Chrisinske, Inglis Receive Bush Awards
June 5, 2013
Two athletic administrators respected as mentors and role models in their respective regions and throughout the state – Dave Chrisinske of Middleville Thornapple Kellogg and Cody Inglis of Traverse City Central – have been named the recipients of the Michigan High School Athletic Association's Allen W. Bush Award for 2013.
Al Bush served as executive director of the MHSAA for 10 years. The award honors individuals for past and continuing service to prep athletics as a coach, administrator, official, trainer, doctor or member of the media. The award was developed to bring recognition to men and women who are giving and serving without a lot of attention. This is the 22nd year of the award, with the selections being made by the MHSAA's Representative Council.
Chrisinske has served as an athletic director the last 21 years and for 36 years total in public and community education. He came to Thornapple Kellogg in fall 2011 after 32 years with Allendale Public Schools, where he taught and coached before serving 19 years as athletic director and also as assistant principal and community education director. He has coached football, basketball, baseball and volleyball at school or youth levels, and also is a registered MHSAA volleyball official.
The 1972 graduate of Stockbridge High School also worked for Coopersville Community Education for two years after graduating with his bachelor’s degree in group social studies from Grand Valley State University in 1977. He earned a master’s in educational leadership from Grand Valley State in 1992 and became a Certified Athletic Administrator in 1997.
Chrisinske continues to lend his time and expertise to a number of committees and community efforts; he has served as a region representative for the Michigan Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association for a decade, on various MHSAA committees including the baseball and wrestling sport committees and the scholarship classification committee, and on three successful school bond committees that led to new buildings and outdoor athletic facilities at Allendale. He also was a district representative for the Michigan High School Baseball Coaches Association for 10 years and has served on recreation committees for both Allendale and Thornapple Townships.
Chrisinske was recognized as the MIAAA Region IV Athletic Director of the year in 2004, and as Athletic Director of the Year by the West Michigan Officials Association in 2006 and West Michigan Umpires Association in 2011.
“Dave Chrisinske has become a go-to person in his league and community, always willing to share his knowledge and enthusiasm for high school athletics and serving student athletes,” said John E. “Jack” Roberts, executive director of the MHSAA. “His dedication shines through as well in his efforts with the MIAAA and as a frequent host of MHSAA tournaments. We are pleased to honor Dave Chrisinske with the Bush Award.”
Inglis also has served as an athletic director at two high schools, dating back to 1997. He spent 11 years at Suttons Bay, first as a teacher and also as assistant principal and middle school principal. He has spent the last five years as athletic director and assistant principal at Traverse City Central High School. Inglis is a 1989 graduate of Portage Northern High School and earned his bachelor’s degree from Hope College and master’s from Ohio University.
He coached boys and girls cross country and track and field at Suttons Bay from 1995-2008, leading his teams to numerous conference championships and the girls cross country team to a runner-up finish at the 2002 Lower Peninsula Division 4 Final. He was named Cross Country Coach of the Year after that season by the Michigan Interscholastic Track Coaches Association, and the MITCA Track Coach of the Year the following spring. He also served as an assistant coach for eight seasons for the Traverse City St. Francis-led cooperative hockey program.
Inglis has been a member of the MIAAA since 1997, became a Certified Athletic Administrator in 1999, and has served as an MIAAA region representative since 2001. He too is a regular host of MHSAA tournaments in a number of sports and has served as a member of the track and field, hockey, skiing and cross country sport committees and the site and officials selection committees. He was named MIAAA Region 2 Athletic Director of the Year in 2003. Inglis was league treasurer and secretary for the Northwest Conference from 1997-2008 and has served as Big North Conference secretary since 2009.
He’s also active in a number of community programs, including Boy Scouts, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Special Olympics, the Suttons Bay Township Recreation Committee, the Suttons Bay Art Festival and with his church.
“Cody Inglis is named time and again by his fellow athletic administrators as someone of integrity and character,” Roberts said. “He’s passed on these and various lessons to his coaches and athletes, but also as a regular speaker at the MIAAA’s annual conference. His impact continues to affect those he works with regularly in the Traverse City area, but also others across our state. He is a deserving recipient of the Bush Award.”
Rep Council Approves Expanded Basketball Schedules, Classification Changes at Winter Meeting
By
Geoff Kimmerly
MHSAA.com senior editor
March 29, 2022
An increase in the number of regular-season games high school basketball teams are allowed to play may be the most visible action taken by the Representative Council of the Michigan High School Athletic Association during its annual Winter Meeting on March 25 in East Lansing. However, a change in classification procedure expected to bring more equity to tournament groupings should have the most far-reaching effects across all sports.
The Winter Meeting frequently serves as an opportunity for the Council to discuss items expected to come up for action at its final meeting of the school year, scheduled for May 1-2. However, the Council took a number of actions at this meeting as they relate to scheduling currently underway for the 2022-23 school year, or Spring tournaments this May.
The Council approved a Basketball Committee proposal that will allow, beginning with the 2022-23 season, high school basketball teams to play up to 22 regular-season games at every level (varsity, junior varsity and freshman). Teams previously played a maximum of 20 games during the regular season; this adjustment brings MHSAA school schedules in line with what is allowed in most other Midwest states. Additionally as part of that proposal, mandatory preseason practice was reduced by one week, allowing teams to begin playing games after 14 days instead of 21.
The Council also approved a proposal by the Classification Committee that will result in postseason divisions more reflective of the number of schools actively sponsoring teams for that season. Divisions are assigned by taking the number of teams playing a sport and dividing equally by the number of team championships awarded in that sport (for example, four in baseball and softball). Previously, by the time seasons started the smallest-school divisions in many sports ended up with fewer teams than larger-school divisions because several small schools would declare they would be sponsoring a team during the classification process in March but then be unable to do so because of lack of participation or other reasons.
With this change, schools that have indicated they will sponsor a sport but haven’t participated in that sport as a team or with individual qualifiers over the previous two years will be removed from the classification process before divisions are determined. Those schools that have been removed must then notify the MHSAA they have an active team before being added back into the tournament.
A number of other actions will affect competition as quickly as this spring’s MHSAA Tournaments, and into the 2022-23 school year.
The Council approved a Cross Country/Track & Field proposal to allow for more MHSAA Tournament opportunities for wheelchair athletes. Starting with this Spring 2022 season, Regional and Final meets will include four events for wheelchair participants – 100, 200 and 400-meter races and shot put. These events will be open to wheelchair track & field athletes at MHSAA member schools. Additionally, the Council approved the expansion of postseason Paralympic opportunities in swimming, adding a 100-yard freestyle heat to the 50-yard freestyle heat that has been offered at Finals since 2020.
In baseball and softball, the Council approved committee proposals in those sports to allow District first-round games to be played during the week before Memorial Day. Baseball may play first-round games that previous Thursday, Friday or Saturday, and softball may play that previous Thursday and Friday, beginning this upcoming season. Previously, all first-round games were played the Tuesday after Memorial Day. This change is expected to alleviate pitch count concerns in baseball and provide scheduling flexibility for later District rounds that could allow athletes – especially at small schools where baseball and softball players frequently participate in track & field – opportunities to compete in both sports during the week following Memorial Day.
Another change proposed by the Classification Committee and approved by the Council will raise the enrollment cap for cooperative hockey programs, potentially allowing for more opportunities for schools to contribute athletes who wish to play the sport. Nearly 50 percent of hockey teams playing in the MHSAA Tournament are cooperatives made up of students from multiple schools, and for hockey those schools’ enrollments now may total up to 5,500 students, an increase of 2,000 students for hockey only. Schools participating in a cooperative hockey program must continue to receive Executive Committee approval and show a demonstrated lack of participation in hockey.
The Council also approved a Classification Committee proposal that will allow football teams to opt up in division after the annual release of classifications for the upcoming season in late March/early April. Football teams may opt up one division, with Executive Committee approval, and must show reason and rationale for their request. All football opt ups will be for a minimum of two years, and the Executive Committee will consider those opt-up requests at only its April and May meetings each year.
The Council approved a number of increased benefits for MHSAA-registered game officials, including raises in postseason game fees paid to officials across all sports. Also moving forward, MHSAA officials will be provided membership in the National Association of Sports Officials (NASO), which will provide expanded liability insurance plus additional resources and professional services for all MHSAA registered officials. The Council also approved a change to the registration process and fees that will automatically provide each official registration in two sports. All three changes were proposed by the Audit & Finance Committee.
The Council also approved a rule change allowing the use of school transportation during summer, but it must be funded from school-approved activities of booster clubs, school teams, student groups and community, civic or service groups. This includes the use of busses, vans and other vehicles owned or leased by the school district or operated by any entity with which the district contracts to provide transportation services.
The Representative Council is the legislative body of the MHSAA. All but five members are elected by member schools. Four members are appointed by the Council to facilitate representation of females and minorities, and the 19th position is occupied by the Superintendent of Public Instruction or designee.
The MHSAA is a private, not-for-profit corporation of voluntary membership by more than 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 more than 1.4 million spectators each year.