IHSA Announcements

August 12, 1999

Board Finalizes Site Proposal Specifications, Approves Staff Assignments

Site proposal specifications for five Illinois High School Association (IHSA) state finals events were approved by the Board of Directors at its regular August meeting Thursday (Aug. 12).

The Association will be seeking proposals from communities to host its state finals in girls volleyball, boys football, boys individual wrestling, girls basketball and boys basketball. Contracts for all but football expire with the conclusion of the 1999-2000 school term. The contact for football concludes with the games of November 2000.

Representatives from facilities and communities throughout Illinois will be invited to a meeting Sept. 8 at 10:30 a.m. in the IHSA Office. At the meeting, all aspects of the specifications will be reviewed by IHSA Executive Director Dave Fry.

"We anticipate all of the facilities and communities which have the capability to host our events to be represented at the meeting," Fry said. The meeting is designed to be a vehicle of communication between IHSA and the venues. They will hear from us what we are seeking, and we will hear from them what questions they may have. We anticipate the whole process will create opportunities for facilities and communities interested in hosting our events to showcase their individuality within a structured framework."

Staff Assignments

The Board approved the following staff assignments and areas of responsibility for the 1999-2000 (current) school term:

Dave Fry, Executive Director: general administration, eligibility, television
Marty Hickman, Associate Executive Director: boys/girls basketball, girls badminton, investigations, eligibility assistant, strategic planning
Jim Flynn, Asst. Executive Director: boys/girls cross country, boys/girls track and field, special events, media, promotions, merchandise
Susan Hinrichsen, Asst. Executive Director: Boys/girls volleyball, boys/girls gymnastics, girls bowling, scholar recognition, equity, sports medicine advisory committee
Dave Gannaway, Asst. Executive Director: boys football, boys wrestling, state final site manager, Officials Department, athletic administrators advisory committee
Beth Sauser, Asst. Executive Director: boys/girls tennis, boys/girls soccer, boys/girls swimming, chess
Anthony Holman, Asst. Executive Director: boys/girls golf, boys baseball, girls softball, scholastic bowl, IHSA Foundation
Scott Johnson, Director of Information Technology: data processing, Web site, publications, historian
Jeff Creek, Administrative Specialist: special events, Add A. Tude™ program, sportsmanship, special reports, tickets
Fred Vogt, Assistant to the Director, Pekin High School: speech/individual events, speech/drama & group interpretation
Bob Neuleib, Assistant to the Director, Normal (University) High School: speech/debate
Dan Dietrich, Assistant to the Director, Chillicothe (IVC) High School: music/solo & ensemble, music/organization

Board Action

The Board took the following action regarding the general business of the Association:

The Board approved submission to the IHSA Legislative Commission of two recommendations from the Strategic Planning action team addressing expansion of representation of women and minorities in all entities of the IHSA. The action team has proposed expanding the Board of Directors with the election of two at-large female/minority members, and expanding the Legislative Commission with the election of seven at-large female/minority members. The proposals would enlarge the Board of Directors from seven to nine members and the Legislative Commission from 28 to 35 members. These proposals will be submitted to the Legislative Commission for consideration this fall. Oct. 12 is the deadline for submission of proposals to the Commission for this school term.

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 August, 1999, agenda:

Basketball Survey: The Board heard a report of the status of a basketball classification survey to be sent to member school principals in early September.
Illinois.iHigh.com: The Board heard a report of the development of a new web site that IHSA is establishing with Universal Sports America and the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS). The new web site is part of a nationwide program designed to provide fans of interscholastic activities with both national and local data and information. The site is one of two to be generated by IHSA. The site www.ihsa.org will be customized to be a tool for use by personnel at member schools and the news media. The site Illinois.iHigh.com will be customized for use by the general population.
New IHSA Services: The Board viewed a new video which will be shown at all 1999-2000 school term rules interpretation meetings and elsewhere. An overview of new services being provided electronically for athletic officials, coaches and administrators highlights several significant enhancements. The enhancements will make electronic communication with the IHSA Office easier and quicker. Athletic officials can take their mandatory Part I exam via the Internet, and can review their ratings and other personal data on line.
Football Survey: The Board heard a status report of a survey on football playoff expansion. Results of the portion of the survey conducted last year among football coaches and athletic directors were reviewed, along with the questionnaire sent to principals in the annual all-school mailing on August 11.
Football Title Games: The Board discussed options and alternatives regarding the location and playing schedule of the 1999 Football Playoff Championship Games. Illinois State University, host of the title games since 1974, may be in line to host a first round game in the NCAA Division IAA Football Playoff Series scheduled for the same weekend.