News
The Wave of Change
Letter From the Commissioner
Welcome to the 2013-14 school year and the anticipation of another collection of memorable moments, breathtaking finishes and lessons learned in the unique and valuable arena of education-based athletics. Many new and interesting changes have been presented to the membership through the continued collaboration of our principals, athletic administrators, coaching association leadership and the IHSAA Board of Directors.
Beginning this year, home schooled students may now participate under specific rules approved by the Board of Directors. This offering of inclusion to the hundreds of non-public, non-traditional students in our state stands as an invaluable opportunity for these young Hoosiers to enjoy the benefits of interscholastic participation which will serve them well into adult life.
The IHSAA football tournament has taken on a different look as a sixth classification has been added. The largest 32 schools will now comprise 6A while the remaining 290 football playing schools have been divided across five classes. The tournament series will conclude over Thanksgiving weekend at the beautiful Lucas Oil Stadium with the championships in classes 1A, 3A and 5A being contested on Friday and classes 2A, 4A and 6A played on Saturday. November 29th and 30th of 2013 promise to be both historic and entertaining.
Last spring, the Board of Directors approved what has been called the "Tournament Success Factor." Rule 2-5 of the by-laws now provides an additional measure to be applied to the classification of schools in team sports based upon previous IHSAA tournament success. Beginning with the fall tournaments, several member schools are now in enrollment classifications above their previous classification. The new alignments will create fresh and exciting matchups and should generate renewed enthusiasm across the state.
This past winter, the Association entered into a multi-year partnership with Fox Sports Indiana as the television partner of the IHSAA Champions Network. Our state championship events and other features will now be broadcast to the widest television audience in Association history. In our world today, it is imperative that we tell the story of education-based athletics in Indiana and Fox Sports provides the ultimate platform of delivery.
In conjunction with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), the IHSAA is launching a new sportsmanship program for its membership. The Champions of Character Five Star Leadership Program further augments our collective efforts to encourage positive sportsmanship at every IHSAA contest among all stakeholders. Proper sportsmanship is at the core of our value system and is never absent from our collective radars.
In this issue of The Spectator, you will also read about another successful Student Leadership Conference and the first ever IHSAA Officials' Summit. We are extremely proud of these events and will continue to enhance these experiences for the participants each year.
Finally, our partnership with Special Olympics Indiana continues to grow and flourish as we endeavor to teach the values of servant leadership to our youth. Members of our Student Advisory Committee have orchestrated outstanding events promoting awareness and acceptance across the state. The IHSAA and Special Olympics "Champions Together".
Throughout this year and the years to come, the IHSAA will be unveiling new programs and partnerships which ultimately support over 160,000 student athletes in our state along with the 412 voluntary member schools of this Association. Our future is bright and with energy and determination, our organization will continue to provide leadership and service to its constituencies.
Change is not on the way, it is here! Hoosier legend John Wooden probably stated it as well as anyone when he said, "We can have no progress without change, whether it be basketball or anything else." The IHSAA staff and Board of Directors invite you to join the culture of change we are creating. It's what we call "Pure Spirit, Pure Sport, Pure Indiana!"
Cordially,
Bobby Cox
Commissioner
Indiana High School Athletic Association, Inc.
IHSAA Inaugural Officials' Summit
The IHSAA registered just over 150 officials for the inaugural officials' summit held at Marian University this past August. The event began on Saturday, August 10th, with a golf outing at South Grove Golf Course. This proved to be a great social event where IHSAA staff members and officials were able to enjoy the day getting to know one another outside of the contest arena. On Sunday, August 11th, the following sessions were held for our officials:
Fall Rules Interpretation Meetings
IHSAA clinicians delivered live rules interpretation meetings for those attending the summit in the following fall sports: Football, Soccer, and Volleyball.
Insurance Coverage for Officials
This session answered questions and addressed assorted topics with respect to insurance coverage as a licensed official in the state of Indiana.
Technology: What Does Every Official Need To Know?
With the many changes revolving around technology and our IHSAA officials, this session addressed the basics of the IHSAA Central Hub and expanded to include several of the new changes occurring for the 2013-2014 season.
Coaches Panel - Sport Specific
This session was designed to improve the communication between the coaches coaching and the officials calling the contests. Several head coaches (sport specific to each meeting) were invited to serve on the panels. There were a variety of personalities as well as comprehensive representation from around the state with regard to school size and program success.
Association Meetings - Best Practices
This session grouped associations according to geographic location such that those in attendance were in one of three sessions: northern 1/3, central 1/3, southern 1/3. An agenda was prepared and a moderator assigned to each session. Items of discussion included recruiting, mentoring and retaining officials in your association. With the IHSAA initiative to annually scholarship two graduates from each member school, association groups were asked to discuss the impact of the initiative as well as give feedback for future improvement.
With this annual summit, sessions devoted to educating our officials will remain a major component of the agenda. The goal to improve communication among all those that have a role in guiding our young athletes—coaches, school administrators, officials, parents, and the IHSAA staff—will remain constant as well. We all must work together to ensure that our athletic contests are conducted in a manner that is consistent with a positive, professional, learning environment for our students.
Student Leadership Conference
The 10th annual IHSAA Student Leadership Conference was held at Plainfield High School on June 18, 2013. This was a banner year with a record 950 student athletes, an additional 150 administrators and coaches, and a record 108 member schools. Over 50 volunteers, 18 IHSAA Student Advisory Committee members, 14 middle school student volunteers, and over 45 speakers donated their time to make this conference a success. The conference this year was marked by great energy and enthusiasm. Breakout sessions and ice breakers such as the t-shirt exchange were again highlights of the day. Finally, the introduction of the IHSAA collaboration with Special Olympics Indiana promises to offer more leadership opportunities for Indiana high school athletes. The support and willingness of the volunteers who devoted a portion of their summer vacation for the education and development of our student athletes was most appreciated.
2012-13 State Champions: Spring
Girls Track & Field
- Team: Fort Wayne Northrop
- Pole Vault: Sara McKeeman, 11, Carroll (Fort Wayne), 12-03.
- Long Jump: Ari Nelson, 12, Homestead, 19-01.25.
- Discus: Adriana Brown, 11, Lawrence Central, 168-06. State Meet Record.
- High Jump: Janae Moffitt, 10, Oak Hill, 5-10.
- Shot Put: Liz Iversen, 11, Martinsville, 46-10.50.
- 3200 Relay: Eastern (Greentown) (Jessica Sprinkles 9, Sarah Wagner 12, Brittany Neeley 12, Bethany Neeley 12), 8:53.74. State Meet Record.
- 100 Hurdles: Sierra Brown, 11, Hamilton Heights, 14:53.
- 100 Meters: Brionna Thomas, 11, Fort Wayne Wayne, 11.99.
- 1600 Meters: Bethany Neeley, 12, Eastern (Greentown), 4:53.37.
- 400 Relay: Ben Davis (Maya Caudle 11, Briana Jones 12, Ra'Von Woodson 9, Alethia Marrero 12), 47.22.
- 400 Meters: Dejah Arnold, 11, Fort Wayne Northrop, 55.40.
- 300 Hurdles: Symone Black, 11, Fort Wayne Concordia Lutheran, 43.10.
- 800 Meters: Brittany Neeley, 12, Eastern (Greentown), 2:07.91. State Meet Record.
- 200 Meters: Brionna Thomas, 11, Fort Wayne Wayne, 24.30.
- 3200 Meters: Anna Rohrer, 10, Mishawaka, 10:20.68.
- 1600 Relay: Fort Wayne Northrop (Dejah Arnold 11, Victoria McCuiston 11, Makelle Skelton 12, Amber McGee 10), 3:51.53.
Boys Track & Field
- Team: Hamilton Southeastern
- Pole Vault: Jared Schipper, 11, Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger, 16-03.
- Long Jump: Grant Cole, 12, Eastern (Greentown), 23-5.25.
- Discus: Codie Hamsley, 12, Floyd Central, 194-00.
- High Jump: Eric Blackman, 12, Evansville Harrison, 6-08.00.
- Shot Put: Lukayus McNeil, 11, Decatur Central, 61-06.
- 3200 Relay: Carroll (Fort Wayne) (Eric Claxton 12, Kyle Gater 12, Alexander Hess 12, Jonathan Harper 12) 7:40.14.
- 110 Hurdles: Marsalis Gibson, 11, Bowman Academy, 14.19.
- 100 Meters: Matthew Johnson, 11, Lafayette Jefferson, 10.74.
- 1600 Meters: Troy Reeder, 12, Hamilton Southeastern, 4:07.26.
- 400 Relay: Lafayette Jefferson (Carl McQuay 12, Matthew Johnson 11, Darian Green 11, Lucas Wallace 12) 41.41.
- 400 Meters: Ryan Davis, 12, Hamilton Southeastern, 47.25.
- 300 Hurdles: Conner Stapleton, 12, Center Grove, 37.26.
- 800 Meters: Matt Dorsey, 12, Lawrence Central, 1:52.74.
- 200 Meters: Carl McQuay, 12, Lafayette Jefferson, 21.73.
- 3200 Meters: Clayton Bowie, 11, Southport, 9:01.36.
- 1600 Relay: Hamilton Southeastern (Zach Reitzug 12, Joshua Christy 12, Ryan Davis 12, Jacob Wright 11) 3:14.74.
Girls Tennis
- Team: Carmel
- Singles: Jackie Kawamoto, 11, Greenwood
- Doubles: Macie Elliott 12 | Brenna Wu 12, Evansville Memorial
Boys Golf
- Team: Westfield
- Medalist: Adam Wood, 11, Zionsville
Softball
- 1A: Lakewood Park Christian
- 2A: Indianapolis Scecina
- 3A: Tri-West Hendricks
- 4A: Portage
Baseball
- 1A: Lafayette Central Catholic
- 2A: South Spencer
- 3A: Norwell
- 4A: Elkhart Central
2012-13 Mental Attitude Award Winners: Spring
Girls Track & Field
- Bethany Neeley, Eastern (Greentown)
Boys Track & Field
- Matt Dorsey, Lawrence Central
Girls Tennis
- Macy Elliott, Evansville Memorial
Boys Golf
- Brad Patz, Avon
Softball
- 1A: Katie Burkett, Tecumseh
- 2A: Bess Fiechter, Adams Central
- 3A: Alyssa Clark, Tri-West Hendricks
- 4A: Haley Hodges, Portage
Baseball
- 1A: Colin Vieke, Vincennes Rivet
- 2A: Ryan Keaffaber, Northfield
- 3A: Nick Gobert, Jasper
- 4A: Matthew Eppers, Elkhart Central
- September 27: Boys & Girls Soccer Tournament Draw
- September 30: Boys Tennis Sectional Draw
- October 4-5: Girls Golf State Finals
- October 13: Football Tournament Draw
- October 14: Volleyball Tournament Draw
- October 18-19: Boys Tennis Team State Finals
- October 25-26: Boys Tennis Singles & Doubles State Finals
- November 2: Boys & Girls Cross Country State Finals
- November 2: Boys & Girls Soccer State Finals (1A & 2A)
- November 9: Volleyball State Finals (1A through 4A)
- November 29-30: Football State Finals (1A, 3A, 5A on Friday; 2A, 4A, 6A on Saturday)