IHSA Announcements

October 25, 1999

Garber Re-Elected President of Board of Directors

Hoffman Estates (H.S.) principal Dennis Garber was re-elected president of the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) Board of Directors for a fourth straight term at its regular October meeting Monday (Oct. 25) 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 was re-appointed to a three-year term as treasurer of the Association.

Election of officers came after the canvass of ballots in this year's Board elections. Garber, Wright and Collins all were re-elected from their geographic Board divisions. Other members of the current Board are Katherine Flanagan of Chicago (Manley), Michael Hawkins of Lexington, Patrick Sullivan of Roxana and Craig Zeck of Downers Grove (South).

Other Action
Auditor's Report: The Board received the annual audit of the Association by the firm of Clifton, Gunderson.

All-State Academic Team: The Board approved a modification in the selection process to provide that no more than one student from any member school may be named to the All-State Academic Team in any year. Each school may nominate one male and one female student, but if one is selected the other will be eligible only for Honorable mention.

Football Playoff Site: The Board approved the minutes of its Oct. 15 conference call meeting in which it approved the change of the site of the 1999 Football Playoff championship games from Hancock Stadium.

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 seven advisory committees at its regular October meeting Monday 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."

Following is a recap of the Board action Monday:

Officials
  1. Approved recommendations regarding recruitment of new officials. One will be a program encouraging local officials associations to conduct officials recruiting clinics. Prospective officials applying for a first time license will pay a discounted $20.00 license fee for the first year. The other will be a program through state junior colleges, colleges and universities to recruit students through their officiating classes also with a discounted license fee.

  2. Approved an Officials Conference to be conducted for the first time in the summer of 2000. The two-day event will be held on a weekend and will include an officials recognition program and certified clinics.
News Media

  1. Approved a recommendation that IHSA continue to print the All-Time State of Illinois and Team Title Record Books to be distributed to the media and member schools in the annual All-School mailing each fall.

  2. Approved a recommendation that a minimum of two (2) seats in the press box be set aside for the print media covering hometown teams in the state finals. These assignments would be made on a game-by-game basis.

  3. Did not approve a recommendation that IHSA member schools not play preliminary games prior to any scheduled night varsity football game.
Baseball
  1. Approved a recommendation that if the third place game in the state tournament is not played the two teams scheduled to participate in it would receive semifinalist trophies and individual awards.

  2. Approved a recommendation that the highest seeded team in the regional semifinal and final games shall call the coin flip.

  3. Approved a recommendation that the IHSA Web Site be the vehicle for communicating with participants in the Hitting Derby regarding starting times, weather delays, site changes, etc.

  4. Approved a recommendation that the National Federation bat rules changes become effective with the 2002 season. Bats with the 1998-99 dimensions will be useable for the 2000 and 2001 seasons. The new rule requires non-wood bats to have a 2 5/8-inch barrel diameter, a minus 3 unit maximum differential and a moment of inertia (MOI) of 9000 oz./in.2 measured at the 6-inch point from the knob.

  5. Approved a recommendation that the Hitting Derby pitching machine bench official can disallow pitches from the batting machine which are out of the strike zone.

  6. Approved a recommendation that new balls be used in the finals of the Hitting Derby.
Softball
  1. Approved a recommendation to adopt the same Third Place game timing in the State Final that is used in baseball. The game is scheduled to start at 3:00 p.m. If it cannot start by 5:00 p.m. it will not be played. No inning in the third place game after the fifth inning can start after 6:15 p.m.

  2. Approved a recommendation that if the third place game in the state tournament is not played the two teams scheduled to participate in it would receive semifinalist trophies and individual awards.

  3. Approved a recommendation that the highest seeded team in the regional semifinal and final games shall call the coin flip.

  4. Approved a recommendation that IHSA delay implementing the National Federation bat standard until the 2001 season.

  5. Approved a recommendation to use the Wilson A9011B NFSHSA Optic Yellow (.47 COR) softball during the 1999-2000 school term, while at the same time researching possibilities for use of a Wilson cork ball for the 2001 season.

  6. Approved a recommendation to require use of the double first base beginning with the 2002 season.

  7. Approved a recommendation that the IHSA Web Site be the vehicle for communicating with participants in the Hitting Derby regarding starting times, weather delays, site changes, etc.

  8. Approved a recommendation that the Hitting Derby pitching machine bench official can disallow pitches from the batting machine which are out of the strike zone.

  9. Approved a recommendation that new balls be used in the finals of the Hitting Derby.
Boys/Girls Soccer
  1. Received the report from the advisory committee. There were not Terms and Conditions recommendations.
Girls Badminton
  1. Approved establishment of a Code of Conduct similar to the one used in boys/girls tennis.
Boys & Girls Track and Field
  1. Approved surveying the member schools regarding three-class competition in boys and girls track and field.

  2. Approved surveying the member schools regarding the pole vault event for boys and girls competition in the state series.

  3. Did not approve a recommendation to expand the authority of the games committee to determine when a meet shall start in the event of inclement weather or other factors.

  4. Approved a change in starting time of the finals in girls track. The Opening Ceremonies will begin at 10:45 a.m. Finals in the field events will start at 11:15 a.m. and finals in the running events will start at 12:15 p.m.

  5. Approved recommendations in boys and girls track to change the scoring system at the sectionals and state final as follows:
    Sectional – Score six places and award medals to the first six places in each event. Scoring per event will be 10-8-6-4-2-1
    State Final – Score nine places and award medallions to the first nine places in each event. Scoring for each event will be 10-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1.

  6. Approved an increase in boys and girls track in the financial guarantee to sectionals hosts of $100 beginning with the 2001 (next year's) state series if Fully Automatic Timing (FAT) is used by the host school.

  7. Approved recommendations to change the qualifying standards as follows:

  8. Approved a recommendation in boys and girls track to seed at the sectionals with Lane No. 4 the preferred lane on an eight-lane track and lane No. 3 the preferred lane on a six-lane track. Managers will not shuffle the entries to place into lanes when seeding, but will use the same procedure that is used at the state final.

  9. Heard a report of the recommendation that member schools be encouraged to experiment in the use of the "super alley" with a two-turn stagger for any race 800 meters and above in meets they host during the 2000 season, and to report findings to the advisory committee by June, 2000. The Board took no action on this administrative recommendation.

  10. Referred to the Sportsmanship/Ethics Advisory Committee a recommendation to create an Add A. Tude Sportsmanship Award to be given at each sectional and the state final.
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, 1999, agenda:

Sportsmanship Summits: The Board heard a report of the three conferences held in conjunction with the Illinois Elementary School Association (IESA) Sept. 27 at Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, Sept. 28 at Illinois State University, Normal, and Sept. 29 at Collinsville. The three events drew a total of 1,245 attendees. Last year, at two sites, the summits drew 930 participants.

Amendment Proposals: The Board heard a report of the 28 proposals which have been submitted for review by the Legislation Commission during this year's annual legislative process. The Legislative Commission will meet Monday, Nov. 1 to allow proponents and opponents to any of the proposals to discuss them. It will then break for the annual Town Meetings to be held at 19 sites between Nov. 4 and Nov. 10. The Legislative Commission will then meet for the final time Monday, Nov. 15, and will vote whether to place each of the proposals on the annual referendum ballot. Included in the proposals this year are those submitted by the Strategic Planning action team working on outside competition.

Building Expansion: The Board heard a report of the ongoing expansion of the IHSA Office Building, and toured the facility to see what progress has been made.

Ice Hockey: The Board heard a report that the Executive Director will meet in early November with representatives from the Chicago Blackhawks and several youth amateur hockey organizations to discuss the prospective of high school hockey in Illinois. Definition of what "high school hockey" entails and the roles high schools and the IHSA must play in it will be the primary focus of the discussion.

Football Survey: The Board received the final survey results of football schools regarding possible expansion of the series. Results of the survey will be made available to the Football Advisory Committee when it meets Dec. 2. (Complete results follow.)

Basketball Survey: The Board received the final survey results of basketball schools regarding possible expansion of the series. Results of the survey will be made available to the Basketball Advisory Committee when it meets April 4, 2000 (Complete results follow.)

 

 

BASKETBALL SURVEY RESULTS

Question 1 -- How many classes of boys and girls basketball should the IHSA sponsor?

1 class 2 classes 3 classes 4 classes
4 225 97 99

 

 

.FOOTBALL SURVEY RESULTS

SECTION I. Please respond to the following statement:
Question 1 -- The IHSA should change the current football playoff structure.

  STRONGLY
AGREE		 AGREE DISAGREE STRONGLY
DISAGREE
TOTAL 81 44 38 61
CLASS 1A 10 12 8 15
CLASS 2A 14 4 7 10
CLASS 3A 16 8 5 7
CLASS 4A 11 5 6 4
CLASS 5A 11 9 7 9
CLASS 6A 9 4 2 12

SECTION II. If the playoff structure was changed, please rate the following statements:
Question 2 -- Expand the playoffs to eight classes (256 teams) same format as currently used.

  STRONGLY
AGREE		 AGREE DISAGREE STRONGLY
DISAGREE
TOTAL 45 44 55 76
CLASS 1A 8 5 13 17
CLASS 2A 7 6 9 11
CLASS 3A 6 6 12 13
CLASS 4A 10 4 5 7
CLASS 5A 6 13 5 13
CLASS 6A 5 7 6 9

Question 3 -- Stay with six classes. Go back and use the Wednesday after the ninth week as a playoff date. This would increase the teams entered from 192 to 384. Use the same format as currently used.

  STRONGLY
AGREE		 AGREE DISAGREE STRONGLY
DISAGREE
TOTAL 40 49 48 79
CLASS 1A 7 11 8 17
CLASS 2A 5 8 5 15
CLASS 3A 6 8 12 10
CLASS 4A 2 8 6 8
CLASS 5A 7 7 9 13
CLASS 6A 9 4 4 10

Question 4 -- Stay with six classes and use the ninth week of the season as the first playoff date. This would increase the teams entered from 192 to 384. Use the same format as currently used.

  STRONGLY
AGREE		 AGREE DISAGREE STRONGLY
DISAGREE
TOTAL 35 38 55 93
CLASS 1A 3 9 16 17
CLASS 2A 7 3 3 19
CLASS 3A 9 10 8 10
CLASS 4A 5 6 6 9
CLASS 5A 2 5 11 19
CLASS 6A 2 4 6 13

Question 5 -- Include all schools in the football playoffs.

  STRONGLY
AGREE		 AGREE DISAGREE STRONGLY
DISAGREE
TOTAL 21 26 38 130
CLASS 1A 3 5 7 27
CLASS 2A 3 4 4 21
CLASS 3A 3 8 7 19
CLASS 4A 5 2 7 11
CLASS 5A 2 2 5 25
CLASS 6A 2 3 4 17

Section III. To help with future decisions, please rate each of the following statements:
Question 6 -- Keep the football playoff state final games all at one location.

  STRONGLY
AGREE		 AGREE DISAGREE STRONGLY
DISAGREE
TOTAL 124 54 31 17
CLASS 1A 28 13 2 2
CLASS 2A 22 7 3 3
CLASS 3A 21 9 5 2
CLASS 4A 14 6 4 2
CLASS 5A 15 11 8 4
CLASS 6A 15 6 4 2

Question 7 -- Split the football playoff state final games to two different locations.

  STRONGLY
AGREE		 AGREE DISAGREE STRONGLY
DISAGREE
TOTAL 30 32 67 90
CLASS 1A 3 4 16 20
CLASS 2A 4 5 7 19
CLASS 3A 1 4 16 15
CLASS 4A 6 2 7 9
CLASS 5A 7 7 8 13
CLASS 6A 6 4 9 8

Question 8 -- Keep the three games in one day format.

  STRONGLY
AGREE		 AGREE DISAGREE STRONGLY
DISAGREE
TOTAL 106 80 25 16
CLASS 1A 23 18 3 1
CLASS 2A 14 13 2 6
CLASS 3A 15 15 5 2
CLASS 4A 11 10 3 2
CLASS 5A 16 13 5 4
CLASS 6A 14 8 5 0

Question 9 -- Go back to the four games one day and two games the next day format.

  STRONGLY
AGREE		 AGREE DISAGREE STRONGLY
DISAGREE
TOTAL 28 18 79 94
CLASS 1A 3 4 18 19
CLASS 2A 8 2 12 13
CLASS 3A 3 3 13 17
CLASS 4A 3 3 6 12
CLASS 5A 3 4 14 15
CLASS 6A 5 0 9 12