Participation decreases slightly, follows enrollment
June 12, 2013
Participation in high school sports in which postseason tournaments are sponsored by the Michigan High School Athletic Association dropped for the second straight school year in 2012-13. However, the decrease remained in step with a recent decline in member school enrollment.
A total of 293,810 participants took part in the 28 tournament sports offered by the Association during the past year – a 1.2 percent decrease from the 2011-12 figure of 297,317. However, that participation decrease nearly matched the overall drop in member schools’ enrollment of 1.1 percent over the last two years and was smaller than the 1.5-percent dip experienced from 2010-11 to 2011-12. Overall girls participation fell 1.3 percent from 2011-12, slightly less than the 1.4 percent drop in girls enrollment. Boys participation dropped 1.1 percent, while boys enrollment dropped only 0.8 percent.
Participation has fallen slower than enrollment over recent years. Since 2006-07, the enrollment at MHSAA schools is down from 531,903 to 482,391 – a drop of 9.3 percent. But participation during that time has dropped only 6.2 percent. The overall MHSAA totals count students once for each sport in which they participate, meaning students who are multiple-sport athletes are counted more than once.
Records were set in four sports in 2012-13 – boys lacrosse (5,065), girls lacrosse (2,501), boys cross country (8,744) and girls cross country (8,378). Both lacrosse totals have increased annually during their nine years as MHSAA tournament sports. Boys cross country participation increased for the fourth straight season and is up 11.2 percent over the last seven years. Girls cross country participation also increased for the fourth straight year.
But a number of troubling trends continued. Girls basketball participation fell for the seventh straight season to 16,550 participants, the sport’s fewest since records first were kept in 1991-92. The girls basketball total has decreased 13.5 percent since a U.S. District Court decision led to the switching of girls basketball season from fall to winter beginning in 2007-08. Girls enrollment during that time has fallen 9.7 percent.
The sport that swapped seasons with girls basketball and moved to fall, volleyball, saw a 2.5 percent drop in participation this school year to 19,905 athletes, its fewest since 1994-95 and a drop of 7.6 percent since its final season as a winter sport.
Lower Peninsula girls and boys golf and girls and boys tennis seasons were both switched as a result of the Federal Court decision, and those sports continue to experience declines. Girls tennis participation fell 5.6 percent from a year ago and for the second straight season, and boys tennis fell 3.6 percent from 2011-12 and for the fourth straight year; total, boys tennis participation has decreased 22.9 percent since its final spring season in 2007.
Boys golf participation fell less than a percent, 0.9, but for the fourth straight year. Girls golf participation fell a staggering 5.1 percent over the last year to 3,335 participants, its fewest since 1997-98.
Also of note in this year’s survey:
- Total, 11 sports had increases in participation in 2012-13 (seven boys, four girls), while 17 had drops (seven boys, 10 girls).
- Football participation, 11 and 8-player teams combined, dropped 3.7 percent from the 2011 season to 41,507 athletes. That total was the lowest since 1995-96.
- Wrestling saw a drop for the fourth straight year, but a far bigger fall in 2012-13 – 4.8 percent from the year before with 534 fewer participants and only 10,513 total. They made up the fewest in the sport since 1995-96.
- While girls basketball fell again, boys basketball broke a three-year string of drops in participation with an increase of 1.2 percent to 22,223 athletes.
- After slight drops between 2010-11 and 2011-12, both girls and boys bowling rebounded with slight increases of 1.1 and 1.8 percent, respectively. Baseball also reversed a one-year slide with a 0.4 percent increase in 2012-13.
- The boys sport experiencing the most growth was swimming and diving, with an increase of 5.6 percent to 5,612 athletes, its most since 1995-96.
- Girls track and field participation was up one percent in 2012-13, but gymnastics joined those previously mentioned with a much larger percentage decrease than the overall drop in girls enrollment, falling 3.9 percent from 2011-12.
- Boys skiing also dropped significantly, 4.2 percent, from the year before – although the 2011-12 total of 861 athletes was a five-year high.
The participation figures are gathered annually from MHSAA member schools to submit to the National Federation of State High School Associations for compiling its national participation survey. Results of Michigan surveys from the 2000-01 school year to the present may be viewed on the MHSAA Website – www.mhsaa.com – by clicking on Schools > Administrators > Sports Participation Listing.
The following chart shows participation figures for the 2012-13 school year from MHSAA member schools for sports in which the Association sponsors a postseason tournament:
BOYS GIRLS
SPORT |
SCHOOLS (A) |
PARTICIPANTS |
SCHOOLS (A) |
PARTICIPANTS (B) |
|
Baseball |
639/651/2 |
18,092 |
- |
0/3 |
|
Basketball |
738/742/2 |
22,186 |
683/732 |
16,550/37 |
|
Bowling |
343/353/5 |
3,693 |
332/352 |
2,983/11 |
|
Competitive Cheer |
- |
- |
325/335 |
7,374 |
|
Cross Country |
601/622/0 |
8,744 |
585/618 |
8,378/0 |
|
Football - 11 player |
637/667/40 |
41,138 |
- |
0/43 |
|
8-player |
16/32/2 |
323 |
- |
3 |
|
Golf |
532/549/55 |
6,938 |
319/329 |
3,335/95 |
|
Gymnastics |
- |
- |
61/71 |
675 |
|
Ice Hockey |
243/270/16 |
3,791 |
22/0 |
301/17 |
|
Lacrosse |
124/124/1 |
5,064 |
89/88 |
2,501/1 |
|
Skiing-Alpine |
94/104/0 |
825 |
94/105 |
682/0 |
|
Soccer |
485/496/21 |
14,273 |
463/474 |
13,481/107 |
|
Softball |
- |
- |
622/639 |
14,491 |
|
Swimming & Diving |
254/269/6 |
5,547 |
267/280 |
5,996/65 |
|
Tennis |
310/327/10 |
6,504 |
343/355 |
9,211/65 |
|
Track & Field |
662/684/0 |
23,188 |
650/675 |
16,983/0 |
Care for Students Drove Forsythe Honoree Isom's Work for Nearly 40 Years
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
March 10, 2025
For 39 years, Kris Isom poured herself into education and educational athletics as a teacher, coach, class advisor, athletic director, league president and advocate statewide as a remember of the Representative Council of the Michigan High School Athletic Association.
To celebrate nearly a lifetime of contributions – including several that continue to impact this state’s student-athletes – Isom has been selected as the 2025 honoree for the MHSAA’s Charles E. Forsythe Lifetime Achievement Award.
The annual award is in its 48th year and named after past MHSAA Executive Director Charles E. Forsythe, the Association's first full-time and longest-serving chief executive. Forsythe Award recipients are selected each year by the MHSAA Representative Council, based on an individual's outstanding contributions to the interscholastic athletics community at the local, regional and statewide levels. Isom will be honored during the MHSAA Boys Basketball Division 4 Final on March 15 at Michigan State University’s Breslin Student Events Center.
Isom retired at the close of the 2023-24 school year after 38 at Adrian Madison and one at Clinton, where she attended high school and then began her teaching career before moving to Madison and becoming a pillar locally and statewide for nearly four decades.
In addition to serving as part of the MHSAA’s Council from 2008-23, Isom served as the president of the Tri-County Conference for more than two decades, on top of all the daily responsibilities that come with serving as a school athletic director. She also was one of the few athletic directors who also coached every year at some level, leading teams in basketball, volleyball, sideline cheer, softball and track & field.
“What I miss the most is the interaction with the kids. The coaching of course, but then everyday them coming into the office or giving me a hug or asking me what’s up,” Isom said. “It’s not always the athletes you intermingle with; it’s the kids in need, and even today when I see them or run into them, I get a hug or thank you, and that makes it all worth it.”
Isom has been recognized several times in the past for her contributions. She received the MHSAA’s Women In Sports Leadership Award in 2019, after previously being honored with an MHSAA Allen W. Bush Award in 2016 to recognize her behind-the-scenes contributions to school sports. She also was named Region 6 Athletic Director of the Year in 2000 by the Michigan Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (MIAAA).
During her time at Madison, she saw several of her school’s athletic programs enjoy success. Among recent highlights, Madison’s competitive cheer team finished Division 4 runner-up in 2022, the girls track & field team won a Lower Peninsula Division 3 Finals championship in 2017 and finished runner-up in 2016, and the 2016 volleyball team reached the Class C Semifinals with her daughter Rachel a contributor.
Kristen Isom indeed was a significant contributor to MHSAA work from a behind-the-scenes point of view, as she was a frequent host of District, Regional and Quarterfinal competitions and also MHSAA Coaches Advancement Program (CAP) sessions at her school. She also has been a longtime member of the MIAAA and National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association.
“For nearly four decades, Kristen Isom served as an excellent example of how to navigate the daily challenges of athletic administration while making a difference in the lives of her students and an impact on educational athletics on a larger scale as well,” said MHSAA executive director Mark Uyl. “She often showed a way forward as the MHSAA worked through complex topics, and always with the best interests of students first and foremost.”
A graduate of Clinton High School, Isom received her bachelor’s degree in science and teaching certification in physical education and health in 1984 from Michigan State University. She earned her master’s in elementary education in 1986 from Eastern Michigan University and also has completed graduate courses from Fresno Pacific University.
In addition to the MIAAA and NIAAA, Isom also has been a member of the Michigan Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (MAHPERD) and the Michigan State University Alumni Association. She’s been active with the Clinton United Church of Christ and Land & Lakes Ladies Club in various service efforts, and participated in local Meals on Wheels and roadside cleanup projects.
Isom is married to her husband Jerry, and she’s also maintained her real estate license for 30 years and is continuing in that work.
“Obviously (the Forsythe Award) being a high achievement, and being nominated by your peers, it doesn’t get any better than that. They know everything that goes into this job,” Isom said. “I think, like my daughter said, most people said you got paid to go watch games – that’s a perception many people have and that’s OK, because everybody’s job has ups and downs.
“But to have done something 38 years, at the same place, there must have been something you’re doing right, and you must have enjoyed it. And it’s hard to find that. It kinda makes you feel like everything you’ve done was worthwhile, that you made a difference in someone’s life.”
Past recipients
1978 - Brick Fowler, Port Huron; Paul Smarks, Warren
1979 - Earl Messner, Reed City; Howard Beatty, Saginaw
1980 - Max Carey, Freesoil
1981 - Steven Sluka, Grand Haven; Samuel Madden, Detroit
1982 - Ernest Buckholz, Mt. Clemens; T. Arthur Treloar, Petoskey
1983 - Leroy Dues, Detroit; Richard Maher, Sturgis
1984 - William Hart, Marquette; Donald Stamats, Caro
1985 - John Cotton, Farmington; Robert James, Warren
1986 - William Robinson, Detroit; Irving Soderland, Norway
1987 - Jack Streidl, Plainwell; Wayne Hellenga, Decatur
1988 - Jack Johnson, Dearborn; Alan Williams, North Adams
1989 - Walter Bazylewicz, Berkley; Dennis Kiley, Jackson
1990 - Webster Morrison, Pickford; Herbert Quade, Benton Harbor
1991 - Clifford Buckmaster, Petoskey; Donald Domke, Northville
1992 - William Maskill, Kalamazoo; Thomas G. McShannock, Muskegon
1993 - Roy A. Allen Jr., Detroit; John Duncan, Cedarville
1994 - Kermit Ambrose, Royal Oak
1995 - Bob Perry, Lowell
1996 - Charles H. Jones, Royal Oak
1997 - Michael A. Foster, Richland; Robert G. Grimes, Battle Creek
1998 - Lofton C. Greene, River Rouge; Joseph J. Todey, Essexville
1999 - Bernie Larson, Battle Creek
2000 - Blake Hagman, Kalamazoo; Jerry Cvengros, Escanaba
2001 - Norm Johnson, Bangor; George Lovich, Canton
2002 - John Fundukian, Novi
2003 - Ken Semelsberger, Port Huron
2004 - Marco Marcet, Frankenmuth
2005 - Jim Feldkamp, Troy
2006 - Dan McShannock, Midland; Dail Prucka, Monroe
2007 - Keith Eldred, Williamston; Tom Hickman, Spring Lake
2008 - Jamie Gent, Haslett; William Newkirk, Sanford Meridian
2009 - Paul Ellinger, Cheboygan
2010 - Rudy Godefroidt, Hemlock; Mike Boyd, Waterford
2011 - Eric C. Federico, Trenton
2012 - Bill Mick, Midland
2013 - Jim Gilmore, Tecumseh; Dave Hutton, Grandville
2014 - Dan Flynn, Escanaba
2015 - Hugh Matson, Saginaw
2016 - Gary Hice, Petoskey; Gina Mazzolini, Lansing
2017 - Chuck Nurek, Rochester Hills
2018 - Gary Ellis, Allegan
2019 - Jim Derocher, Negaunee; Fredrick J. Smith, Stevensville
2020 - Michael Garvey, Lawton
2021 – Leroy Hackley Jr., Byron Center; Patti Tibaldi, Traverse City
2022 – Bruce Horsch, Houghton
2023 – Karen Leinaar, Frankfort
2024 – Sean Jacques, Calumet
PHOTO Retired Adrian Madison athletic director Kristen Isom presents the Division 4 finalist trophy to Ewen-Trout Creek in 2022. (Photo by Andrew Frushour.)