News
Letter From the Commissioner
by Paul Neidig
As we begin to put what has surely been the most unpredictable and difficult year in the IHSAA’s history behind us and look forward to a fresh start, I have two thoughts to share:
First, thank you, Commissioner Cox, for your exceptional leadership. While your nine years at the helm have been marked by extraordinary accomplishments, it’s the direction you provided during your last six months that provided our membership with the wisdom, resilience, and guidance that was so badly needed.
Thank you, too, to Commissioner Emeritus Ress, whose steady hand inspired us all during his ten years in this office. I had the privilege and pleasure of working closely with Commissioners Ress and Cox, and I am grateful that both have agreed to share their thoughts in this issue of The Spectator.
Although I never worked with Commissioner Gardner or any of the five commissioners who preceded him, I know that continuity of leadership is essential to the strength and well-being of our organization. My goal is to continue building on the solid, 117-year foundation they have left us.
Second, the overriding point that became clear when I served on the IHSAA Executive Committee and was reinforced during my three years as assistant commissioner is this: WE ARE A TEAM. It starts with the 160,000 student-athletes we serve and includes our 410 member-schools, parents, coaches and officials, our corporate partners and friends, and everyone in Indiana who cares about high school sports.
Although it is our pleasure to serve, my colleagues and I who have offices at 9150 North Meridian Street in Indianapolis are not the IHSAA. All of you are, and we need every one of you. We need your dedication and support. We need your presence at events. We need your cooperation, patience, and flexibility as the world of high school sports continues to evolve.
We’re off to a great start this year, but high school sports still need the best from each of us—now more than ever.
One of my favorite cheers, and I hear it hundreds of times every year, is “I believe that we will win.” It’s fast, full-bodied, and filled with optimism. That’s how I feel about high school sports in Indiana right now. I believe that we will win and, in fact, emerge from these difficult times stronger than ever. But it’s going to take all of us ... working ... supporting ... believing in our mission ... and believing in each other. It’s going to take our whole team.
This is your IHSAA!
Sincerely,
Paul Neidig
Commissioner
Indiana High School Athletic Association
The Value of School-Based Sports in a Challenged America
by Bobby Cox, Retired IHSAA Commissioner
As Hoosiers continue to navigate the challenges of a global pandemic and a renewed and intensified focus on social injustice, I am once again buoyed by the promise of education-based athletics. For it is in the high school sports arena we acquire the tools to meet life’s most daunting challenges.
From school-based sports, we learn it matters not the race, creed, color, or persuasion of any teammate, yet simply their loyalty to the team. The commitment to the common good. The quest for victory. The journey toward achieving the collective goals of the team. The sacrifice every teammate must make for the squad to reach the ultimate destination. In today’s continuum, those considerations may include wearing a mask, frequent washing of your hands, social distancing, or the unmasking of previous prejudices and stereotypes. Where better to cultivate these new habits and behaviors than the local high school?
Fans are still smiling after masking up for a game at a local high school on opening night of the fall football season.
The IHSAA has been in existence for 117 years. During that time, this country has endured a global pandemic and, now, a second one, two world wars, and multiple other conflicts. Recessions, depressions, race riots, fractured political parties, and assassinations of world leaders. Through each of these monumental struggles, Hoosiers have turned toward their local communities and their institutions for stability and guidance. Perhaps now, more than ever, we need high school sports to usher us through these troubled times.
Our high schools and the wonderful opportunity of interscholastic participation continues to resonate as the beacon of hope within our communities. I heartily invite you to join the journey.
A Message From Blake Ress,
IHSAA Commissioner Emeritus
We are living in a strange time; a time in which no currently living person has ever experienced; a time when there are no clear and safe pathways forward. Even so, school administrators are in the untenable position of having to make decisions in the overall best interests of their students—even when there are no definitive right answers.
Individuals in leadership positions are charged with making decisions based on their sense of what is best for the vast majority of their constituency. Should all high schools be shut down and only have virtual classes because a few students might contract the coronavirus? Should all other activities be cancelled based on the chance that some teenager might contract COVID-19? We are told that young people (teenagers) are in generally good health and much less vulnerable to getting this virus. Additionally, if they contract the disease, they are extremely likely to recover and are, often times, asymptomatic.
An official meets with coaches just before kickoff of an Indiana high school football game in late August.
There is no doubt that education is more effective in a classroom with a licensed teacher directing the instruction. Research confirms it is essential for children to interact with their peers; to have friends; to socialize; to learn to work together cooperatively; to learn to participate and compete in athletic activities. These are all fundamental elements in the development of high school students and their prospects for long-term success.
In the current atmosphere, attending classes and participating in athletics involves some risk. However, if schools take appropriate steps to provide the safest possible environment and if students follow established protocols, my sense is that on-site education can successfully occur. Using the same principles, athletic competition can and should be safely and cheerfully contested.
I wholeheartedly support my colleagues at the IHSAA, as well as the high school administrators, coaches, and officials who are working together to serve our state’s 160,000 student-athletes as conscientiously as possible during these difficult times.
Announcing Two New Healthy Partnerships
The health of Indiana teens has always been a priority at the IHSAA. In fact, establishing good health and nutrition habits in high school and then incorporating them into an adult lifestyle is one of the primary benefits of being a student-athlete.
And whether it’s the length of practice sessions, concussion protocols, hydration requirements, or a comprehensive thunder and lightning policy, the health and safety of Indiana’s 160,000 student-athletes have always come first at the IHSAA.
That’s why it is with much enthusiasm that the IHSAA welcomes two new corporate partners: The Indiana Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Division of the Indiana Department of Health and Franciscan Health. Both share the same values as the IHSAA—to help Indiana teens live happier, healthier lives.
Indiana Tobacco Prevention and Cessation: You may already know that vaping has become a huge problem in Indiana—especially among teenagers and young adults (research shows that 20% of all Indiana high school students vape regularly)—and there will never be a vaccine to prevent or cure it. That’s why the Indiana Department of Health, at Governor Holcomb’s direction, asked the IHSAA to create an in-depth marketing and communications campaign to let Indiana teens know how dangerous—even life threatening—vaping can be.
#Don'tPuffThisStuff Logo and Social Media
The result is an in-school poster program, an interactive social media campaign, and messaging at tournament venues as well as throughout tournament broadcasts.
Franciscan Health: It’s flattering that more and more corporate leaders are coming to the IHSAA and asking for help in telling their stories. One such organization is Franciscan Health. In keeping with IHSAA values and communication standards, the IHSAA recommended a campaign that encourages all high school students—not just student-athletes—to exercise regularly. For example, if teens can’t make the basketball or swimming teams, they can still dance, hike, do yoga, or learn to mountain bike—and get lots of healthy exercise doing it!
Franciscan Health Poster
It’s alarming that so many Indiana teens are obese (18%), diabetic, and stressed out. The Franciscan Health/IHSAA campaign, available in high schools where there is a Franciscan healthcare facility nearby, is sure to help.
Welcome to our two new “healthy” corporate partners!