News
Growing Up in the Digital Age
Letter From Commissioner Bobby Cox
By Karissa Niehoff, Executive Director of the National Federation of State High School Associations and Bobby Cox, Commissioner of the Indiana High School Athletic Association.
From the Greatest Generation to Baby Boomers, Generation X to Millennials, teenagers in every era have had challenges growing up.
In today’s digital world, high school students are being tested in unique and demanding ways. The Washington Post confirms that 73 percent of all American teenagers own their own smartphone and, on average, spend almost nine hours a day texting, chatting, gaming, blogging, streaming, and visiting with friends online.
Although conclusive research showing a direct correlation between the mental health of teenagers and smartphone usage won’t be complete for years, it isn’t a great confidence builder for a student to discover online that everyone else seems to have more friends.
In addition, recent figures indicate that more than 31 percent of America’s 42 million teenagers are overweight or obese, compared to only five percent in 1980. According to the 2016 National Survey of Children’s Health, Indiana is ranked the ninth most obese state in the nation with 33.9 percent of all teenagers considered overweight.
Not surprisingly, many psychologists and researchers agree that today’s teenagers are more lonely, anxious, and depressed than ever before.
As the new school year gets underway and social pressures increase, statistics like these verify how important it is for teenagers to participate in high school sports and other activities such as marching band, choir, speech, and debate.
The most recent survey by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) indicates there are almost eight million participants in high school sports and more than four million in performing arts activities. Most of these students would agree the primary advantage of playing a sport or participating in an after-school activity is the opportunity to meet new people and develop meaningful friendships. An online chat is no substitute for working toward a common goal face-to-face, side-by-side, for weeks on end with teammates.
And positive social relationships are only the beginning. Among other benefits, high school sports are instrumental in helping teenagers establish nutritional and exercise habits that will carry them for a lifetime. Participating in a sport in high school is a great way to maintain a healthy weight, establish good eating and sleeping habits, discourage the use of alcohol and drugs, and develop a greater sense of self-esteem.
Additional benefits of participating in a high school sport or activity are shared by the NFHS on a new website at MyReasonWhy, where dozens of high school students address this topic in their own words through videos.
A new school year brings with it an opportunity for teenagers to make new friends and establish new lifestyle habits. Encouraging them to make friends on the field of play as well as online is great way to start.
Cordially,
Bobby Cox
Commissioner
Indiana High School Athletic Association, Inc.
The IHSAA Sportsmanship Pin Program: Off to a Roaring Start
A big shout-out to all the IHSAA principals and athletic directors who have awarded #FaceOfSportsmanship pins to students, fans, coaches, and officials during the last few weeks. Thank you for participating in this landmark program.
And for those of you who have not yet made a presentation, be sure to keep a pin or two in your pocket and be on the lookout for genuine, spontaneous acts of sportsmanship. When you make your presentation, take a quick photo and post it using #FaceOfSportsmanship on your social media platforms.
Together, we’re in the process of countering the negative with a strong, positive message about sportsmanship. Thanks to the tendency both social media and traditional media have to accentuate the negative, news about bad sportsmanship tends to circulate like an uncontrollable virus. But that doesn’t have to be the bottom line. By sharing stories of good sportsmanship, we are continuing to reinforce the important life lessons that education-based high school athletics teach. The positive can be just as influential and powerful as the negative if we’ll take time to share it.
Check Out Our Two New Websites
We’ve had a busy summer! Among other projects, we’ve launched two new websites, both of which have been designed to make it easy for fans to enjoy and support Indiana high school sports.
Interested in watching a pivotal “game of the week” either live or on demand? Would you like to scout next week’s opponent? Are you planning to host a party to see who your team drew in the tournament? You’re now able to do all this and much, much more by logging on to IHSAAtv.org, our new, state-of-the-art website that makes the best of Indiana high school sports available to a worldwide audience 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
IHSAAtv.org is also the perfect place to see state championship events when you’re not able to watch them on Fox or attend them in person. The IHSAA Champions Network presented by Indiana Farm Bureau Insurance always gets top billing on IHSAAtv.org, especially during tournament time. Catch all the action on your desktop, laptop, tablet, or smartphone, no matter where you happen to be.
Our Foundation also has a new website. It’s not only a good place to catch up on the latest Foundation news, it’s also a convenient way to make a donation without having to write a check or put an envelope in the mail.
As you explore the website, you’ll learn more about the Foundation’s mission and goals, the programs that it’s implementing, and upcoming events you’ll want to attend. To learn more about the Foundation, and more importantly, to share with friends and colleagues the good work that the Foundation is doing after just two short years, go to the IHSAA Foundation's website.
GO TO THE IHSAA FOUNDATION'S WEBSITE
A Salute to Our Spring Champions
Listed below are the winners of our 2018 spring sports. Congratulations to all.
Boys Track & Field
- Team: Avon
Girls Track & Field
- Team: Hamilton Southeastern
Unified Track & Field
- Team: Elkhart Memorial
Girls Tennis
- Team: Carmel
- Singles: Halli Trinkle, Providence
- Doubles: Claire Koscielski & Meg Coleman, Indianapolis Cathedral
Softball
- 1A: Pioneer
- 2A: Speedway
- 3A: New Palestine
- 4A: Decatur Central
Boys Golf
- Team: Carmel
- Individual: Logan Ryan, Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger
Baseball
- 1A: Daleville
- 2A: Boone Grove
- 3A: Andrean
- 4A: Fishers
Mental Attitude Award Recipients: Spring 2018
Boys Track & Field
- Colton Crum, Frankfort
Girls Track & Field
- Addie Wanner, South Adams
Girls Tennis
- Grace Marchese, Carmel
Softball
- 1A: Alyssa Shaw, Pioneer
- 2A: Rylee Wade, Speedway
- 3A: Ashley Prange, New Palestine
- 4A: Jessica Kiefor, Lake Central
Boys Golf
- Andrew Lewis, Westfield
Baseball
- 1A: Ryan Williams, University
- 2A: Justin Lammers, Southridge
- 3A: Sammy Barnett, Silver Creek
- 4A: Matt Wolff, Fishers
As you know, the IHSAA is in the midst of a very busy fall tournament season. If your school is hosting a tournament, thank you very much for your support. We also thank you for attending as many of our state championship events as you can. Remember, if you can’t be there in person, you can still catch all the action on IHSAAtv.org.
- October 26-27: Boys & Girls Soccer State Finals
- October 27: Boys & Girls Cross Country State Finals
- November 3: Volleyball State Finals
- November 23-24: Football State Finals