full pads to not be worn until the fifth day of team practice.
The MHSAA advises student-athletes to make sure to hydrate all day long – beginning before practice, continuing during and also after practice is done. Water and properly-formulated sports drinks are the best choices for hydration.
A number of member schools follow the MHSAA’s Model Policy for Managing Heat & Humidity, which while not mandated for member schools was adopted as a rule for MHSAA postseason competition in 2013. The plan directs schools to begin monitoring the heat index at the activity site once the air temperature reaches 80 degrees, and provides recommendations when the heat index reaches certain points, including ceasing activities when it rises above 104 degrees. (When the temperature is below 80 degrees, there is no combination of heat and humidity that will result in a need to curtail activity.) The model heat & humidity policy is outlined in a number of places on the MHSAA Website, including as part of Heat Ways.
MHSAA Senior Assistant Director Frushour to Receive NFHS Citation
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
January 23, 2026
Andy Frushour, a senior assistant director for the Michigan High School Athletic Association, is one of eight high school association leaders who has been selected to receive a Citation from the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) during this summer’s annual meeting.
The Citation is one of the NFHS’ highest honors and recognizes recipients for their contributions to the NFHS, state high school associations, athletic director and coaching professions, the officiating avocation and fine arts/performing arts programs.
Frushour is in his 25th year at the MHSAA and currently directs the association’s efforts in marketing, girls and boys soccer, and student services. His tenure has been most notably defined by his leadership in making the MHSAA a national trendsetter in digital initiatives and communication, and he has spearheaded several pioneering efforts to bring student voices into decisions affecting their activities.
After beginning his tenure in the communications department, Frushour created the MHSAA’s marketing and brand team – which remains unique among state associations and aims to tell the story of school sports. The team tackles everything from media communications, sports information, website content and social media to ticketing, corporate sales and merchandise. As part of his digital branding contributions, Frushour has served as the lead contributor on every website redesign since 1999, created the Michigan Power Rating (MPR) formula now used for seeding in eight MHSAA Tournament sports, and led Michigan’s efforts to exclusively use digital tickets for postseason events.
“Sometimes the most valuable player on a baseball team is the utility player – somebody who plays but also excels at a number of different positions. For the last 25 years, Andy clearly has done that – from student leadership, to running a sport, to branding, to business decisions,” MHSAA Executive Director Mark Uyl said. “He’s someone who is competent, respected and has become a huge part of MHSAA history during his 25 years with us.”
Frushour also has steered the MHSAA to adopt a more prominent focus on students through the creation of several popular programs, including the Student Advisory Council, a series of annual interactive sportsmanship summits and captains clinics, and the Battle of the Fans student section competition. Building off that work, he has developed and created four free NFHS Learn courses geared toward team captains.
Frushour also has served on NFHS committees for soccer, student services, summer meeting and strategic planning, and spoken at several summer meetings and one NFHS winter meeting, and at the National Athletic Directors Conference.
After graduating in 1995 from Mason High School (Mich.) – where he played baseball and golf – Frushour attended Hope College, where he majored in business administration and minored in communications, graduating in 1999. He received an MBA in sports business from Arizona State in 2003.