Rep Council Wrap-Up: Fall 2017
December 7, 2017
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
A change in format for the Michigan High School Athletic Association Baseball Tournament was among notable actions taken by the Representative Council during its annual Fall Meeting, Dec. 1 in East Lansing, in addition to MHSAA basketball schedule changes for 2018-19 announced in a previous release Dec. 4.
Beginning with the 2019 tournament, baseball will move from its current one-day Saturday Regional and Quarterfinal the following Tuesday to a two-day “Super Regional” format. The Super Regional will begin with a Regional Semifinal on the Wednesday following District Finals, followed by two Regional Finals at the same site on Saturday. The winners of those two Regional Finals will then meet that same Saturday in a Super Regional championship game, with Super Regional winners then moving on directly to MHSAA Semifinals the following Thursday and Friday.
Both Regional champions will continue to receive trophies. No trophy will be awarded for the Super Regional champion. The MHSAA Softball Tournament, which runs concurrently with baseball’s event, will continue with the traditional schedule of Saturday Regionals followed by Tuesday Quarterfinals and then Semifinals and Finals the final weekend of the season.
The change for baseball is intended to provide teams more opportunities to use their top pitchers in the most meaningful games of the season, and was proposed by the MHSAA Baseball Committee prior to the Representative Council’s May 2017 meeting. However, the proposal was tabled at that time to give MHSAA staff an opportunity to observe how a new pitch-count rule – mandated to begin with the 2017 season by the National Federation of State High School Associations – might figure into possible changes to the tournament schedule.
The Council also took action in 8-player football, following up its decisions at earlier 2017 meetings to add a second division of playoffs and play this past season’s Finals at the Superior Dome in Marquette.
The Council’s latest actions dealt with schools’ eligibility to compete in the postseason. The Council voted to continue using the maximum enrollment for a Class D school as the limit to participate in the MHSAA 8-Player Football Playoffs. However, the Council also approved an allowance for schools that sponsored 8-player with a Class D enrollment one year to remain eligible for the 8-Player Playoffs the next year even if the school’s enrollment rises above the Class D limit. That allowance lasts only one year; the school’s enrollment must fall back below the Class D limit after for it to remain eligible for the 8-player postseason.
Generally, the Council takes only a few actions during its Fall Meeting, with topics often introduced for additional consideration and actions during its meetings in winter and spring.
The Council began conversation on a possible MHSAA role providing assistance to schools for scheduling regular-season football games, a task often cited as among the most difficult for administrators and especially those whose programs are among the most successful. The Council considered approaches used in other states and two options of what could be done to assist MHSAA member schools. A trial run paper study will be conducted for scheduling 8-player football for the 2018 season, distributed to Class D 8-player schools in April. The study will consider an option where schools would be split into two equal divisions, then four regions per division, from which each school would then schedule seven of its nine games for the upcoming season while leaving the other two dates open to play schools from other regions, the other division or other states.
Following up its request of staff at the May meeting to conduct a review of the MHSAA transfer rule, the Council discussed possible revisions to the rule that would make it sport-specific. The changes would allow for immediate eligibility for a transfer student in sports he or she had not participated in at the high school level prior to the transfer – which is more lenient than the current rule – but also stipulate a one-year period of ineligibility in those sports the transfer student had played in at the high school level during the school year prior to transferring, which is a longer period of ineligibility than currently required. The possibility of a sport-specific transfer rule has been discussed at league meetings and athletic director in-service and MHSAA UPDATE meetings over the last six months and will continue to be discussed at multiple venues this winter including the League Leadership meeting and Michigan Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association conference, with a possible Council vote at its 2018 March or May meetings.
The Council as well continued its recent work on junior high/middle school athletics, examining survey results and other discussion on the possibility of allowing athletes in any sport except football to participate in a maximum of two non-school events during the school season in that sport, after tabling in May a Junior High/Middle School Committee recommendation to approve that proposal. The Council also discussed increasing the number of contests allowed each season and adding more MHSAA sponsored events at the junior high/middle school level, with action on all three topics possible in March or May.
In addition, the Council discussed the potential for beginning volleyball season two days earlier and also ending it seven days earlier, supported by 90 percent of athletic directors who responded to a survey on the topic but opposed by the Michigan Interscholastic Volleyball Coaches Association; and continued an ongoing discussion of options for potentially seeding basketball at the District level. The Council also began discourse on the process for identifying potential athletic programs and additional student populations the MHSAA could serve during the decade ahead.
The Fall Meeting saw the addition of Justin Jennings, superintendent for Muskegon Public Schools, to the 19-person Council. He was appointed to a two-year term. Jennings fills the position formerly held by Cheri Meier, assistant superintendent for Okemos Public Schools, whose term ended. Also, Courtney Hawkins, athletic director at Flint Beecher High School, was re-appointed for a second two-year term.
The Council re-elected Scott Grimes, assistant superintendent of human services for Grand Haven Area Public Schools, as its president; and Vic Michaels, director of physical education and athletics for the Archdiocese of Detroit, as secretary-treasurer. Saginaw Heritage athletic director Pete Ryan was elected as vice president.
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.
Rep Council Wrap-Up: Spring 2018
May 14, 2018
By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor
The adoption of major changes to the Michigan High School Athletic Association transfer regulation was among notable actions taken by the Representative Council during its annual Spring Meeting, May 6-7, in Gaylord, in addition to the selection of the Association’s next executive director announced in a previous release May 8.
The Spring Meeting of the 19-member legislative body of the Association’s more than 1,400 member schools is generally the busiest of its three sessions each year. The Council considered 29 committee proposals and dealt with a variety of eligibility rule, postseason tournament and operational issues.
The revised transfer regulation will go into effect for the 2019-20 school year, based on a student-athlete’s sports participation during 2018-19. The new transfer rule will make transferring student-athletes ineligible for one year in any sport played during the previous year at the previous school – unless that student-athlete’s situation fits one of the current 15 exceptions that allow for immediate eligibility. However, the revised transfer regulation also allows that transferring student-athlete immediate eligibility in any other MHSAA-sponsored sport not participated in during that previous year at the previous school.
The additions to the transfer rule received vast support from member schools in surveys leading up to the Council’s vote.
“We are hopeful this ‘sport-specific’ transfer rule will be easier to understand, and therefore, more consistently enforced,” MHSAA Executive Director John E. “Jack” Roberts said. “This rule better addresses the changing landscape of transfers, hopefully dissuading those considering moving for athletic reasons while still allowing a full range of sports for those who do switch. It may seem like a punishment to some, but the new rule is actually more permissive for many transfer students, and we saw growing support for these changes from our schools since we began discussing this proposal a year ago.”
A number of significant actions at the Spring Meeting will affect the junior high/middle school levels, as the Council continued growing its impact among those who represent the future of educational athletics.
The Council approved Junior High/Middle School Committee recommendations to increase the number of contests and days of competition in three sports, beginning in 2018-19. Softball teams will have 12 days of competition over 13 weeks, with doubleheaders counting as one of those 12 days. Basketball teams may play 12 games over 13 weeks with one game a day allowed, except that two games may be played on a day not followed by a school day up to four times a season; each of those doubleheader days will count as one of the 12 games. Soccer teams may play 12 games over 13 weeks with one game a day allowed, except that two games may be played on a day not followed by a school day up to two times a season; each of those doubleheader days also will count as one of the 12 games.
Another committee recommendation approved by the Council will allow a middle school student-athlete to compete in two non-school events during the school season in team sports except football – making the rule for team sports at the junior high/middle school level the same as the individual sport model currently enforced.
The Council also approved of continuing to develop and expand opportunities for the MHSAA to act as a “presenting sponsor” of already-existing junior high/middle school meets, invitationals and tournaments conducted by leagues, conferences and schools around Michigan. Staff was authorized to approach MHSAA sport committees and sport coaches association to explore possible junior high/middle school area or sectional competitions in cross country, track & field, wrestling, swimming & diving and potentially other sports.
“The Representative Council continued to consider ways to better serve the youngest student-athletes in our membership – the junior high/middle school participants who are the future of high school sports,” Roberts said. “While these actions may not gain as much attention as changes at the high school level, they are just as important if not more critical to the status of educational athletics moving forward. Nurturing this youngest level must continue to be a focus in the years to come as we work to strengthen and provide more opportunities at all levels.”
The Council approved a number of recommendations by respective sport committees that will alter the tournament setup beginning this fall. In ice hockey, the Pre-Regional system of tournament assignments has been eliminated; all teams will instead be organized into traditional Regionals, 24 total with no more than eight teams assigned to each. In boys lacrosse, a game will end when an 18-goal margin is reached any time after the completion of the third quarter; the 12-goal differential that starts a running clock during the second half will continue. In soccer, beginning with the 2019 season, the first round of District games will be required to be played the week before the current District week on that Wednesday, Thursday or Friday. District Semifinals and Finals will be scheduled for the following week – but Saturday games can be used only as a weather backup during the District round.
To better assist with scheduling and provide transportation relief, the Council approved a number of adjustments to the non-traditional draw policies for District and Regional tournaments; non-traditional draws do not require all contests be played as a designated host site, assisting primarily teams that might be located far from their tournament host but closer to their opponent(s). For the 2018-19 MHSAA Basketball and Volleyball Tournaments, non-traditional draws will be mandated for Districts made up of (a) all Upper Peninsula teams, (b) a combination of Upper and Lower Peninsula teams, or (c) seven or eight-team District grouping in any location of the state. In Districts with circumstances (a) and (b), a traditional draw may be conducted if all participating teams agree to that format. At the Regional level, any that include more than one District located in the Upper Peninsula will require geographic neutral sites be used. The Council also authorized a work group to review all aspects of non-traditional draws and all affected sports and report at the Council’s Fall meeting this Nov. 30.
Additionally, the Council approved a Classification Committee recommendation to move the “opt-up” deadline for fall sports from April 15 to May 1, while keeping the dates for winter (Aug. 15) and spring sports (Oct. 15) the same.
Here is a summary of other actions taken by the Representative Council at the Spring Meeting, which will take effect during the 2018-19 school year unless noted:
Sport Matters
• In baseball, the Council approved a committee recommendation altering tournament trophies to match the tournament format previously approved to begin with the 2019 season. Starting that spring, baseball teams will play what previously were Quarterfinals as the final game of a “Super Regional” tournament, and trophies awarded to those 16 winners will read “Super Regional Champion.” Trophies awarded to losing teams in that round will read “Regional Champion” as they still will have won the Regional level of the tournament.
• In basketball, the Council approved a committee recommendation to adopt the 28-foot coaching box for competition allowed under National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) rules. Previously, the MHSAA allowed for a 14-foot coaches box in front of the team’s bench.
• In competitive cheer, the Council approved four committee recommendations. The first allows junior high/middle school athletes to perform an inverted exit-cradle to back walkover out only. At the high school level, any catch that originates from shoulder level or below and transitions from a vertical body position to a horizontal body position now will require only three catchers, while four catchers are still required for any catch that exceeds shoulder level. The two other recommendations affect scoring: the first will allow at the high school level a mountain climber to an unbraced OLE to receive the OLE choreography bonus, while the second will allow for all levels (grades 7-12) four difficulty points to be awarded for a ground-up to an elevator.
• In cross country and track & field, the Council approved a Committee recommendation to adopt a recommendation from the state coaches and officials associations to use a one-turn stagger for the 3,200-meter relay and open 800, 1,600 and 3,200 meter runs. This stagger will begin to be used in 2020. The Council also approved a Committee recommendation to alter the junior high/middle school meet order to closely align with the high school order; eight events will switch so that relays and similar sprints and distance runs are ordered in the same way.
• In football, the Council approved a Football Committee recommendation that the MHSAA continue for the third year to experiment with a 40-second clock for use between plays. Teams taking part in the experiment will have 40 seconds from the end of the previous play to snap the ball to begin the next, unless there is an administrative stoppage (for penalty, measurement, etc.). MHSAA schools began experimenting with the 40-second clock during the 2016 season.
• In boys lacrosse, the Council approved a Committee recommendation to allow contests with out-of-state schools from states that do not sponsor a statewide boys lacrosse tournament only as long as those opponents follow comparable regulations of other spring sport teams in that state – including practice and contest limits, use of NFHS playing rules and prohibitions on undue influence and recruiting. Member schools must receive pre-approval from the MHSAA to play these opponents.
• In skiing, the Council approved a Committee recommendation to increase the maximum number of contests from 15 to 17 while reducing the number of scrimmages allowed from four to two.
• In soccer, the Council approved a Committee recommendation to allow at the high school level, as a part of the multi-team tournament rule, teams to play two full games on a non-school day and have those two count as one of the 18 regular-season contests. Teams still have the option to play 180 minutes under the current multi-team tournament rule. The only overtime allowed would be a shootout if part of a bracket tournament.
The Council also discussed a number of topics that will require action as quickly as its Nov. 30 meeting. The Council considered options for the Girls and Boys Basketball Tournaments for the 2019-20 season; one option follows the current format of playing tournaments with a one week offset and Finals at separate sites, and a second option would have the tournaments conducted simultaneously over three weeks with Semifinals at sites around the state and all eight championship games (four for girls, four for boys) at the same arena during the same weekend.
The possible scheduling by the MHSAA of regular-season games for 8-player football teams also was discussed and may be voted upon Nov. 30.
Make-up of the MHSAA’s sport committees is an emerging topic, and the Council considered suggestions for making them more effective. The committee appointment procedure originally was adopted by the Council in 1987 and modified in 2007.
The Council also reviewed reports on membership, with 751 senior high schools and 752 junior high/middle schools in 2017-18 plus 42 elementary schools with 6th-grader participation; eligibility advancement applications, which totaled six for this school year; the use of Educational Transfer Forms, which fell eight percent this year; out-of-state practice requests, school violations, attendance at athletic director in-service workshops and Coaches Advancement Program sessions, officials’ registrations, rules meetings attendance and officials reports submitted for the past three sports seasons. The Association’s $11.6 million budget for the 2018-19 school year also was approved.
The Representative Council is the 19-member legislative body of the MHSAA. All but five 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.