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Every year the Missouri State High School Activities Association meets to discuss and vote on key issues related to Missouri high school sports.
The leaders of MSHSAA conduct area meetings throughout the state in order to give high school administrators an opportunity to interject opinions. Some of the key issues on the agenda this year are as follows:
1. The Baseball Advisory Committee recommended a change to the word “games” to “contest dates” to allow extra games on days when school is not in session – a maximum of five times.
On days when school is not in session, a school could play two games but would only count as one contest date. This would allow more games to be played and not have an effect on the amount of school time missed or travel expenses. Many schools travel longer distances on days when school is not in session and would like to play two games on the longer trips.
2. The six-team bracket was originally introduced by the Basketball Advisory Committee and has been reviewed and approved by the Athletic Administrators Advisory Committee and all other sports advisory committees. The bracket is designed to accommodate a growing number of schools that are hosting tournaments that only have six participating schools.
Currently, tournaments with six teams have two options: They can use pool play or a traditional eight-team bracket with byes. Pool play tournaments do not allow schools to complete the tournament in three dates and regular tournament brackets with byes eliminate schools from guaranteeing each team three games in the tournament.
3. Currently, the non-school competition rules apply to all students in grades 7 through 12 consistently. Once a student graduates from high school, he or she is no longer under the jurisdiction of MSHSAA by-laws but is until that point.
Instructional contact between school coaches and enrolled students is restricted, which indicates that a high school coach of any sport may not provide any coaching or instruction (outside of the school sport season) to any student who currently attends the school or will attend the school the following year. This includes seniors. Various sport advisory committees have proposed a by-law change to “exempt” seniors from this coaching restriction, following the senior school season.
4. A committee was formed to evaluate and give suggestions to the “Transfer Rule.”
Item 1: Should athletic reasons be sport specific? Currently a transfer form marked as occurring for sport-specific reasons will make the student ineligible for 365 days for all sports. Would the membership like to mark what sport or sports the transfer is occurring for athletic reasons?
Every year the Missouri State High School Activities Association meets to discuss and vote on key issues related to Missouri high school sports.
The leaders of MSHSAA conduct area meetings throughout the state in order to give high school administrators an opportunity to interject opinions. Some of the key issues on the agenda this year are as follows:
1. The Baseball Advisory Committee recommended a change to the word “games” to “contest dates” to allow extra games on days when school is not in session – a maximum of five times.
On days when school is not in session, a school could play two games but would only count as one contest date. This would allow more games to be played and not have an effect on the amount of school time missed or travel expenses. Many schools travel longer distances on days when school is not in session and would like to play two games on the longer trips.
2. The six-team bracket was originally introduced by the Basketball Advisory Committee and has been reviewed and approved by the Athletic Administrators Advisory Committee and all other sports advisory committees. The bracket is designed to accommodate a growing number of schools that are hosting tournaments that only have six participating schools.
Currently, tournaments with six teams have two options: They can use pool play or a traditional eight-team bracket with byes. Pool play tournaments do not allow schools to complete the tournament in three dates and regular tournament brackets with byes eliminate schools from guaranteeing each team three games in the tournament.
3. Currently, the non-school competition rules apply to all students in grades 7 through 12 consistently. Once a student graduates from high school, he or she is no longer under the jurisdiction of MSHSAA by-laws but is until that point.
Instructional contact between school coaches and enrolled students is restricted, which indicates that a high school coach of any sport may not provide any coaching or instruction (outside of the school sport season) to any student who currently attends the school or will attend the school the following year. This includes seniors. Various sport advisory committees have proposed a by-law change to “exempt” seniors from this coaching restriction, following the senior school season.
4. A committee was formed to evaluate and give suggestions to the “Transfer Rule.”
Item 1: Should athletic reasons be sport specific? Currently a transfer form marked as occurring for sport-specific reasons will make the student ineligible for 365 days for all sports. Would the membership like to mark what sport or sports the transfer is occurring for athletic reasons?
If this were to occur, it would allow a school to say a student is transferring schools due to basketball, and it would render the student ineligible at all levels of basketball, but would allow the student to compete in other sports with the level being determined by the transfer exceptions.
Item 2: With all the turnover at the position of activities director, should all first- and second-year activities directors be required to attend a mandatory training with the MSHSAA office? This training would take place during the summer at locations throughout the state – at the summer AD meeting and spring AD conference. The three opportunities would allow flexibility for individuals to find training that works for their schedule.
These are just a few of the 11 issues on the agenda for discussion by MSHSAA this year. In-depth information can be found on the MSHSAA website at www.mshsaa.org.
n My quote this week is from distance runner Bill Rodgers: “To repeat successes of the past, you follow your old program. Don’t get fancy; just be consistent.”
