October 13, 1998
BLOOMINGTON -- Hoffman Estates (H.S.) principal Dennis Garber was re-elected president of the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) Board of Directors for a third straight term at its regular October meeting Tuesday (Oct. 13) at the IHSA Office.
Garber, who is the 29th person to serve the Association as its president, has been a member of the Board since 1993. He was vice president from 1994-96, and was elected president for the first time in 1996. Re-elected vice president was William Wright, Savanna principal, and Monmouth (H.S.) principal Gary Collins was re-elected secretary. Collinsville principal Ron Ganschinietz serves as the appointed treasurer of the Association.
Election of officers came after the canvass of ballots in this year’s Board elections. Katherine Flanagan of Chicago (Manley) and Craig Zeck of Downers Grove (South) were re-elected to the Board for three-year terms respectively. The other members of the Board are Michael Hawkins of Lexington and Patrick Sullivan of Roxana.
Other Action
Staff Opening: The Board authorized the Executive Director to advertise a vacancy on the administrative staff. The position will be an assistant executive director with general responsibilities including the administration of football, wrestling and track and field. Applications will be accepted by the Executive Director until Jan. 10, 1999. Correspondence regarding the position will go in a letter to IHSA member schools Oct. 20 and that data will be posted on the IHSA Web Site the same day.
Board Acts On Terms and Conditions Recommendations
The Illinois High School Association (IHSA) Board of Directors acted on recommendations for Terms and Conditions and administrative procedures from eight advisory committees at its regular October meeting Tuesday in the IHSA Office.
"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."
Recommendations and/or reports from seven advisory committees were acted upon by the Board. Following is a recap of the Board action Tuesday:
Badminton
1. Approved a recommendation to incorporate sections of the United States Badminton Association rules regarding adjusting of shuttlecocks into the Terms and Conditions for the state series.
Boys Baseball
1. Approved a recommendation that a three-person crew for the regional semifinal and championship games be assigned by the IHSA Office.
2. Approved a change in the recommended starting time for night games in the state series to 7:00 p.m. from 7:30.
3. Did not approve a youth team admission price for the state final tournaments. Authorized the staff to conduct a survey of the demographics of spectators at the state final tournaments.
4. Approved change in the starting time of the competition in the preliminaries of the state final hitting derby to 5:00 p.m. with the group photo set for 4:30 p.m.
5. Approved a recommendation to eliminate provision of rooms to the four finalists in the state final hitting derby.
6. Did not approve a recommendation from the Baseball Advisory Committee to qualify all state final participants through hitting derby competition at each regional. Approved change in the hitting derby qualifying procedure which was recommended by the Softball Advisory Committee and endorsed by the Athletic Administrators Advisory Committee. The procedure allows coaches of the teams assigned to the regional to determine whether to nominate two qualifiers or conduct their own qualifying hitting derby to advance two qualifiers to the state final.
7. Did not approve a recommendation from the Baseball Advisory Committee to award points for balls landing in the outfield by dividing the outfield into thirds. Approved change in the hitting derby scoring system which was recommended by the Athletic Administrators Advisory Committee. The change will award two points for a ball that lands in the first half of the outfield and to award four points for a ball that lands in the second half of the outfield.
8. Approved a recommendation to adopt the National Federation Suggested Speed-Up Rules for all regular season and state series games.
9. Approved a recommendation to adopt the National Federation approved navy blue pullover as the official baseball umpire uniform top in the 1999-2000 (next) school term.
10. Did not approve an administrative recommendation for the IHSA Office to appoint Certified umpires to crews and assign the crews to work together throughout the state tournament series wherein possible.
11. Tabled a recommendation not to combine the Baseball and Softball Advisory Committees into a single Bat and Ball Advisory Committee.
Boys/Girls Gymnastics
1. Approved procedures to handle verified clerical errors in the boys and girls state series.
2. Approved a change in the boys state final order of performance in the individual preliminaries to have competitors warm-up and compete according to a rotational system of a school in ascending sectional score order within the rotation.
3. Approved a change in the boys state final order of performance in the individual events finals to be a random draw.
4. Approved use of a stinger mat provided by each respective participating school in the regionals and sectionals for boys and girls. At the state final, stinger mats will be provided by the state final host school.
5. Approved an increase in the number of medallions awarded to members of the top three placing teams in the girls state final meet from 15 to 20. This change will take place beginning with the 1999-2000 (next) school term.
Boys/Girls Soccer
1. Approved changes in scheduling in the girls series regional quarterfinal and semifinal round. Quarterfinal games will be held on Tuesday or Wednesday of Week 46 in the Standardized Calendar, while the regional semifinals will be conducted on Thursday, Friday or Saturday of Week 46.
2. Approved a standard overtime procedure for use in boys and girls regular season games which provides:
a. By mutual agreement prior to the beginning of the game, schools may use the state series tiebreaking procedure to resolve the game which is tied after regulation play, or
b. By mutual agreement prior to the beginning of the game, schools may use the modified tiebreaker procedure as long as there are no more than two (2) ten-minute overtime periods prior to tiebreaker kicks.
3. Approved a recommendation that the boys soccer playing schools be surveyed to determine if the state final tournaments should be played on alternate weekends as opposed to the same weekend as currently conducted.
Girls Softball
1. Approved change in the scheduling of state series games to reflect playing on Memorial Day when it is the Monday of the regional or sectional finals.
2. Approved a recommendation that a three-person crew for the regional semifinal and championship games be assigned by the IHSA Office.
3. Approved a change in the recommended starting time for afternoon games in the state series to 4:30 p.m. from 4:00.
4. Did not approve a youth team admission price for the state final tournaments. Authorized the staff to conduct a survey of the demographics of spectators at the state final tournaments.
5. Approved change in the starting time of the competition in the preliminaries of the state final hitting derby to 5:00 p.m. with the group photo set for 4:30 p.m.
6. Approved a recommendation to eliminate provision of rooms to the four finalists in the state final hitting derby.
7. Approved change in the hitting derby qualifying procedure which was recommended by the Softball Advisory Committee and endorsed by the Athletic Administrators Advisory Committee. The procedure allows coaches of the teams assigned to the regional to determine whether to nominate two qualifiers or conduct their own qualifying hitting derby to advance two qualifiers to the state final.
8. Did not approve a hitting derby recommendation from the Softball Advisory Committee to award points for balls landing in the outfield by dividing the outfield into thirds. Approved change in the hitting derby scoring system which was recommended by the Athletic Administrators Advisory Committee. The change will award two points for a ball that lands in the first half of the outfield and to award four points for a ball that lands in the second half of the outfield.
9. Did not approve a recommendation to submit to the National Federation a rules change that the safety base be mandatory, and recommend its use in regular season and state series play in Illinois beginning with the 1998-99 (current) school term.
10. Did not approve an administrative recommendation for the IHSA Office to appoint Certified umpires to crews and assign the crews to work together throughout the state tournament series wherein possible.
11. Tabled an administrative recommendation not to combine the Baseball and Softball Advisory Committees into a single Bat and Ball Advisory Committee.
12. Did not approve an administrative recommendation that for all softball games played by member schools, each umpire be required to provide each coach with the umpire’s full name, IHSA Officials Department Identification Number and the position worked (plate or base). The Board authorized the staff to forward the concept to the Officials Advisory Committee.
13. Did not approve an administrative recommendation that softball schools be surveyed regarding implementation of the sectional complex format for the state tournament series.
Sports Medicine
1. The Board received the committee’s report. There were no recommendations upon which to act.
Boys/Girls Track and Field
1. Approved changes in boys and girls track running events qualifying procedures. Running events which used to qualify from prelims to semifinals and from semifinals to finals based on place will qualify directly from the prelims to the finals based solely on time. The procedure will be used in all state final meet competition and will be optional at the sectional level where fully automatic timing (FAT) systems are used.
2. Approved a recommendation to require place winners in boys and girls track and field eligible to receive individual awards to report and receive the award at the respective presentation. Failure to report at the appropriate time will cause the athlete to forfeit the award.
3. Approved a number of changes in the qualifying marks in the Class A and Class AA boys and girls series. (These changes will be published in the Spring Sport Terms and Conditions booklet and the 1999 boys and girls track and field manuals.)
News Media
1. Modified a Television Policy recommendation regarding sponsorship of telecasts below state final level to provide that IHSA consider eliminating the stipulation that no sponsor shall be permitted which conflicts with the sponsors of the state final telecasts.
2. Did not approve a strong recommendation that member schools schedule their football games so that week night varsity games kick off no later than 7:30 p.m.
3. Did not approve a recommendation that member schools consider scheduling regular season contests so that night varsity football games kick off at 7:00 p.m. and night varsity contests in other sports beginning later than 7:30 p.m.
4. Citing that it did not have the authority to act in this regard, the Board did not approve recommendations regarding the process of selection of entrants into the Illinois High School Athletic Hall of Fame. The Board did instruct staff to communicate the committee’s thoughts regarding representation on the selection committee and the criteria for selection to the organizers of the project.
5. Approved an administrative recommendation that IHSA develop a statewide vehicle to allow fans to vote on the greatest moments, events and/or achievements in each of the respective sports/activities during each fall, winter and spring sports season of the IHSA Centennial Year 2000.
Officials
1. The Board heard a report of the committee’s progress regarding officials’ rating system, use of the IHSA Web Site regarding officials, and a comprehensive restructuring of officials fees for state series contests.
Scholastic Bowl
1. Approved a recommendation regarding team uniforms for the state final and penalties for being out of uniform.
Eligibility Decisions
1. Sustained the Executive Director’s ruling that a student is ineligible for the first three games of the 1998-99 basketball season at Stanford (Olympia) for noncompliance with the Coaching School By-law 3.120. The student attended a camp in Honesdale, PA, August 30-Sept. 2.
2. Sustained the Executive Director’s ruling that two students are ineligible at Melrose Park (Walther Lutheran) for noncompliance with the transfer by-laws. They attended Glen Ellyn (Glenbard South) last school term and transferred to Walther Lutheran this fall without a move on the part of their parents. Both were ruled ineligible for three sports seasons at Walther Lutheran beginning with the date of their last participation at Glenbard South. One is ineligible until Feb. 27, 1999. The other is ineligible until June 12, 1999.
Discussion Items
At each meeting of the Board of Directors, there are certain agenda items which the Board discusses but upon which it takes no action. Following is a report of those on the October, 1998, agenda:
Sportsmanship Summits: The Board heard a report of the two conferences held in conjunction with the Illinois Elementary School Association (IESA) Sept. 28 at Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, and Sept. 29 at Illinois State University, Normal. The two events drew a total of 930 attendees.