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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE-Sept. 9, 2004
Contact: John Johnson or Andy Frushour
517.332.5046 or www.mhsaa.com

EAST LANSING , Mich. – Sept. 9 – One of the most successful sportsmanship initiatives of the Michigan High School Athletic Association has been its regularly-scheduled Sportsmanship Summit series, which takes on a new look in 2004.

Since its inception in 1997, Sportsmanship Summits have taken place in a one-day, one-site, statewide format in Lansing , drawing gatherings in excess of 1,200 students and administrators. This year, the goal is to attract 1,600 students, but in a series of four regional workshops aimed primarily at student-athletes.

The workshop format will involve two morning sessions where students will meet in small groups to discuss sportsmanship issues in the first session, and then work on identifying ways to address those issues on a local basis in the second. Following a lunch break, each workshop will conclude with a presentation by MHSAA Executive Director John E. “Jack” Roberts.

Activity begins at each regional Sportsmanship Summit at 9 a.m., and the workshop will conclude by 2 p.m. Registration is $25 per person. Each school may bring up to 10 representatives including two administrators, with total registration at each site limited to 400 participants. Registration at each site has already reached the capacity midpoint.

The regional Sportsmanship Summit schedule is: Sept. 29 – Saginaw – Horizons Center; Oct. 4 – Battle Creek – McCamly Plaza; Nov. 3 – Grand Rapids – DeVos Place; and Nov. 17 – Warren – DeCarlos Banquet Center.

A registration form may be found on the Home Page of the MHSAA Web site – mhsaa.com. An underwriting supporter of the Sportsmanship Summit series is MEEMIC Insurance, the MHSAA's corporate partner in promoting good sportsmanship.

The MHSAA is a private, not-for-profit corporation of voluntary membership by over 1,500 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, which attract approximately 1.6 million spectators each year.

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MEDIA ADVISORY – Members of the media – either sports or education reporters – are welcome to attend the Sportsmanship Summit series at no charge. You may contact Andy Frushour at the MHSAA office for more information.