Representative Council Authorizes MHSAA AD Mentorship Program at Winter Meeting
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
April 3, 2023
The creation of a mentorship network of past athletic administrators to assist those currently in the field was among actions taken by the Representative Council of the Michigan High School Athletic Association during its annual Winter Meeting on March 24 in East Lansing.
The “AD Connection Program” was approved for two pilot program years and will enlist six past administrators from across the state to serve as sources of support and input for current athletic directors in charge of programs across the more than 1,500 MHSAA-member high schools and junior high/middle schools. The program is set to begin with the 2023-24 school year and previously was approved by the MHSAA Audit & Finance Committee.
The Council also approved a revamping of the MHSAA’s series of annual awards presented to educational and athletic leaders, based on the work of an awards task force convened to restructure the awards process and rebrand the yearly honors to provide greater understanding of what they celebrate. Current awards include the Women In Sports Leadership Award, Charles E. Forsythe Award (for lifetime achievement), Allen W. Bush Award (for unsung contributions) and the Vern L. Norris Award (for leadership and mentorship in officiating). Additionally, the Council approved the creation of a Champion of Progress Award named for retired assistant director Nate Hampton, who ended his 32-year tenure at the MHSAA after the 2020-21 school year. The Champion of Progress Award will recognize those who provide leadership in the advancement of underrepresented groups in educational athletics.
The Winter Meeting also frequently serves as an opportunity for the Council to discuss items expected to come up for action at its final meeting of the school year, scheduled for May 7-8, and three topics received the majority of conversation.
The Council discussed work undertaken recently by a Football Task Force charged with examining regular-season scheduling issues and various playoff format ideas circulating in the school sports community. The task force was comprised of members of the Council, Michigan Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (MIAAA) leadership, Michigan High School Football Coaches Association (MHSFCA) officers and MHSAA staff.
The Council was presented with feedback on CPR and AED requirements and the need for renewed emphasis on local Emergency Action Plans from the MHSAA Sports Medicine Advisory Committee (SMAC). Discussion of CPR requirements at the junior high/middle school level will be among agenda items at the May Council meeting.
MHSAA staff also provided results of the bi-annual survey of leagues and conferences that produced the range of regular-season officiating fees being paid for each sport. The Council discussed the effects, especially budgetary, on schools as they seek to secure local officiating for all levels of all of their sports.
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 1.3 million spectators each year.
Council Discusses Transfer, 5th-Quarter Rules in Charting Future Work During Fall Meeting
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
December 18, 2025
The Representative Council of the Michigan High School Athletic Association considered several reports concerning ongoing business relevant to its member schools, discussed topics surrounding the MHSAA’s transfer and 5th-quarter rules, and conducted its annual elections among other activities during its Fall Meeting on Dec. 5 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, to approve its annual audit, but discussed several topics that will be delved into further throughout the remainder of this school year.
A significant portion of Council discussion regarded the MHSAA transfer and 5th-quarter allowance rules. The transfer conversation focused primarily on students who play as part of non-MHSAA sports organizations during their first year or years of high school but wish to then play at a member high school. The Council also received an update on the Transfer Tracker tool under development that will provide schools greater guidance on eligibility determinations by monitoring when students change schools after ninth grade.
The 5th-quarter conversation considered how allowances made in recent years in basketball, football, soccer, lacrosse, baseball and field hockey have aligned with the intent of that allowance – to help schools save subvarsity teams from elimination because of low participation by allowing athletes to play on varsity and subvarsity teams simultaneously over a set number of periods each week.
The Council received updates on this fall’s inaugural MHSAA Field Hockey Tournament and also on the first boys volleyball season to be played during Spring 2026. MHSAA staff also informed the Council on a baseball rule proposal that would require a double first base, recent viewership of NFHS Network broadcasts, and MHSAA Sports Medicine Advisory Committee discussions especially concerning the statewide shortage of athletic trainers in schools. Additional updates were provided on 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. Brighton athletic director John Thompson was reelected president after completing the previous president’s term this summer and fall. Calumet teacher and past athletic director Sean Jacques was reelected as Council vice president after completing Thompson’s term, and Vic Michaels, director of physical education and athletics for the Archdiocese of Detroit, was reelected as secretary-treasurer.
Additionally, Wyoming Godfrey-Lee Schools superintendent Arnetta Thompson and Freeland Middle School principal Jennifer Thunberg were appointed for second two-year terms on the Council.
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.