The Illinois High School Association (IHSA) Board of Directors met at its regularly scheduled meeting at the IHSA office in Bloomington on Wednesday, October 12, 2016, where the Board announced that it has directed the IHSA staff to proceed with conducting an IHSA Road Race this spring.
The IHSA Board approved the formation of an
IHSA Road Race in September, 2015, with the inaugural race planned for late July, 2016. In early July, the IHSA announced that, due to low participation numbers, the
Road Race would not be held as planned.
IHSA Executive Director Craig Anderson said at that time, “Although we are disappointed, we haven’t given up on the concept by any means. We are going to have our Cross Country Advisory Committee and Athletes With Disabilities Committee continue to discuss and review the premise, while also seeking more feedback from our member schools.”
Discussion at a joint September meeting between members of the Athletes With Disabilities Committee and Cross Country Advisory Committee prompted the Board’s action today.
The IHSA staff will be charged with determining the date, location, entry process and those eligible to enter in the Road Race in the coming months. The Board confirmed there would once again be a wheelchair division, high school boys’ division and high school girls’ division.
More information will be available on the IHSA website soon, as well as presented to IHSA member school administrators at Town Hall meetings in November.
ACTION ITEMS
1. The Board conducted its annual election of officers, with the following results:
President: Dr. Chuck Nagel, East Peoria High School
Vice-President: Tim McConnell, Erie High School
Secretary: Robert Nolting, Andrew High School
2. The Board approved a recommendation to appoint the following individual to fill a vacancy on the Legislative Commission:
District 11: Eric Lawson, Manlius (Bureau Valley)
3. The Board approved the Program for International Students at Elgin (Westminster Christian) and Edwardsville (Metro-East Lutheran).
ADVISORY COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATIONS
Minutes from all Advisory Committees can be viewed by clicking
here.
1. The Board approved the consent items from the Advisory Committees in the following sports & activities: Girls Badminton, Baseball, Softball, Track & Field, Water Polo, Bass Fishing, Athletic Administrators, Athletes with Disabilities and News Media.
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.
Non-consent items are recommendations from sport or activity committees that did not receive a majority vote from the Athletic Advisory Committee or IHSA staff. No non-consent items were approved.
Some consent items of note include:
Baseball & Softball
1. In State Series play, if a team is winning by 15 runs at the end of 4 innings (3 1/2 if home team is winning), the game will conclude.
Boys Gymnastics
1. The Saturday State Final session start times changed to preliminaries at 11:30 a.m. and finals at 5:30 p.m.
Track & Field
1. State final qualifying standards for the 2017 season approved.
APPEALS & ELIGIBILITY RULINGS
1. The Board sustained the Executive Director’s ruling on a student from Delavan. The student was ruled ineligible for non-compliance with IHSA By-law 3.031.4.
2. The Board sustained the Executive Director’s ruling on a student from Elgin (Larkin). The student was ruled ineligible for non-compliance with IHSA By-law 3.034.2.
3. The Board sustained the Executive Director’s ruling on a student from Mundelein (Carmel). The student was ruled ineligible for non-compliance with IHSA By-law 3.034.2.
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 October 12, 2016, agenda:
1. The Board discussed the
Baseball Pitching Restriction recommendations from the IHSA Sports Medicine Advisory and Baseball Advisory Committees. The
recommendation will be discussed at IHSA Town Hall meetings in November and voted on by the Board in December.
2. The Board discussed background checks on IHSA officials. Using resources provided by the Illinois State Police, the IHSA has been able to confirm that no active IHSA officials are listed on the list of Illinois Sex Offenders. The Board discussed how potential legislation for access to additional Illinois State Police records may be able to further help safeguard this process for schools moving forward.
3. The Board discussed an IHSA by-law proposal that would allow the IHSA to waive the requirements of by-law 6.011 when a player was misidentified in an ejection for unsportsmanlike conduct.
4. The Board heard a report from Assistant Executive Director Scott Johnson on the first meeting by an ad hoc committee reviewing the IHSA’s classification process.
5. The Board heard a report from the Executive Director on the New Principals Workshop that was held at the IHSA office on October 5.
6. The Board heard a report from the Executive Director on the NFHS Section IV Meeting which was held September 22-23 in Indianapolis.
7. The Board heard a report from the Executive Director on the by-law proposals that have been submitted for the upcoming legislative process.
8. The Board heard a report from the Executive Director on the upcoming IADA Division Meetings. The IHSA will have a staff member at each meeting, which are scheduled on the following dates:
Division 1- Oct 27- 10:00 a.m.- De LaSalle High School
Division 2- Oct 27- 9:00 a.m.- Forest View Educational Center
Division 3- Oct 27- 1:00 p.m.- Homewood-Flossmoor High School
Division 4- Oct 25- 9:00 a.m.- Sterling High School
Division 5- Oct 26- 9:00 a.m.- BSN Sports, Rantoul
Division 6- Oct 18- 10:00 a.m.- Pekin High School
Division 7- Oct 24- 9:00 a.m.- Governor’s Run Golf Course, Carlyle