August 4 , 2009
Illinois High School Association (IHSA) Assistant Executive Director Sue Hinrichsen announced today that she will retire at the conclusion of the 2009-10 school term, her 18th year on the IHSA staff. Hinrichsen became the 21st administrator and eighth female administrator in the IHSA’s history when she joined the staff in 1992 after 15 years as a teacher and coach in Iowa and Illinois.
Hinrichsen is currently the administrator for boys and girls volleyball, boys and girls golf, boys and girls bowling and girls badminton. In addition, she handles equity issues at the IHSA, is in charge of state final merchandise and is the staff's Title IX liaison. She has also administered softball, boys and girls tennis, boys and girls cross country, boys and girls gymnastics, scholastic bowl, the Sports Medicine Advisory Committee and the All-State Academic Team during her tenure at the IHSA.
“I have been laying the ground work for this day and the timing was just right,” said Hinrichsen. “There are so many things I will miss from my time at the IHSA, but watching ordinary kids and coaches do extraordinary things on and off the court will always be near the top of that list.”
Hinrichsen’s extraordinary work throughout her career garnered her attention from several national entities, as she was selected to be a member of the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Equity Committee, Softball Rules Committee, Volleyball Rules Committee and was appointed by the U.S. Department of Education to testify before the Secretary of Education's Commission on opportunities in athletics in 2002.
“Sue Hinrichsen has been a champion of interscholastic participation throughout her career,” said IHSA Executive Director Marty Hickman. “There are literally thousands of young people who have participated in high school sports and activities in Illinois and around the nation who owe a special gratitude of thanks to Sue.”
Hinrichsen currently serves on the Interscholastic Advisory Council for High School Bowling USA, holds the title of Vice President of the Illinois Junior Golf Association and is on The Kids Golf Foundation advisory committee. The latter will host the Solheim Cup in Sugar Grove in August.
“I can’t say there is any one achievement or moment that has defined my career,” said Hinrichsen. “The credit of any achievement is the result of the work of so many different people on our staff and at our member schools. During my time here, we have opened new doors and created more equitable opportunities for not only our students, but also for our schools and the IHSA Board. We incorporated more people in making important decisions at every level and included them in discussions that counted.”
Hinrichsen spent her childhood in Wisconsin and Illinois before she settled in Geneseo with her family of five brothers. Her time at Geneseo High School preceded the inclusion of girls sports by the IHSA, but she stayed active by participating in athletics via the Girls’ Athletic Association (GAA). Despite the limits that the GAA placed on competition in comparison to current high school sports, Hinrichsen went on to earn a golf scholarship to Southern Illinois University in Carbondale (SIU), where she also competed on the Saluki basketball and softball teams. She graduated with a B.S. degree in Physical Education in 1976 and went on to earn a M.S. degree in Sport Management from Western Illinois University in 1992.
Hinrichsen’s teaching and coaching career included stops at Rochester High School, Peoria Heights High School, Davenport Central High School (IA) and Davenport North High School (IA). During that stretch, she coached volleyball, basketball, softball, golf and track & field at the high school level. Hinrichsen left Davenport for a position in the athletic department at the University of California-San Diego, where she stayed for one year before being hired by the IHSA.
“Sue is a consummate professional in everything she does here,” added Hickman. “She will leave a legacy and truly be missed.”
An avid golfer, Hinrichsen is an LPGA member who plans to retire to Galena where she will work in the golf business.
Hinrichsen reflected on her career at the IHSA. “I would like to be remembered as an administrator that not only championed girls sports, but all those boys and girls programs that needed to be leveled up. That is what equality is about. Through our strategic plan we worked hard to provide the same kinds of benefits and services for all participants, and today both boys and girls programs are treated fairly. I am certain this is a better organization today than when I started 18 years ago because of the hard work of so many people who care about the mission of the IHSA.”