Participation Again Bests Population Rank
August 11, 2016
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
For the eighth straight year, Michigan ranked seventh nationally in high school sports participation, according to statistics for the 2015-16 school year released recently by the National Federation of State High School Associations. That level of participation continued to best Michigan’s national ranking for total number of residents of high school age, which remained ninth for the fourth consecutive year, and Michigan also again ranked ninth or higher in participation in 26 of 28 sports in which the Michigan High School Athletic Association conducts a postseason tournament.
Michigan’s participation ranking was based on a number of 295,436, with 126,160 girls and 169,276 boys taking part, and included sports in which the MHSAA does not conduct postseason tournaments. The totals count students once for each sport in which he or she participates, meaning students who are multiple-sport athletes are counted more than once.
The state’s girls participation remained seventh nationally for the fifth consecutive year, while the boys participation figure continued to rank sixth. According to the latest U.S. Census Bureau figures from 2015, Michigan ranks ninth in both females and males ages 14 through 17.
For the second straight year, 13 sports bested the state’s overall national participation ranking of seventh by placing sixth or higher on their respective lists. Six Michigan sports improved in national ranking during 2015-16, while three sports dropped one position.
Michigan girls bowling, girls tennis and girls and boys skiing all improved from fourth to third in national participation ranking, while wrestling improved to seventh and gymnastics one spot to 11th. Michigan also moved up to eighth, from 11th, for 8-player football participation – significant because the state’s 11-player football participation ranking didn’t fall with that increase, remaining at sixth nationally.
The three sports that fell in national rankings in 2015-16 still remained above population rank – competitive cheer from fifth to sixth nationally, girls track & field one spot to eighth and baseball also from seventh to eighth on its list.
The other Michigan sports that ranked sixth or higher all equaled their national rankings from 2014-15 and included boys basketball at sixth, boys bowling third, boys golf and girls golf both sixth, ice hockey fourth, boys tennis fifth and girls volleyball fourth. Other Michigan sports that equaled their 2014-15 national rankings were girls basketball at seventh, boys and girls cross country both also seventh, boys lacrosse eighth, girls lacrosse 13th, boys and girls soccer both ninth, softball seventh, boys swimming & diving ninth, girls swimming & diving 10th and boys track & field also seventh.
National participation in high school sports in 2015-16 set a record for the 27th consecutive year with 7,868,900 participants – an increase of 61,853 from the year before. After a decline the previous year, boys participation increased about 25,000 to an all-time high of 4,544,574, while girls participation increased for the 27th consecutive year with an additional 36,591 participants and set an all-time high of 3,324,326.
Track and field registered the largest increase in participants nationally for both boys and girls, with an additional 12,501 boys and 7,243 girls. Track and field ranked second to football in boys participants with 591,133, and remained the most popular sport for girls with 485,969 participants. In addition to track and field, six other top-10 girls sports registered increases nationally in 2015-16, including volleyball, soccer, softball, cross country, tennis and lacrosse. After track and field among the top 10 boys sports, soccer registered the largest gain with an additional 7,753 participants, followed by cross country (up 6,710), basketball (up 4,949) and baseball (up 2,248).
Football (1,083,308) remained the most-played high school sport overall and enjoyed an encouraging development. After a decline of nearly 10,000 participants in football the previous year, the number of boys playing 11-player football nationally in 2015 was almost identical to 2014 with a drop of just 309 from the 2014 total of 1,083,617.
Michigan Virtual University Teams with MHSAA
August 23, 2016
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
Providing educational opportunities is central to the missions of both the Michigan High School Athletic Association and Michigan Virtual University. To promote its expansive opportunities for online education for Michigan high school students and educators, Michigan Virtual University will serve as the preferred provider of online education supporting MHSAA events and digital initiatives during the 2016-17 school year.
Michigan Virtual University is a nonprofit corporation established in 1998 to deliver online education and training opportunities to Michigan’s K-12 community and operates the Michigan Virtual School. Considered a national leader in providing online education, MVS has enrolled over 200,000 online courses in a broad range of core academic courses aligned with state standards, college-level equivalent courses; enrichment and world language courses, and other innovative online experiences. MVS is accredited by third-party AdvancED, meaning its instructors, tools, services and staff meet or exceed essential standards of educational quality.
MVS currently is working with 497 schools across Michigan to provide students more than 200 online courses, including 22 Advanced Placement courses and instruction in seven world languages. Like the MHSAA, MVS serves students grades 6-12.
“We focus on the whole child in educational athletics, and we see Michigan Virtual University as helping local schools broaden the academic offerings they can provide to students,” said John E. “Jack” Roberts, executive director of the MHSAA. “We help students compete in the local athletic arena; Michigan Virtual University helps students compete in the global classroom.”
Michigan Virtual School will have an on-site presence at MHSAA championship events throughout this school year and also digitally on MHSAA.com and in coordination with the MHSAA’s social media platforms. MVS also will receive air time as part of MHSAA video and radio programming.
MVS courses are designed to provide the same rigor as those students experience in a face-to-face classroom setting, while allowing students scheduling flexibility and the ability to work at their own pace. Core courses aligned with the Michigan Merit Curriculum (MMC) and the Common Core are available in English, math, science, social studies and world languages. Also, nearly 90 MVS courses are approved by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), an additional value for student athletes seeking to secure eligibility at the college level.
"Increasingly, students involved with interscholastic athletics want and need school options that can be accessed outside the traditional school schedule,” Jamey Fitzpatrick, President & CEO of Michigan Virtual University, said. “We are excited about our new partnership with the MHSAA and look forward to helping more students and their parents learn about the value and potential of online learning options from MVU."
Michigan Virtual School is funded by the Michigan legislature and revenues from the courses it offers. Under current legislation students in grades 6-12 are allowed to take up to two courses per semester during the regular school year paid for by their schools, and students also may pay to take additional courses either during the school year or in the summer. Courses are developed by MVS or include content licensed from nationally-recognized providers.
Additionally, the MHSAA and MVU have agreed to explore possible areas of collaboration related to online and blended professional development for athletic directors, coaches, and other sports officials.
For additional information about Michigan Virtual University and Michigan Virtual School, go online to www.mivu.org.