MHSAA Reopening Update (6/2/20)
June 2, 2020
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
The Michigan High School Athletic Association has updated its guidelines for reopening of school sports based on the lifting of her stay-at-home order and further recommendations from Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s office announced Monday, June 1.
Winter and Spring sports were halted April 3 to help decrease the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus.
Today's update included the following:
• Member schools may begin summer activities at school facilities as long as these two conditions are met: 1. School administration has announced schools facilities are open to students and staff, and 2. The academic school year (last day of online instruction/exams) has ended.
• Indoor facilities, including gymnasiums and weight rooms, remain closed. This includes swimming pools, although outdoor pools may be used for athletic activities.
• Competition is not yet allowed because participants must continue to follow social distancing.
• Balls may be used among groups of participants, but participants should clean such common equipment as permitted and continue to maintain proper hygiene (washing hands, not touching their faces) and social distance.
• Guidelines will continue to be updated based on directives from Governor Whitmer’s office.
“We were excited and encouraged by Governor Whitmer’s announcements Monday," MHSAA Executive Director Mark Uyl said. "The opportunity for outside gatherings of up to 100 allowed us to rework a number of guidelines that we had published Friday as part of the MHSAA/NFHS reopening document. Our schools have been cautiously eager to take this long-awaited first step. We will continue to provide updates in accordance with the Governor’s directives for reopening the state, always prioritizing safety for all involved in school sports programs.”
'Check-in Champ' Back with More Prizes
August 30, 2017
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
The Michigan High School Athletic Association and SuperFanHigh have again launched the "Check-in Champ" app to allow students, faculty, alumni, community members and all fans to earn prizes and college scholarships by showing support for high school football teams.
And there’s plenty of time to catch up and win season and weekly awards as the season moves into its second weekend.
To participate, fans simply need to download the “Check-in Champ” app for free from Apple iTunes by searching “MHSAA” or by searching “BOTF” on the Google Play online store and then check in at high school football games they are attending this season. SuperFanHigh will track these check-ins and provide standings of fans who attend the most events statewide. Fans “checking in” accrue points toward prizes including a total of $4,000 in college scholarships powered by MI Student Aid.
For the remainder of this Michigan high school football season, fans who attend games will earn points. When registering on the app, fans must select their favorite school. Schools will be divided by Class: A, B, C and D. A $2,000 scholarship will be awarded to the fan who earns the most points overall across all four classes, and $500 scholarships will be awarded to fans who earn the most points in each class.
Only student fans will be eligible to use the college scholarships; however, fans who are not students may still compete for the scholarships and designate them for specific students should they win the contest. All fans, including those who are not students, will be able to earn app “badges” as they accrue points, and each week those who check into games will be registered into a drawing for a $50 gift card.
The app provides other information for students and fans including their selected schools’ football team schedules, MHSAA news and an opportunity to share photos through a ‘fan cam.’ Participants may accrue bonus points by answering MHSAA football trivia questions and promoting their “check-ins” on social media.
SuperFanHigh is a division of its parent company, SuperFanU and provides fan experiences for more than 300 high schools and colleges/universities across the country. The company is leading the market in developing innovative platforms that allow the communication and marketing between students/fans and schools to be more engaging and efficient.