News
Celebrating Our Coaches
Letter From Commissioner Bobby Cox
On August 25, 2017, the IHSAA, in partnership with the IHSAA Foundation, the Indianapolis Colts, the NFL Foundation, and the InSideOut Initiative, introduced a dynamic program which stands to alter the methodology of how education-based athletic coaches approach their profession. Based upon the book InSideOut Coaching, written by Joe Ehrmann, and the work of Jody Redman with the Why We Play program, the InSideOut Initiative will challenge educators that work in interscholastic athletics to define their belief systems and motivations while serving in their critical roles as leaders of our young people.
Over 100 IHSAA member schools were represented at this kickoff event held at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. A positive energy and dialogue about the interscholastic landscape was conducted, centering on our efforts to reclaim the narrative about scholastic sports in the Hoosier State.
As Joe Ehrmann says, “To be a better leader, you have to be a better you.” The most significant purpose of interscholastic athletics is to develop the human potential of students. For this to happen, we must do our own inside work. In the days and weeks to follow, hundreds of Indiana high school coaches will examine their own inside work in efforts to enhance the education-based athletic experience in Indiana.
Stay tuned as the InSideOut Initiative grows.
Cordially,
Bobby Cox
Commissioner
Indiana High School Athletic Association, Inc.
Fun (And Amazing) Facts About the Popularity of High School Sports in Indiana
The numbers tell an amazing story. High school sports in Indiana are more popular than ever, and Hoosiers are more engaged than ever. Thousands of fans in every corner of our state are listening to IHSAA tournament broadcasts, hearing important messages about education-based athletics, and participating in the conversation about high school sports via Facebook and Twitter.
Did you know that...
...1,173 Indiana radio stations and 74 internet stations broadcasted an IHSAA tournament event last year?
...437 boys basketball sectional games, 314 girls sectional basketball games, and 275 football sectional games were broadcast throughout the state last year?
...a total of 857 boys basketball tournament games (sectionals, regionals, semi-states, and state finals) were broadcast last year? That’s a record!
...23,166 IHSAA radio commercials talking about the value of participating in education-based athletics were broadcast in Indiana last year? And they were all free of charge!
...the IHSAA has 31,667 more Twitter followers and 2,157 more Facebook followers than it did at this same time last year?
...the IHSAA's hashtag #FaceOfSportsmanship had more than 5,000,000 impressions on Twitter and Facebook alone during the 2016-17 school year (not counting the thousands of additional impressions on Instagram and Snapchat)? And all of these messages were about the importance of practicing good sportsmanship!
...12,201,962 television viewers in South Bend, Fort Wayne, Evansville, and Terre Haute will see an IHSAA commercial about the value of education-based athletics during the 2017-18 school year?
Thanks to you and the IHSAA’s media partners, we are doing an outstanding job of telling the story of education-based athletics in Indiana. And it’s important to continue doing so, because nobody is going to tell our story for us. You can continue to help by taking the time to thank the radio, television, and internet broadcasters in your area.
Here’s One More “Did You Know”
Did you know that the IHSAA has more Twitter followers than any other state association? 105,100 and counting! When we say, “We’re number one,” we really mean it!
One of the many benefits of maintaining a presence on social media is that it encourages interaction among thousands of followers. Take a look at the following Twitter posts. They illustrate how Indiana high school students, coaches, teachers, and fans are joining in the conversation about practicing good sportsmanship, a life lesson they are learning right now thanks to their interest in education-based athletics.
Mental Attitude Award Recipients: Spring 2017
Boys Track & Field
- Parker Jones, Pendleton Heights
Girls Track & Field
- Madison Kiser, Pioneer
Girls Tennis
- Maddie Weeks, Center Grove
Softball
- 1A: Kaitlyn Flowers, Tecumseh
- 2A: Rachel Cox, Indianapolis Scecina
- 3A: Elisha Barker, New Palestine
- 4A: Alexis Holloway, Crown Point
Boys Golf
- Kevin Stone, Carmel
Baseball
- 1A: Blake Malatestinic, Cardinal Ritter
- 2A: Matt Homco, Rossville
- 3A: Evan Aders, Jasper
- 4A: Trevor Waite, Penn
State Champions: Spring 2017
Boys Track & Field
- Team: Carmel
Girls Track & Field
- Team: Warren Central
Unified Track & Field
- Team: Merrillville
Girls Tennis
- Team: Carmel
- Singles: Carmel - Lauren Lemonds, Kiersten Carlson, Zoe Woods
- Doubles: Carmel - Grace Marchese and Julia Miller, Cece Katz and Apurva Manas
Softball
- 1A: Tecumseh
- 2A: Indianapolis Scecina
- 3A: New Palestine
- 4A: Crown Point
Boys Golf
- Team: Center Grove
- Individual: Noah Gillard, Center Grove
Baseball
- 1A: Cardinal Ritter
- 2A: Lanesville
- 3A: South Bend St. Joseph
- 4A: Indianapolis Cathedral
- October 27-28: Boys & Girls Soccer State Finals
- October 28: Boys & Girls Cross Country State Finals
- November 4: Volleyball State Finals
- November 24-25: Football State Finals