The IHSAA Board of Directors will conduct its annual meeting at 8 a.m. (EST) April 30 at the IHSAA office, 9150 North Meridian St., Indianapolis. The 18-person board will consider an agenda that includes 43 proposals to amend the current IHSAA by-laws.

Following the conclusion of the Board of Directors meeting, the monthly meeting of the IHSAA Executive Committee will be conducted. Both meetings are open to the media. Please note that seating space in the meeting room is limited. Media representatives will be accommodated as space in the room allows. IHSAA Commissioner Blake Ress and members of the board will be available to the media at the conclusion of the Executive Committee meeting.

IHSAA Commissioner Blake Ress will be available to the media during the week of April 23 to discuss the proposals.

The proposals to the IHSAA Board of Directors are posted on the IHSAA website at:

As outlined in the IHSAA by-laws, any member school principal can make a proposal to the IHSAA Board of Directors at the annual meeting. The IHSAA commissioner also can submit proposals. The board has four options on each proposal: affirm, deny, table or amend.

Significant proposals on the Board of Directors agenda include:

• Reducing from four years to one year for new IHSAA member schools to be eligible for IHSAA tournaments.
• Expanding the time period for reclassification from every two years to every four years.
• Counting grades 9-12 instead of grades 9-11 for classification purposes.
• Limiting the maximum number of classes in a sport to three except in football.
• Altering the limitations for athletes and coaches for out-of-season instruction and competition.
• A new governance structure regarding the Board of Directors.
• Election of officers for the 2001-2002 school year for the Board of Directors and Executive Committee.

Significant items on the Executive Committee agenda include:

• Approval of the format for the 2002 girls basketball and boys basketball tournaments. This will include a decision regarding a three-week vs. a four-week tournament format and the possible elimination of the mid-week regional.
• Discussion and action on the proposals submitted at the March 23 meeting by the Indiana High School Wrestling Coaches Association.
• Discussion and action on the joint proposals submitted at the March 23 meeting by the Indiana High School Swimming Coaches Association and the Indiana Coaches of Girls Sports Association.
• Discussion and action on a site for the 2001 IHSAA Girls Volleyball State Finals.

8 a.m. (EST), Monday, April 30, 2001.

Doors will open to the media at 7:30 a.m. (EST). Please use the main entrance.

President Oren Sutherlin, principal, North Vermillion High School.

The building is located at 9150 North Meridian Street on the north side of Indianapolis. From I-465 at the U.S. 31 (Meridian Street) interchange, follow Meridian Street south six blocks to 91st street. Turn right (west) on 91st Street, followed by a quick right into the office park driveway.

Because of the extremely limited space, the use of tripods by video photographers in the meeting room will not be available. Hand-held cameras will be permitted.

In order to maintain the decorum of the meeting, reporters will be asked to refrain from commentary in the meeting room while the proceedings are in progress. Standups will be available in the adjacent entryway inside the building.

Under the provision of the IHSAA By-Laws, the 2000-01 Board of Directors is comprised of 18 seats. All directors must be administrators or full-time teachers in grades 9 through 12 from a member school in good standing, or superintendents who have supervision of no more than one member high school.

It is the duty of the board to establish the rules and By-Laws of the Association.

Fifteen board seats -- three from each of the five legislative districts -- shall be filled by any qualified individual for a three-year term. Three other seats shall be filled by any qualified minority. The three minority seats, each a three-year term, are rotated through the five districts.

Under the provision of the IHSAA By-Laws, the Board of Directors meets annually on Monday of Week 44 of the IHSAA calendar. In 2001, that falls on April 30. Special meetings may be called as needed.

Under the provision of the IHSAA By-Laws, the Executive Committee is comprised of 12 members. The committee is composed of the members of the Board of Directors serving the second and third years of their three-year terms of service. Each of the five IHSAA legislative districts is served with two members on the Executive Committee. The remaining two seats are drawn from two of the three minority representatives serving on the Board of Directors.

The Executive Committee meets on a monthly basis throughout the school year. Its powers and duties include:

• To execute the rules governing the Association in the spirit as well as the letter in which they are written.
• To regulate and control all athletic contests between and among members of the Association.
• To conduct interschool tourneys and meets sponsored by the Association.
• To determine penalties and forfeitures for violation of the By-Laws of the Association.
• To give interpretations of the rules and By-Laws of the Association.

Three players from Indiana were selected to the 10-member first team on the 2001 Parade Magazine Girls Basketball All-America team. Seniors Jacqueline Batteast of South Bend Washington and Shrya Ely of Ben Davis were joined by junior Shanna Zolman of Wawasee. In all, 40 girls from across the country were honored. Ely was a third-team honoree on the 2000 Parade Magazine All-America team.

Rachel Etherington, assistant principal at Mishawaka, has been elected president of the Indiana Coaches of Girls Sports Association.