April 30, 2001
North Central College in Naperville will host the state final tournament(s) in girls soccer beginning next spring. If the series is conducted in a two-class format, North Central will host both events. The Illinois High School Association (IHSA) Board of Directors approved the sites at its regular meeting Monday (April 30).
IHSA criteria for increasing the number of classes allow for expansion from a single-class structure to two classes if there are at least 300 member schools participating in the sport. This spring, 311 schools have entered the state series. According to the criteria, next spring the smallest 50 per cent of the schools entering the state series will compete in Class A and the largest 50 per cent will compete in Class AA.
Girls soccer would become the 12th sport to be conducted in the two-class format. In addition, boys football playoffs involve eight classes. Boys soccer was split into two classes beginning with the 1997 state series. A total of 300 schools entered the 1997-98 boys state series.
North Central College was one of five venues to submit proposals to host the girls soccer state final events. The Board accepted North Central’s proposal to host both girls events for the next five years. The Class A Tournament will be held May 24-25, 2002 and the Class AA Tournament will be May 31-June 1. North Central also will be hosting the two boys state final events. At its Feb. 26, 2001, meeting the Board accepted a proposal from North Central to host the Class A and Class AA Boys State Final Soccer Tournaments for the next five years. The stadium will have a new artificial grass turf in place beginning with the tournaments this fall. The Class A Tournament will be held Oct. 26-27, 2001, and the Class AA Tournament will be the following weekend, Nov. 2-3.
Proposals to host the girls events also were submitted by Lemont (Twp.) High School for the Class A only, Naperville (Central) for the Class AA, Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville for both and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign for both.
Advisory Committee Action
The Board of Directors acted on recommendations for Terms and Conditions and administrative procedures from 11 advisory committees.
"Our advisory committees meet on an annual basis, usually soon after the completion of the state series in that sport or activity," noted IHSA Executive Director Dave Fry. "Each advisory committee assesses the terms and conditions for its state tournament series, and all other facets of the sport or activity which may apply to the site of its state final event, and which may apply during the regular season."
Following is a recap of the Board action:
Boys/Girls Basketball
Approved a recommendation to conduct the seeding meetings later in the season except for Class AA boys. The schedule will be: Class A girls on Wednesday of Week 28, Class AA girls on Wednesday of Week 29, Class A boys on Wednesday of Week 30 and Class AA boys on Wednesday of Week 31.
Approved a recommendation to limit the number of cheerleaders/mascot(s) in any boys or girls state series game to 12.
Approved a recommendation for Class A girls regional tournaments that no team will be required to play on three successive nights.
Approved a recommendation that host schools must provide presale tickets to schools competing in the regional finals, the sectional semifinals and finals and the super-sectional if requested to do so by one of the competing teams.
Approved an administrative recommendation that super-sectional games be held at neutral sites.
Girls Bowling
Approved a recommendation that the sectional tournaments be held on Saturday. (For 2002, it will be Feb. 2.)
Approved tiebreaker procedures for the last qualifying spot from the sectional for both the team and individual competition. A two-frame roll off will take place beginning with the 9th frame and concluding with the 10th frame. If the tie is not broken, the tiebreaker will be repeated. Teams/competitors will begin the 9th frame on the same lane they competed on in their last game.
Approved procedures for lane assignments for teams and individuals at the sectional and state final.
Approved revisions in the time schedule for each day of the state final to allow for first access to the facility by the competitors and coaches. The general public will be admitted beginning at 8:15 a.m. each day.
Boys/Girls Gymnastics
Approved a recommendation in the girls series that the school’s seed number and ability to host at the school will determine the first choice of hosting a regional.
Approved a recommendation in the boys series that the five highest seeded teams
which can host a sectional at their school will have the first opportunity to host a sectional.
Did not approve a recommendation to prohibit schools from entering individuals in the boys/girls series unless the school has engaged in six interscholastic contests in that sport during the current season.
Did not approve a recommendation in the boys series to advance 12 teams to the state final. Currently, eight advance.
Did not approved a recommendation in boys/girls series to award medallions to the top 10 in each individual event.
Did not approve a recommendation in the girls series to award medals to the top five in each individual event.
Tabled officials fees and mileage recommendation in the boys/girls series until the Officials Advisory Committee reviews the recommendation.
Boys/Girls Swimming
Approved changes for qualifying in the boys series as follows: 100 butterfly to :54.89, 200 medley relay to 1:41.59, and 400 freestyle relay to 3:20.19.
Did not approve a recommendation in boys/girls series to expand the sectional diving panels to 5 or 7 judges, each consisting of two officials and the rest coaches. In a five-judge panel the highest and lowest scores would be eliminated and in a seven-judge panel the two highest and two lowest scores would be eliminated. In each panel, the middle three scores would be tabulated.
Did not approve a recommendation in boys/girls series to allow swimmers to qualify for the state meet during the regular season if the qualifying time is swum and certified by the meet referee.
Boys Wrestling
Approved a recommendation clarifying regional entry form procedures.
Approved a recommendation establishing the following required criteria for determining seeded wrestlers: 1. Head-to-Head (if both wrestlers have beaten each other the same number of times, then go to the next criteria), 2. Record vs. common opponent, 3. Vote of coaches, 4. Season varsity record, 5. Flip of coin.
Approved a recommendation to establish that for purposes of admissions, regionals will be two sessions and sectionals will be three sessions.
Approved a recommendation changing the starting time of the Class A dual team sectional meets to begin at 6:30. There is only one round of competition in Class A. The starting time for the Class AA dual team sectional meets remains at 5:30 p.m. There are two rounds of sectional competition in Class AA.
Approved an administrative recommendation to revise the IHSA Weight Control Plan. Among the concepts to be addressed in the new plan are: 1. education component relating to nutrition/hydration, 2. body fat, 3. weight fluctuation.
An administrative recommendation to draw for the starting weight class prior to weigh-in for dual, triangular and/or quadrangular meets was withdrawn because National Federation Wrestling Rules changes for next school year (2001-02) address the procedure.
Chess
Approved a recommendation to award the top three finishers on Board 1 an individual medal.
Approved a recommendation to revise the starting times in the State Final.
Approved recommendations to make pairings dividing the top 48 ranked teams into eight groups of six and structuring the pairings accordingly.
Approved recommendations clarifying the scoring and tie breaking systems, including a provision that if one team has beaten all other teams they are tied with, that team will be awarded first in that section.
Approved a recommendation establishing a limit of five persons appointed by the Tournament Director to serve on the Tournament Committee.
Officials
Approved a series of recommendations regarding the operation of the Officials Site on the IHSA Web Page, including the opening of the assignor site year round, and procedures for schools to comply with as part of the official rating process.
Approved a recommendation that the fee structure for all officials be reviewed in the next school term (2001-02) and that any changes take place in the 2002-03 school term.
Did not approve a recommendation to create a "provisional status" for officials who have not attended the required Certified Clinic within a three-year block of time, which would have esentially extended the time for compliance with the requirement without serious consequence.
Received a report of grants to be given by IHSA to Officials Associations for the coming school term. A total of $3,500 will be awarded next year. Officials associations use the grant monies in recruitment and training programs locally.
Scholastic Bowl
Approved a recommendation that schools will not seed themselves at the seeding meeting.
Approved a recommendation to allow for one hour per round at the state final with a 30-minute break after round two.
Approved a recommendation to restrict the nameplate identifying each player to the respective name on the team roster. Nicknames will not be acceptable.
Did not approve a recommendation to adopt pool play at the sectional.
Approved a recommendation for the regionals regarding the breakdown of the categories of questions to be included at the regional. Language Arts and Literature will be combined. Vocational Education will be eliminated from the miscellaneous category. A single Arts category will include "Fine" and "Performing". The number of questions in each category will be 6 science, 6 mathematics, 6 social studies, 6 literature/language arts, 3 arts and 3 miscellaneous.
Approved a recommendation that a medallion be given to the coach of each placing team. The top four teams receive medallions.
Speech-Debate
Did not approve a recommendation to establish a sectional level preceding the state final in Policy Debate.
Tabled recommendations to begin Congressional Debate, and modify several Policy Debate rules pending a decision on whether a Policy Debate tournament should be discontinued.
Speech-Drama/Group Interpretation
Approved a recommendation requiring casts to enter the designated performance space after the production is announced and exit at the conclusion of the presentation.
Approved a set of recommendations regarding tie breaking procedures.
Speech-Individual Events
Did not approve a recommendation to change the identification of competitors in the printed program at the state final. Students will continue to be identified by their name and school in the different events.
Approved a recommendation to increase the event fee for the state final to $7.00 per event.
Approved a recommendation for Dramatic and Humorous Duet Acting that performers cannot stand on tables or chairs at any time because of liability factors.
Approved other event specific procedural recommendations in Extemporaneous Speaking and Impromptu Speaking.
Speech – Performance In The Round
Approved a recommendation setting a time limit for the event to be 15 minutes. If a performance is timed to be beyond the limit, it will be penalized one (1) rank per judge for each full 30 seconds of overtime.
Approved a recommendation for tie breaking procedures at the state final.
Approved a recommendation regarding advancement from the preliminaries to the finals at the state final. The three performances in each section with the lowest cumulative rankings will advance to the finals along with any performance whose total rankings is lower that the total of rankings for the third place performance in the opposite preliminary group. The final round will be conducted Saturday morning at the state final.
Equity
Approved a recommendation that there be a review of awards in the sport of soccer.
Approved a recommendation that the non-athletic activities be assessed in the areas of benefits, services and publicity.
Approved a recommendation that a member school program interest survey be conducted to identify emerging programs.
Athletic Administrators
Accepted the report of the Athletic Administrator committee meeting of April 25.
Other Action
The Board authorized the Association to sponsor a wheelchair basketball camp at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, provided costs of operation and participation are underwritten by sponsors.
Eligibility Rulings
Directed the Executive Director to revisit and consider modifying his ruling that a student is ineligible at Paxton (P.-Buckley-Loda) until the start of the 2001-02 school year for noncompliance with transfer by-law 3.043 and its sub-sections and residence by-law 3.031.1. The student transferred to PBL from Cissna Park on Feb. 18, 2000, and his parents continued to reside in Cissna Park. Beginning with the 2000-01 school term the family established a residence for the student and his mother in the PBL district. The family continues to maintain residences in both districts.
Discussion Items
At each meeting of the Board of Directors, there are certain agenda items the Board discusses, but upon which it takes no action. Following is a report of those on the April 2001, agenda:
Team Academic Achievement Program – The Board heard a report of the first draft of a program to provide recognition to the different teams in athletic and non-athletic activities for scholastic achievement. IHSA staff members at conference meetings throughout the state this spring are discussing the concept.
Sectional Complex Concept – The Board heard a status report of discussions by IHSA staff members at conference meetings this spring.
Classification – The Board heard a report of the breakdown of school classification for the next (2001-02) school term. The complete report is on the IHSA Web Page under the headline 2001-02 School Enrollments and Classifications Announced.