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This Week In High School Sports: 12/20/19
December 18, 2019
This week’s show highlights the Battle of The Fans IX competition, awards Game Balls to Wyoming Tri-Unity Christian boys basketball coach Mark Keeler and Escanaba girls basketball forward Nicole Kamin, offers a "You Make the Call" regarding alternate possession in basketball and explains how to purchase digital copies and audio downloads of this fall's Finals broadcasts.
The 5-minute program, powered by MI Student Aid, leads off each week with feature stories from around the state from the MHSAA’s Second Half or network affiliates. "Be The Referee," a 60-second look at the fine art of officiating, comes in the middle of the show and is followed by a closing MHSAA "Perspective."
Listen to this week's show by Clicking Here.
Past editions
Dec. 13: Port Huron United hockey, what matters most in high school sports - Listen
Dec. 6: Highlights from 2019 11-Player Football Finals, instant replay in review - Listen
Nov. 29: Highlights from 2019 8-Player Football, Girls Volleyball and Girls Swimming & Diving Finals - Listen
Nov. 22: Ida volleyball record-setter Taylor Wegener, new Football Finals video review - Listen
Nov. 15: Reading lineman Nick Affholter, coaches as leaders in sportsmanship - Listen
Nov. 8: Lower Peninsula Cross Country and Boys Soccer Finals highlights - Listen
Nov. 1: Muskegon Orchard View football, bolstered MHSAA broadcast schedule - Listen
Oct. 25: Grand Rapids NorthPointe Christian girls golf, MHSAA Football Playoff selection - Listen
Oct. 18: Mendon volleyball's title drive, recognition for longtime announcer Erik O. Furseth - Listen
Oct. 11: Negaunee cross country's Emily Paupore, MHSAA mental health awareness efforts - Listen
Oct. 4: South Lyon soccer's Josh Mason, improving youth football - Listen
Sept: 27: Utica Eisenhower golfer Ariel Chang, adult fan behavior - Listen
Sept: 20: Pinckney football inspiration, decisions made at the local level - Listen
Sept. 13: Muskegon's offensive line, soccer substitution rule change - Listen
Sept. 6: Jenison girls golf's inspiration, new football practice contact restrictions - Listen
Aug. 30: St. Johns quarterback-now-coach Andy Schmitt, benefits of a multi-sport experience - Listen
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NFHS Voice: Reading the Crystal Ball
May 15, 2020
By Karissa Niehoff
NFHS Executive Director
Re-opening is the key word in sports at all levels right now. Every day, there are new projections for when the National Basketball Association and Major League Baseball will resume – and if the National Football League will start on time this fall.
Along with leaders of youth-level sports and the NCAA, the NFHS and its member state associations are exploring all options for conducting sports this fall. And while we all want answers, the truth is that there are more questions than answers at this point.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the leading national medical authority throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, told ESPN earlier this week that “the virus will make the decision for us” on whether sports will return this fall. His comments underscore the need for leaders of all levels of sport in the United States to exercise great caution as we re-engage in activities.
Without a doubt, education will play a larger role in the decision-making process for high school programs than for non-scholastic programs. Despite the significant loss of revenue that could occur at some levels if programs remained closed, health and safety concerns must take priority when it comes to re-opening the sport or activity.
At the high school level, sports and other activity programs will most likely not return until schools re-open. High school sports and performing arts are education-based programs and complete the learning process on a day-to-day basis. As such, academics during the school day and sports and other activities after school are inseparable.
Could any of those sports and activities return without fans? That option is certainly not one schools favor, but it is a very real possibility. While a few state associations opted for that arrangement to complete state basketball tournaments, that is not a desired ongoing plan for school sports. Besides, this troubling question would have to be addressed: If it is unsafe for fans in the stands, is it safe for the students to be participating?
Students, parents and other fans in the stands cheering for and supporting student-athletes, and applauding from the theatre audience, are among the most wonderful aspects of education-based activities. Before accepting that arrangement, efforts will continue to make attending events a safe experience for everyone.
While we remain uncertain as to the timetable for the return of high school sports and other activities, we believe that when these programs return – and they will return – that everyone will bring renewed zeal to provide the 12 million participants in these programs the best experience possible.
One of the challenges to solving the crystal ball of high school sports and activities this fall is the uncertainty of the spread of the virus as states begin to re-open this month. The NFHS will continue to work with its Sports Medicine Advisory Committee on an ongoing basis to provide the most updated information.
With the non-negotiable tenet of safety for student activity participants, expect every avenue to be pursued so that students can be involved in football, soccer, volleyball, field hockey, speech, debate, music and many other school activities this fall.
Dr. Karissa L. Niehoff is in her second year as executive director of the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) in Indianapolis, Indiana. She is the first female to head the national leadership organization for high school athletics and performing arts activities and the sixth full-time executive director of the NFHS, which celebrated its 100th year of service during the 2018-19 school year. She previously was executive director of the Connecticut Association of Schools-Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference for seven years.