The Illinois High School Association (IHSA) Board of Directors met at its regularly scheduled meeting at the IHSA office in Bloomington on Monday, June 16, 2014, where the Board made the decision to delay the implementation of recently adopted changes to IHSA Policy 17, including the new multiplier waiver and “success factor”, until the 2015-16 school year.
The Board initially enacted changes to Policy 17, based on the recommendation of a committee, at its meeting in February (
click for recap).
“The Board believes that the changes approved to Policy 17 in February will help maintain competitive balance in the state,” said Wauconda High School Principal and IHSA Board President Dan Klett. “However, conversations with school personnel in our respective districts led the Board to believe that more education and feedback was needed before implementing these changes.”
In addition, on Monday, the Board approved a minor change to the “success factor.” The original policy language called for a school to be subject to the “success factor” if they won two state final trophies over a four-year period. Monday’s change will now require that one of the two trophies be won in the two most recent school years in order for a school to be subject to the “success factor.”
The Board has charged the IHSA staff with developing a presentation on the changes and how they affect membership, which they will present as a part of the annual Town Hall Meetings held in November.
“The changes to Policy 17 are significant, so it is important that the membership has a strong grasp on their history and implementation,” said IHSA Executive Director Marty Hickman. “The ‘success factor’ will affect about three percent of the membership, but the waiver changes will have a considerably larger impact. It will be a positive step to gain feedback from the membership, as well as to make sure we have a full understanding on how these changes influence other factors, such as classification cutoffs.”
In Monday’s meeting, the Board approved the classification cutoffs for the 2014-15 school year. Enrollments and classifications will be released later this week on the
IHSA website.
ACTION ITEMS
1. The Board approved a recommendation to accept hosting proposals for the IHSA Boys and Girls Basketball State Finals. Proposals will encompass the tournaments from 2015-16 through 2019-20. The Board anticipates announcing the result of the proposals following its meeting in March, 2015.
IHSA Executive Director Marty Hickman:
“In no way does this decision construe that we are unhappy or expecting to change venues for either event. However, our Board feels like it is healthy for the process to open up these bids on occasion. Certainly Peoria has written its own chapter in the storied history of March Madness, while innovating with the introduction of the March Madness Experience, an event many other associations from around the country have tried to emulate. Meanwhile, Illinois State University and Redbird Arena have become synonymous with high school girls’ basketball in the state of Illinois.”
2. The Board approved a recommendation to extend the state final hosting proposals for Girls Golf at Red Tail Run Golf Course (Class A) and Hickory Point Golf Club (Class AA) in Decatur. The extension runs from 2015-2019.
IHSA Assistant Executive Director Stacey Lambert:
"The Decatur area has embraced this event and we look forward to returning each fall for years to come. Hickory Point and Red Tail are two of the finest courses in the state, and offer a challenge worthy of the top high school golfers in Illinois. We thank and appreciate all of the individuals who put time and effort into hosting the past four years, as well as into renewing this contract for the future."
3. The Board approved a recommendation to form a sub-committee consisting of members of the Athletic Administrators Advisory Committee to review IHSA Policy 18: Grouping and Seeding State Tournament Series. The committee will be charged with reviewing the use of Sub-Sectional formats statewide in team bracketed sports and the football playoff system.
IHSA Executive Director Marty Hickman:
“The move to true geographic regional assignments occurred about a decade ago in response to
school administrators looking to cut travel costs when gas prices were hitting all-time highs. Throughout the years, there have certainly been isolated instances where schools have voiced frustration over a Regional’s perceived strength or lack thereof. Over the past year or so, that voice has grown louder from conferences and schools around the state. The Board believes that it is sensible to have a committee review those policies and make a recommendation for how we create postseason assignments moving forward.”
4. The Board approved a recommendation to add language to address smokeless tobacco in the Terms & Conditions for all IHSA sports and activities. The language will read:
Tobacco/Liquid Nicotine Products: The use of tobacco or liquid nicotine products in any competition area, either during a practice or while a contest is in progress, or affiliated property of any IHSA state series contest by any coach, player, any other person connected with a team, or fan shall be prohibited. State series hosts are required to make all state series contest sites and any affiliated property, including parking lots, fan accommodation areas, and other school or event venue property, tobacco/liquid nicotine free zones on the date or dates of any IHSA event being held at the site.
ADVISORY COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS
Minutes from all Advisory Committees can be viewed by
clicking here.
1. The Board approved the consent items, and select non-consent items, from the Advisory Committees in the following sports & activities: Boys & Girls Basketball, Boys & Girls Bowling, Competitive Cheerleading, Competitive Dance, Boys & Girls Gymnastics, Boys & Girls Soccer, Boys & Girls Swimming & Diving, Wrestling, Athletes with Disabilities, Chess, Journalism, Music/Solo Ensemble, Music Organization, Athletic Officials, Scholastic Bowl, Speech-Debate, Speech-Individual Events, Drama & Group Interpretation, Sportsmanship, Sports Medicine, Student Advisory Committee, Athletic Administrators and Activities Director.
Consent items are recommendations that received approval from the sport/activity advisory committee, the Athletic Administrators Advisory Committee and the IHSA staff. Consent items can be viewed by
clicking here.
Some items of note include:
Boys & Girls Soccer
1. Teams accumulating 25 or more yellow cards in a season will be disqualified from competing in the IHSA State Series.
Boys & Girls Basketball
1. Adjusting the second State Final session starting times to 6:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
2. Coaches in the state final will be provided their full regular-season allotment of timeouts. Previously, in the state finals, coaches did not receive two thirty (:30) second timeouts due to the mandatory media timeout occurring in each quarter.
Cheerleading
1. Adding two additional mat strips to the State Series performance area, making the performance area 54x42.
Athletes With Disabilities
1. The IHSA will investigate other opportunities for athletes with disabilities. It was noted that the State Final cross country race has not had any entries in its two years of existence.
Boys & Girls Swimming & Diving
1. State Final qualifying standards were set for 2014-15.
DISCUSSION ITEMS
At each meeting of the Board of Directors, there are certain items the Board discusses, but upon which no action is taken. The following is a report of those items from the June 16, 2014, agenda:
1. The Executive Director is proud to present the 2014 IHSA Distinguished Service Award class, who will be honored at a banquet on June 16. The 12 honorees are:
Sr. John Baricevic, Belleville (Scholastic Bowl)
Dan Fulscher, Lincoln (Wrestling Official)
Dr. Jim Green, Jacksonville (Sports Medicine)
Rob Grierson, Skokie (Scholastic Bowl)
Matt Norris, Hersey High School (Boys Tennis State Finals)
John Novak, Hersey High School (Boys Tennis State Finals)
Drew Potthoff, Woodstock Central Catholic (Multiple Committees)
Jim Prunty, St. Ignatius High School (Multiple Committees)
Katie Hogan VanCleve, Peoria (Wheelchair Basketball)
Elighie Wilson, Chicago Heights (Speech)
Dr. Preston Wolin, Chicago (Sports Medicine)
Dan Young, Hersey High School (Boys Tennis State Finals)
2. The Board heard an update from the Executive Director on the 2014 NFHS Summer Meeting.
3. The Board heard an update from the Executive Director on the efforts of the IHSA to prepare for House Bill 5431, which requires all high school coaches and administrators to review a concussion curriculum and pass a test in order to be licensed to coach in the state. House Bill 5431 has passed the House and Senate, and is expected to be signed into law by the Governor later this summer.
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4. The Board heard an update from the Executive Director on IHSA Assistant Executive Director Susie Knoblauch’s timeline before leaving for her new position at the NFHS, as well the schedule for hiring Susie’s replacement.
5. The Board discussed developing a variance policy that would exclude international students from a school’s classification enrollment.
6. The Board, IHSA staff and liaisons in attendance recognized Bethalto (Civic Memorial) principal and Board member Debra Pitts for her time on the Board. Pitts retired at the conclusion of the 2013-14 school year, and Monday marked her final Board meeting.