Phone: 317–846–6601 Fax: 317–575–4244 Website: www.ihsaa.org
Blake Ress, Commissioner
_____________________________________________________________________________
MEDIA INFORMATION May 1, 2006
Contact:
E–Mail: jwille@ihsaa.org
IHSAA BOARD REJECTS MULTIPLIER PROPOSALS IN ANNUAL MEETING
Board
approves additional seat for private school representative;
Football
returns to two-year classification cycle
Seven proposals were passed,
nine defeated and one other was tabled for further discussion when the Board of
Directors met for its annual review of the IHSAA’s by-laws in
Noteworthy among the 17
items ruled upon was the Board’s rejection by a 16-0 vote of a proposal that
would have added a 1.5 multiplier to the school enrollment figures of
non-public schools for classification purposes. Another measure that would have
added various multipliers (ranging from 0.7 to 1.3) to enrollment figures based
on the percentage of students who are on free or reduced lunches was also defeated
15-0 with one abstention.
A related proposal that
would add an additional seat to the Board of Directors for a private school
representative was approved by a 13-3 count. Elections to fill the opening will
be conducted in December with the individual’s term set to begin in July,
2007.
Also of note, the Board
approved, 13-3, an act by the Commissioner on behalf of the Indiana Football
Coaches Association that would return the sport of football to a two-year
reclassification cycle. Football will be reclassified for the 2007 season as
planned and then again in 2009. All other classified sports (baseball,
basketball, softball, volleyball) are not affected and will continue to be
reclassified every four years.
After lengthy discussion, the
Board tabled, until its June meeting, a proposal by Jay County Principal Wood
Barrick that would outline specific criteria to be met in order for non-teaching
coaches in basketball and football to qualify for a waiver. A similar measure
regarding the same rule was defeated 16-0.
“I am pleased with the
discussions that occurred and the decisions that were made by the Board of
Directors,” said IHSAA Commissioner Blake Ress. “The in-depth
deliberation and debate shows that the Board is engaged and takes its
responsibility very seriously.”
The Board is currently comprised
of 18 seats though one seat, filled by a minority representative from the
northern district, is currently vacant. The Board has four options on each
proposal: affirm, deny, table or amend. Items passed during the meeting go into
effect July 1, 2006.
A copy of the agenda
used by the Board is available in PDF from the IHSAA website. A copy of the current
by-laws also is available in PDF. Proposals on the agenda were considered
in the order that the rule appears within the current by-laws.
In other significant action
by the Board of Directors:
·
Creating
a one-time initiation fee for new member schools and requiring new schools to provide
at least one IHSAA sponsored sport for each gender during each sports season. (Approved 16-0)
·
Changing
the enrollment certification date from the fall to May 15 for classification
purposes. (Defeated 16-0)
·
Create
an appeals process to the commissioner to overturn an official’s decision
when a player is ejected or disqualified from a final regular season contest or
during a post-season tournament series. (Defeated
16-0)
·
Allow
an opportunity for officials to consult among themselves along with a rule book
when a coach feels a playing rule is being improperly enforced during a
contest. (Defeated 9-7)
·
Enact
a rule that would prevent a coach from putting together a team with an
unlimited number of freshmen to compete (a season or two) before the official
season for that sport. (Approved 16-0)
·
Moving
the starting date of the boys soccer contests from Monday, Week 7 to Saturday,
Week 6. (Defeated 16-0)
·
Allow
one additional regular season contest to soccer teams which do not participate
in either a controlled scrimmage or jamboree. (Defeated 16-0)
·
In
soccer, suspend players or coaches for the next scheduled contest who receive a
total of five cautions in one season. (Defeated
16-0)
Elections for next year’s leadership of the Board and
Executive Committee also were held. Boonville Principal Mike Whitten was voted
Board President for 2006-07 and Plymouth Principal Dick Tobias was selected as
Vice President. Evansville Central Athletic Director Paul Neidig was named
Chairman of the 2006-07 Executive Committee and Connersville Athletic Director
Pam Noble was confirmed as Vice Chairman.
Following the meeting of the
Board, the IHSAA Executive Committee,
in its monthly gathering, ruled on two proposals involving basketball as well
as conducting an annual review of gymnastics as a sponsored sport.
The Indiana Basketball
Coaches Association had proposed creating an exhibition doubleheader for boys
and girls teams with proceeds being donated to a Coaches vs. Cancer fund, while
an additional proposal would alter the format of the five-team and nine-team sectional
tournament brackets. Both measures were defeated 16-0.
In gymnastics, given that
less than 25 percent of the membership sponsors the sport, its status is
reviewed annually at this time. After a short discussion and the fact that the
same 86 schools have continued to offer the sport, the committee voted unanimously
to retain sponsorship.
IHSAA 05-06/41