IHSA Announcements
March 18, 2000
Board Approves Normal For Volleyball
PEORIA -- The Illinois High School Association (IHSA) Board of Directors Saturday (March 18) accepted a proposal to host future girls volleyball state final tournaments and approved interpretations/illustrations for a series of by-law changes which go into effect May 1 at its regular March meeting.
The Board accepted a proposal from the Bloomington Normal Area Sports Commission to host the tournaments each November from 2000 through 2004. The matches will continue to be played at Redbird Arena on the campus of Illinois State University in Normal. Only other proposal received by the Board was from the Greater Peoria Area Convention and Visitors Bureau in conjunction with the Peoria Civic Center.
"Both proposals were excellent ones," said IHSA Executive Director Dave Fry. "Girls competing for the Class A and Class AA state championships will be playing at a top volleyball facility and one that has hosted these tournaments well in the past."
Redbird Arena has been site of the girls state final tournaments since 1990. The state series began in 1975. Other communities to host the tournament are Charleston (at Lantz Gymnasium) and Springfield (at Prairie Capitol Convention Center). The tournament was held in Horton Fieldhouse on the campus of Illinois State from 1976-1980.
The Board is also seeking proposals to host Boys Individual Wrestling, Boys Football, Girls Basketball and Boys Basketball for the next five years. Communities seeking to host those events have a deadline of March 22, 2000, to submit them to the IHSA Office. The earliest the Board of Directors could accept proposal for those state finals would be its regular May 2, 2000, meeting. Currently, Football and Girls Basketball are at Normal, Boys Individual Wrestling is at Champaign, and Boys Basketball is at Peoria.
The interpretations/illustrations approved by the Board Saturday apply to a package of student eligibility by-laws approved by the IHSA member schools in the annual referendum process this past fall. The by-laws go into effect May 1. The interpretations/illustrations will apply at the same time.
"The by-law changes approved by our member schools impact how their athletes participate on school teams and non-school teams, how their coaches may be involved with them during season and outside the season, participation by athletes and their coaches in camps, clinics and lessons, and participation by athletes in activities involving the skill of their sport during the school season," Fry said.
The complete set of interpretations will be posted on the IHSA Web site (www.ihsa.org) on Tuesday, March 21, and will be mailed to member schools.
Other Action
Home School By-law: The Board discussed at length concerns it has regarding two by-laws addressing eligibility of home-schooled students that were overwhelmingly approved by the membership this fall. Review of the by-laws by the Board suggests: a) the wording of the new by-laws do not accomplish the submitter's intent; and b) the new by-laws may not be legal. The Board reviewed a new proposal to further amend the by-laws to resolve these issues and authorized its submission to the Legislative Commission in a special session this spring. President Dennis Garber will call a special session of the Legislative Commission upon final resolution of language for the proposal.
Eligibility Decisions
1. Modified its decision on the appeal of a student regarding his eligibility at Lincolnshire (Stevenson), holding that the student is ineligible until March 18, 2000, for noncompliance with transfer by-law 3.043.