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Records Set Despite Overall Participation Dip

July 9, 2014

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Participation in high school sports in which postseason tournaments are sponsored by the Michigan High School Athletic Association decreased slightly for the third straight school year in 2013-14, following a continuing trend of declining member school enrollments. 

However, nine MHSAA sports saw increases in participation from 2012-13, and four sports set records for the second straight school year.

A total of 288,230 participants took part in the 28 tournament sports offered by the MHSAA during the past year – a 1.9-percent decrease from the 2012-13 figure of 293,810. However, enrollments at member schools also decreased 0.7 percent from 2012-13 and have fallen 10 percent since the 2006-07 school year – while MHSAA participation has fallen only 7.9 percent during that time. This year’s dip was slightly larger than the 1.2-percent decrease from 2011-12 to 2012-13.

Overall boys participation fell 1.7 percent from 2012-13 to 2013-14, while girls participation fell 2.2 percent. The overall MHSAA totals count students once for each sport in which they participate, meaning students who are multiple-sport athletes are counted more than once. 

For the second straight school year, both boys and girls lacrosse (5,089 and 2,540, respectively) and boys and girls cross country (8,882 and 8,703) set participation records. Both lacrosse totals have increased annually during their 10 years as MHSAA tournament sports; the girls saw an increase of 1.6 percent from 2012-13. Participation in both boys and girls cross country increased for the fifth straight seasons – the girls this time by 3.9 percent.

Three girls sports rebounded from recent declines. Girls swimming and diving (6,604) broke a two-year downturn in participation with its highest total since 2010-11, while girls golf (3,427) increased by 2.8 percent and girls soccer (13,619) increased one percent after also falling from 2011-12 to 2012-13. Girls track and field (17,259) posted its second straight increase and highest participation total since 2009-10.

However, troubling trends continued in two of the most popular girls sports. Girls basketball participation fell for the eighth straight season to 16,329 participants, the sport’s fewest since records first were kept in 1991-92. The girls basketball total has decreased 14.7 percent since a U.S. District Court decision led to the switching of girls basketball season from fall to winter beginning in 2007-08. Comparatively, girls enrollment at MHSAA schools during that time has fallen 10.4 percent.

The sport that swapped seasons with girls basketball and moved to fall, volleyball, saw a 6.5-percent drop in participation this school year to 18,607 athletes, its fewest since 1993-94 and a decrease of 13.6 percent since its final season as a winter sport.

Also of note in this year’s survey:

  • Total, nine sports saw increases in participation in 2013-14 (three boys, six girls), while 19 had decreases (11 boys, eight girls).
  • Football participation, 11 and 8-player teams combined, dropped for the sixth straight season but this time by only 2 percent to 40,673 athletes. The drop from 2011-12 to 2012-13 was 3.7 percent.
  • Wrestling saw a decrease for the fifth straight year, but also by a smaller percentage than the year before – 2.2 percent versus a 4.8-percent drop from 2011-12 to 2012-13.
  • Baseball participation increased for the second straight year, up 0.7 percent to 18,227 participants. But softball saw the third-largest dip in 2013-14, 7.2 percent to 13,443 participants.
  • Gymnastics (600) saw a decrease for the second straight year, this time by 11 percent – the largest percentage decrease of any sport this school year. Boys skiing (745) saw the second-largest drop, 9.7 percent.

The participation figures are gathered annually from MHSAA member schools to submit to the National Federation of State High School Associations for compiling of its national participation survey. Results of Michigan surveys from the 2000-01 school year to present may be viewed on the MHSAA Website.

The following chart shows participation figures for the 2013-14 school year from MHSAA member schools for sports in which the Association sponsors a postseason tournament:

                BOYS                                                   GIRLS

SPORT

SCHOOLS  (A)

PARTICIPANTS

SCHOOLS (A)

PARTICIPANTS (B)

Baseball

630/646/2

18,220

-

-/7

Basketball

727/732/2

21,504

676/723

16,321/8

Bowling

341/359/1

3,573

326/357

2,939/7

Competitive Cheer

-

-

311/337

7,120

Cross Country

591/626/0

8,882

577/622

8,703/0

Football –

                11 player

596/660/3

39,963

-

-/43

                  8-player

36/39/0

667

-

-

Golf

515/542/12

6,768

317/327

3,365/62

Gymnastics

-

-

56/74

600

Ice Hockey

219/268/2

3,564

-

-/19

Lacrosse

125/130/0

5,089

86/88

2,540/0

Skiing

81/104/0

745

78/104

662/0

Soccer

475/496/12

14,242

466/478

13,619/48

Softball

-

-

569

13,443

Swimming & Diving

242/266/1

5,243

260/274

6,064/8

Tennis

312/318/2

6,464

338/347

8,856/6

Track & Field

648/679/0

22,716

634/673

17,259/0

Volleyball

-

-

662

18,607

Wrestling

Winter Sees Season Switch, Rules Changes

November 26, 2018

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

A switch in the starts of boys and girls basketball and a number of rules changes in various sports are notable as 2018-19 competition begins in 12 winter sports for which the MHSAA sponsors postseason tournaments.

Beginning with ice hockey’s first games Nov. 12, five sports have started play during these last two weeks, while wrestling on Dec. 5 and skiing on Dec. 8 will be the final winter sports to begin competition. This season’s first boys basketball games are scheduled to begin Nov. 26 as the boys season begins, and ends, one week before the girls basketball season this winter in a switch from years past. The change was made for this winter to accommodate availability of Michigan State University’s Breslin Student Events Center, which will host the Boys Basketball Finals. The first girls basketball games will be played Dec. 3, and the Girls Basketball Finals on March 16 at Calvin College’s Van Noord Arena will close the winter season.

The further re-definition of the competition area to reward offensive wrestling is among the most significant rules changes taking effect this winter. Following a similar rule change a year ago to create a larger scoring area coming out of the down position, wrestlers will continue to compete as long as two supporting point(s) – be it two for one wrestler or one for each – remain inbounds. This change will provide a larger scoring area for takedowns, escapes and reversals. Supporting points include the parts of the body touching, or within, the wrestling area that bear the wrestler’s weight, other than those parts with which the wrestler is holding the opponent.

Other rules changes that will be most apparent this winter include:

•  In basketball, a rule change allows any player located in the backcourt, for either team, to recover a ball deflected from the frontcourt by the defense. This exception to the backcourt violation ensures neither team is unfairly disadvantaged on a deflected pass. A player located in the frontcourt still may not be the first to touch the ball if his or her team loses control and the ball goes into the backcourt.

•  Also in basketball, the previous 14-foot coach’s box in front of a team's bench has been extended to 28 feet.

•  As with Lower Peninsula girls swimming & diving season in the fall, a pair of changes for boys and Upper Peninsula girls will provide more opportunities for divers. The diving event in dual, double-dual or other multi-team non-championship competition has been limited to six dives, but now may be expanded to an 11-dive competition – giving divers another opportunity to prepare for the 11-dive competitions at the MHSAA Qualification Meets and Finals levels. Also, while diving traditionally has been placed in the middle of the event order of a dual or other regular-season meet, it may now be conducted first, last or simultaneously with the swimming events. (Both require prior mutual consent by competing teams and officials.)

•  In boys ice hockey, a penalty shot will be awarded when a goal cage is displaced on a breakaway or during the last two minutes of regulation. This is meant to deter players and goalies from attempting to displace the net during a breakaway situation.

The 2018-19 Winter campaign culminates with postseason tournaments beginning with the Upper Peninsula Girls and Boys Swimming & Diving Finals on Feb. 16, and wraps up with the Girls Basketball Finals on March 23. A reminder: The MHSAA Individual Wrestling Finals at Ford Field again will be a two-day event this winter as opposed to a three-day event as in past seasons.

Here is a complete list of winter tournament dates:

Boys Basketball
Districts – Feb. 25, 27 & March 1
Regionals – March 5 & 7
Quarterfinals – March 12
Semifinals – March 14-15
Finals – March 16 

Girls Basketball
Districts – March 4, 6 & 8
Regionals – March 11 & 13
Quarterfinals – March 19
Semifinals – March 21-22
Finals – March 23 

Girls & Boys Bowling
Team Regionals – Feb. 22
Singles Regionals – Feb. 23
Team Finals – March 1
Singles Finals – March 2 

Girls Competitive Cheer
Districts – Feb. 15-16
Regionals – Feb. 23
Finals: March 1-2 

Girls Gymnastics
Regionals – March 2
Team Finals – March 8
Individual Finals – March 9 

Ice Hockey
Regionals – Feb. 25-March 2
Quarterfinals – March 5-6
Semifinals – March 7-8
Finals – March 9 

Girls and Boys Skiing
Regionals – Feb. 11-15
Finals – Feb. 25

Girls & Boys Swimming & Diving
U.P. Girls & Boys Finals – Feb. 16
L.P. Boys Diving Qualification Meets – Feb. 28
L.P. Boys Finals – March 8-9 

Wrestling
Team Districts – Feb. 6-7
Individual Districts – Feb. 9
Team Regionals – Feb. 13
Individual Regionals – Feb. 16
Team Quarterfinals – Feb. 22
Team Semifinals & Finals – Feb. 23
Individual Finals – March 1-2