IHSA Announcements

April 29, 2002

Board Approves Change in Chicago Public School Participation

Chicago public schools will be classified by their enrollments, and will be assigned to state series competition like all other Illinois High School Association (IHSA) member schools beginning next (2002-03) school term. In addition, the cutoff between Class A and Class AA will remain at 752 for next school term. The IHSA Board of Directors approved the new manner of entry and participation in the state series for the 74-member Chicago Public Schools (CPS), and the enrollment cutoff, at its regular meeting Monday (April 29) in the IHSA Office.

"This change is bound to have a significant impact on all our athletic state series," said IHSA Acting Executive Director Dr. Martin L. Hickman. "And it's going to happen in just five months. I'm foreseeing considerable adjustment by our office, and even more individually by the administration and coaching staffs of each one of the schools in Chicago Public League. We are entering into a new era in IHSA history."

No longer will the Chicago Public League champion in team sports, and individual qualifiers in the other sports, earn an automatic berth in the respective State Final. Each school in the CPL will enter any state series it chooses. When a school enters the series, it must:

  1. Pay the entry fees
  2. Comply with the IHSA Terms and Conditions for the series entered
  3. Participate with other IHSA members to first-level competition on a geographic basis
  4. Rate the officials eligible to work in the state series
  5. Assume its own costs of participation in the series.

Hickman said the IHSA Office would work with people temporarily assigned by the Chicago Public League to be liaisons in each sport. He said the liaisons would be in an advisory capacity and will assist the IHSA staff by providing information on sites, officials and other administrative detail for the initial reorganization process. Hickman and Chicago Public Schools Superintendent Arne Duncan will organize a meeting this spring involving members of the IHSA staff, the CPL staff and representatives of every school in the Chicago public school system. The agenda will include, but not be limited to, a review of the entry process, explanation of the Terms and Condition requirements, personnel issues, and other IHSA polices that will come into play. In years past, the individual schools in the Chicago Public League did not have to be accountable for all that detail to the IHSA Office, only to the Chicago Public League Office.

"This process is going to take time, and I'm sure there will be some hurdles we all will have to clear in the early development of the new system." Hickman said. "I'm confident the goals we collectively set will be accomplished."

The Board-approved cutoff between Class A (752 and less) and Class AA enrollments is the same figure used for the current breakdown of classes. High schools in Illinois submit their Sept. 30 enrollment each year to the State Board of Education. The State Board provides those official enrollments to the IHSA Office each May and the enrollments provided to the IHSA Office are used in determining classification. All schools with enrollments of 752 or less as of Sept. 30, 2001, will be Class A schools for the 2002-03 (next) school term. All schools with enrollments of 753 and above as of Sept. 30, 2001, will be Class AA.

The Board authorized Monday an annual review of the enrollment cutoff for classification. When the IHSA first classified by enrollment in 1972, the figure of 750 was used as the cutoff. That figure represented approximately 65 per cent of the IHSA membership outside the Chicago Public League in Class A and the remaining 35 per cent with all CPL schools in Class AA. That created an overall breakdown of approximately the smallest 60 per cent on IHSA members in Class A and the largest 40 per cent in Class AA. It is the formula in all sports except boys and girls soccer. Classification in the two-class soccer series is determined by a 50-50 split of the schools entered in the state series under the criteria in the IHSA Classification Policy.

Advisory Committee Action

The Board of Directors acted on recommendations for Terms and Conditions and administrative procedures from 12 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 Acting IHSA Executive Director Dr. Martin L. Hickman. "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:

Bowling

  1. Approved Terms and Conditions for the Boys Bowling Tournament Series, beginning with the 2002-03 (next) school term. Sectionals are scheduled for Saturday, Jan. 25, 2003. The State Final will be the weekend of Jan. 31-Feb. 1, 2003.
  2. Approved a recommendation to assign lanes at the sectional according to seed. Teams will be assigned from the middle lanes being used in a round outwardly according to highest seed.
  3. Approved a recommendation to reduce the Team Roster from (ten) 10 to eight (8).
  4. Approved a recommendation to issue eight team, two coach and one pit pass(es) for the state final.
  5. Did not approve a recommendation to charge an admission fee of $10 for sessions No. 1 and 3 and an admission fee of $5 for sessions 2 and 4 of the State Final Tournament.
  6. Approved a recommendation to limit the number of individuals advancing to the State Final to a maximum of 40. The recommendation provides for at-large selections on the basis of the number of sectionals conducted. For example, if there are 10 sectionals, 4 individuals would advance from each sectional and there would be no at-large selections. If there are 12 sectionals, then three individuals would advance from each sectional and there would be 4 at-large qualifiers.
  7. Approved a recommendation to use the highest game score to break a team tie for lane seeding following the morning round in the sectional.
  8. Approved a recommendation for substitutions during a game. The player who leaves cannot return to play for the remainder of the day.
  9. Approved recommendations for Photographer Shooting Zones at the sectionals and State Final.
  10. Approved a recommendation that fresh lanes be used for each session of the sectionals and State Final.

Equity

Accepted the committee's report regarding:

  1. A procedure for member schools to identify women and minorities for the IHSA Office to contact for service on advisory committees.
  2. Adding Assistant Principal and Assistant Athletic Director to the categories listed in the IHSA School Directory.
  3. A plan that IHSA no longer support the National Girls and Women in Sports Day as an IHSA promotion.

Boys/Girls Gymnastics

  1. Did not approve a recommendation for IHSA to establish a task force to develop tournament structure for advancement of 12 teams to the State Final.
  2. Approved a recommendation that the at-large qualifiers be announced on the IHSA Web Site (www.ihsa.org) and not via phone or fax.
  3. Did not approve a recommendation to limit individual participation in the state series only to schools that compete in a minimum of six interscholastic meets during the season.

Scholastic Bowl

  1. Did not approve a recommendation to adopt pool play involving the first and second place finishers from the regionals at the sectionals.
  2. Did not approve a recommendation to change the sectional pairings to match regional winners and second place finishers in a seeded format.
  3. Approved a recommendation to adopt pool play at the sectionals with only the regional winners advancing to the sectional.

Boys/Girls Swimming

  1. Approved a recommendation to blind draw three diving coaches to serve as judges on the sectional diving panel.
  2. Approved changes in the boys and girls qualifying times. Boys changes are: 100 butterfly to :54.39, 200 medley relay to 1:41.09, 200 freestyle relay to 1:30.19, 200 freestyle to 1:47.69, 500 freestyle to 4:54.29. Girls changes are: 50 freestyle to :25.01, 200 medley relay to 1:53.39, 200 freestyle relay to 1:41.49, 400 freestyle relay to 3:43.99.
  3. Approved a recommendation that a Coordinator of Officials position paying $200 be authorized for the State Final, and that the head officials be required to attend a pre-meet meeting on Thursday preceding the State Final at 7:00 p.m.
  4. Approved a recommendation that all 48 divers perform five (5) dives in Rounds 1-5, then the field is cut to the top 16 divers for Rounds 6-8, and a final cut to a field of 12 divers for Saturday Rounds 9-11.
  5. Approved a recommendation to change in the State Final time schedule to accommodate the new diving format. Doors will open Friday at 7:30 a.m. Competition begins at 8:30 a.m.
  6. Approved a recommendation to distribute coaches passes by the following formula: 1-5 qualifiers = 2 passes, 6-10 qualifiers = 3 passes, 11 or more qualifiers = 4 passes.

Boys Wrestling

  1. Did not approve a recommendation that seeding and assignments be done by the Sectional Complex format.
  2. Did not approve a recommendation to increase the Entry Form roster limit from 21 to 28.
  3. Did not approve a recommendation to include rationale for wrestling all matches in the Dual Team series in the Terms and Conditions.
  4. Did not approve a recommendation for team seeding criteria as follows: 1) head to head, 2) common opponent, and 3) vote of coaches. If there is a tie for a spot, there will be a re-vote for the spot only. If a tie still remains, then coin flip.
  5. Did not approve a recommendation that tapes of the State Final be made available in the event the State Final(s) is not televised on the IHSA Television Network.

Chess

  1. Approved a recommendation that individual awards be presented to players on Boards 2-8 who finish the tournament with a perfect score. These players went through the tournament unbeaten on their board.
  2. Approved a recommendation that individual awards be presented to players on Board 1 who finish the tournament with a score of 6.5 or better. These players went through the tournament without losing on their board, but tied once.
  3. Approved a recommendation to allow a time delay clock on Boards 1-8 set with a five-second delay providing time is reduced by five minutes per player.

Sports Medicine

Accepted the committee's report regarding:

  1. A recommendation that IHSA provide information on eating disorders to the membership.
  2. Use of the following in state series terms and conditions: "A student with asthma may possess and use his/her medication during an IHSA competition, while under the supervision of school personnel, provided the school meets the outlined procedures of self administration in the Illinois School Code."
  3. Information regarding a clinic being offered on common health concerns of athletes. Dr. William Brinkman of the staff at Children's Memorial Hospital, Chicago, will conduct the clinic.

Speech

  1. Approved a Debate recommendation that each participating school provide one judge per two contestants entered as long as the tournament is double flighted. If the tournament is not double flighted, each participating school shall provide one judge.
  2. Approved a recommendation in Debate that debaters may participate in only one debate event at the state finals.
  3. Approved a recommendation in Debate that the topic for the Lincoln-Douglas debate series be the March-April topic of the "Rostrum" published by the National Forensic League.
  4. Approved a recommendation in Debate that the entry fees paid to the State Final Manager be $50 per Cross Exam team, $25.00 per Lincoln-Douglas team and $15.00 per Congressional Debate entry.
  5. Did not approve a recommendation in Individual Events to discontinue identifying the contestant's school.
  6. Approved a recommendation in Individual Events to revise the judging panels at the State Final. Three judges will be used in the preliminary rounds of each event. Five judges, preferably two hired and three coaches selected by the State Tournament Committee shall be used in the final round of each event.
  7. Approved a recommendation in Individual Events that each school with an entry at the State Tournament provide at least one coach to serve as a judge in the tournament.
  8. Approved a recommendation in Performance in the Round to increase entry fees to $7.00 per group entered at the Regional, Sectional and State Final.
  9. Approved a recommendation for Performance in the Round to prohibit performers from standing on table and chairs.

Officials

  1. Approved a recommendation that IHSA continue to provide the Grant Program to recognized officials organizations. These funds are to be used by receiving organizations to mentor, educate and recruit officials. The joint venture with the Illinois Elementary School Association (IESA) sets aside $7,000 annually for the program.
  2. Did not approve a recommendation to resume printing the Officials Directory, making it available to member schools and others.
  3. Approved a plan to provide all licensed officials with one of the new officials patches at the time of registration, and to provide one new officials patch to each officials in each sport. Officials seeking additional new patches may order them from the Officials Department.
  4. Approved a recommendation to revise the percentage of base paid as compensation for officials. Football and basketball officials will continue to receive 100 per cent of the base. Officials in soccer, volleyball, wrestling, baseball, softball, gymnastics and the referee and starter in swimming and track and field will receive 85 per cent of base. Assistant starters in swimming and track and field, and volleyball line judges, will receive 65 per cent of base. The change will cost IHSA an additional $17,587.26 in state series officials fees in the 2002-03 school term.
  5. Did not approve a recommendation to increase the base in officials fees $5.00. Currently, the base is $125 for football and basketball. The change would have cost the IHSA an additional $23,000.
  6. Did not approve a recommendation to increase the base $5.00 for 2003-04 and 2004-05.
  7. Approved a recommendation to reimburse at $60 per night state final officials for up to three nights of lodging in basketball, soccer, individual wrestling, girls volleyball, baseball and softball.
  8. Approved recommendations to increase fees paid to rules interpreters to $50 per meeting, to clinicians at the IHSA Free Clinics to $100 per clinic, and to the Head Officials at the State Finals to $125 per day.
  9. Approved a recommendation to increase licensing fees for officials from $30 to $35.

Boys/Girls Basketball

  1. Did not approve recommendations to conduct the Class A and Class AA finals in the Country Companies Three-Point Showdown either before the first or after the last semifinal games on Saturday.
  2. Approved a recommendation to reduce the pre-game warm-up time from 20 to 15 minutes for all state series games.
  3. Approved a recommendation to adopt the Sectional Complex format for the Class AA boys and girls state series. Under the format, a maximum of eight (8) schools will be seeded and no more than two (2) seeded teams will be placed at each of the four (4) regional sites.
  4. Did not approve a recommendation to survey the Class A schools regarding the format to be used in the state series. Class A schools will use the traditional regional-sectional format for the 2002-03 (next) school term.
  5. Did not approve a recommendation to play the quarterfinal games at Noon, 1:45 p.m., 5:00 p.m. and 6:15 p.m.
  6. Did not approve a recommendation to alter the Saturday time schedule by moving the starting time of the first semifinal game to 11:00 a.m. and moving the starting time of the third place to 6:45 p.m.
  7. Approved a recommendation to reduce the timeouts available to each team in State Final games that are televised. One full timeout each quarter is provided for television and they are not charged to the teams. Each team will have three charged full timeouts, but will not have the two 30-second timeouts allowed by the basketball rules.
  8. Referred a recommendation to award plaques to the teams winning the super-sectionals to a sub-committee of the Athletic Administrators Advisory Committee reviewing awards.

Eligibility Rulings

  1. Sustained the Acting Executive Director's ruling that a student is ineligible at Danville (Schlarman) until March 1, 2003, for non-compliance with transfer by-laws. The student transferred from New Orleans (John Curtis Christian) and lives in Danville with grandparents. His parents remain in New Orleans. The Acting Executive Director ruled there were no circumstances completely beyond the control of the student, his parents or the school that necessitated the transfer. In addition, the student participated in baseball at the New Orleans school this school term before his transfer to Schlarman.
  2. Sustained the Acting Executive Director's ruling that a student is ineligible at Lombard (Montini) until June 9, 2002 (three sports seasons) for non-compliance with transfer by-laws. The student transferred from Lisle (Sr.) and his parents did not move to a new school district in conjunction with the transfer. He played baseball at Lisle (Sr.).
  3. Sustained the Acting Executive Director's ruling that a student is ineligible at Lombard (Montini) until Nov. 3, 2002 (three sports seasons) for non-compliance with transfer by-laws. The student transferred from Hinsdale (Central) and was on the cross country team. His parents did not move to a new school district in conjunction with the transfer.

Other Action

  1. The Board approved a change in the 2002-03 Music Organization Contest from April 11-12 to April 4-5, 2003.
  2. The Board approved a four-year proposal from KOST Broadcast Sales, Chicago, to produce and distribute telecasts of IHSA events. Next year's lineup will include live telecasts of all football playoff championship games, all 8 Class A and Class AA girls basketball state final tournament games and all 8 Class A and Class AA boys basketball state final tournament games. Additional events may be televised each year depending upon funding for the programming. The events will be televised on a network of television stations and cable systems created and managed by KOST.

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 2002, agenda:

Water Polo: The Board heard a status report regarding the upcoming state series in Water Polo for boys and girls. This year a total of 58 schools entered the boys series of which 13 are from the Chicago Public League and 45 statewide. A total of 46 schools entered the girls series of which 6 are from the Chicago Public League and 40 statewide.

Annual Three-Day Board Meeting: The Board discussed possible dates this summer for the annual three-day meeting. Site will be Bloomington. Dates will be determined.