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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE --August 1, 2000
Contact: John Johnson or Andy Frushour-- 517.332.5046

EAST LANSING, Mich. - Aug. 1 - Fueled by the continued growth of girls sports and a boom in boys sports like soccer and ice hockey, participation in high school athletics at Michigan High School Athletic Association member schools hit an all-time high during the 1999-00 school year.

There was a total of 282,426 participants in sports in which the Association sponsors post-season tournaments during the past school year. Among the participants, a record 118,292 took part in sports in which the MHSAA sponsors tournaments for girls only, which was a record 41.9 percent. The participation figures do count each team a student is a member of, meaning students who are multiple-sport athletes are counted more than once.

The participation figures for girls are up over 13 percent since the 1994-95 school year. Boys are up six percent over the same time period.

The greatest growth in girls sports during the 1994-95 to 1999-00 time period came in soccer, which was up 55 percent, from 7,684 players to 11,921; and golf, up 52 percent, from 2,343 participants to 3,564. Other girls sports with record participation numbers last year were competitive cheer with 3,019 athletes; cross country with 6,761; swimming and diving with 6,652; and tennis with 8,757. Volleyball was the most popular sport for girls for the fourth consecutive year.

Of the boys sports, ice hockey grew 57 percent in the past five years, from 98 teams and 1,900 participants in 1994-95, to 142 teams and 2,989 players last year - a trend which is expected to continue. Boys soccer has grown over 25 percent to a record 12,987 participants in 1999-00. Football continues to be the most popular sport for boys, and its numbers have remained stable over the past decade.

The participation figures are gathered annually from MHSAA member schools to submit to the National Federation of State High School Associations for compiling its national participation survey. The results of the survey from 1998-99 may be viewed on the NFHS Web Site - www.nfhs.org.

The following chart are participation figures for the 1999-00 school year from MHSAA member schools in sports in which the Association sponsors a post-season tournament:

                      Boys & Girls Teams      Girls Only Teams
Sport                Schools Participants   Schools Participants
Baseball               624      19,466  
Basketball             721      23,085        705      19,760
Competitive Cheer                             145       3,019
Cross Country          591       7,594        575       6,761
Football               620      42,743                    134
Golf                   559       8,274        268       3,564
Gymnastics                                     90       1,078
Ice Hockey             142       2,987  
Skiing - Alpine         85       1,098         84         795
Soccer                 403      12,987        335      11,921
Softball -Fast Pitch                          634      16,806
Swimming & Diving      220       4,325        228       6,652
Tennis                 359       7,717        349       8,759
Track & Field-Outdoor  649      21,923        646      17,971
Volleyball                                    694      20,934
Wrestling              456      11,935                    138

The MHSAA is a private, not-for-profit corporation of voluntary membership by over 1,300 public and private senior high schools and junior high/middle schools which exists to develop common rules for athletic eligibility and competition. No government funds or tax dollars support the MHSAA, which was the first such association nationally to not accept membership dues or tournament entry fees from schools. Member schools which enforce these rules are permitted to participate in MHSAA tournaments conducted in 12 sports for girls and 12 sports for boys which attract approximately 1.3 million spectators each year.