News
Inclusion Scores a Touchdown
Letter From Commissioner Bobby Cox
This past April, the IHSAA Executive Committee approved the addition of the Association’s 22nd sport. Beginning in the fall of 2018-19, Unified Sports® Flag Football will become the second Unified sport under the banner of the IHSAA and stands as yet another opportunity for member schools to provide an inclusive athletic opportunity for students with intellectual disabilities. Unified sports combine students with and without intellectual disabilities on the same team for sports training and competition. Our valued partners at Special Olympics Indiana are considered a world leader in the development of these programs, having conducted the first-ever pilot test in 1989 and have since instituted competitions in virtually every sport.
Unified Flag Football is contested on a field that is 60 yards by 25 yards. Five players per team; three Unified Student-Athletes and two Unified Student Partners take the field at any one time. Games consist of two 20-minute halves, implementing a running clock except for the final minute of each half. Safety is the paramount consideration in Unified Flag Football. This activity is non-contact in nature, implementing stationary blocking, no returns of fumbles or interceptions, and no kicking game.
To augment the program in year one, Special Olympics Indiana will be providing start-up grants of $500 and selected equipment for the first 32 schools that register. Due to the overwhelming support of this concept during conversations at our recently-completed spring area principal meetings, the inaugural tournament will feature a maximum of 64 schools competing in a three-week tournament. The state championship game will culminate the series in Indianapolis during the month of October.
Collectively, the IHSAA and Special Olympics Indiana now offer four Unified sports to member schools, including track and field, bocce, bowling, and flag football. This most recent addition now allows for a Unified sport to be contested in each of the three traditional IHSAA sport seasons, providing opportunities throughout the school year.
As we conclude another successful year of administering education-based athletics in our state, I wish to thank you for your support of our young people. Our work is very important to virtually every Hoosier.
Cordially,
Bobby Cox
Commissioner
Indiana High School Athletic Association, Inc.
A Brief History of Flag Football
As many football fans know, Rutgers and Princeton are credited with playing the first collegiate football game in 1869. But what many do not know is that the first flag football game wasn’t played until 1933, more than 70 years later.
By the 1940s, flag football had become an extremely popular sport on American military bases. Military and government officials didn’t want to send our soldiers into combat already having bumps and bruises. So instead of servicemen tackling a ball carrier during pick-up football games, military leadership approved the idea of grabbing a flag instead.
When servicemen returned home after World War II, they introduced flag football to the cities and suburbs of America, where it has became increasingly popular. Not only do many colleges and universities currently offer flag football as an intramural sport, but it is not uncommon to see friends and colleagues playing the game in parks and backyards all autumn long.
In fact, one of the best ways to work off the after-effects of a humongous Thanksgiving dinner is to host a family flag football game in the backyard. It’s fun, it’s safe, and it’s a good way to learn the same lessons about teamwork and sportsmanship that traditional football teaches.
And now, the history of flag football continues as the 22nd sport sanctioned under the umbrella of the IHSAA!
Words of Wisdom From This Year's Cato Award Winners
The IHSAA’s 13 Eugene C. Cato Scholarship Awards were presented to this year’s recipients on April 19 at the Indiana Roof in downtown Indianapolis. The awards banquet is co-hosted by the IHSAA’s longtime corporate partner, Methodist Sports Medicine.
One of the highlights during the introduction of the award winners is to see and hear what they have to say about practicing good sportsmanship. Their comments are profound, insightful, and—above all else—honest. In many instances, they speak about sportsmanship more eloquently than those of us who are attempting to teach it.
Here are a handful of examples:
Indira Brown of Yorktown High School wrote: “Playing a sport is not about winning or being the best. It is about learning those skills that make us better people.”
Andrew Kline, a graduating senior at Covington High School, said, “Athletes should be held to a high standard when it comes to character and sportsmanship.”
Eli Mock of Martinsville commented, “Every game day, when I pull the Martinsville uniform over my chest, my actions reflect upon my coach, my team, and my town.”
And the value of education-based athletics could not be expressed with more understanding than when Thomas Perez of Griffith High School said, “Sportsmanship elevates what would otherwise be a simple game into an enjoyable and educational experience that will help athletes long into the future.”
Front Row: Thomas Perez, Yorktown; Aryn Eash, LaVille; Commissioner Bobby Cox; Indira Brown, Yorktown; Logan Lawrence, Lawrenceburg.
Back Row: Karmen Koch, Huntington North; Andrew Kline, Covington; Erin Ludwig, Penn; Braxton Cerqueira, Floyd Central; Tori Harker, Lebanon; Alex Wolfe, White River Valley; Kaitlin Kost, Tecumseh; Eli Mock, Martinsville.
Not Pictured: Kyle Wade, Kokomo.
Twelve of the 13 Cato Award winners are pictured above. Without exception, each and every one of them has added an important voice to the growing chorus about the lessons that can be learned as a result of participating in high school sports.
Softball State Finals Finds a New Home
A record number of teams—379 in total—entered the 34th Annual Softball State Tournament. Thirty-two teams will square off in four‐team semi‐states on Saturday, June 2, with the four state championship games scheduled for Saturday, June 9, at Purdue University’s Bittinger Stadium in West Lafayette.
Previously held at Ben Davis High School in Indianapolis, Bittinger Stadium is home to the Boilermaker softball team. Opened in March 2015 as Boilermaker Softball Stadium, the facility was renamed Bittinger Stadium in December 2016, in honor of Marvin L. and Elaine Bittinger as well as their family.
“Who are the Bittingers?” you may ask. Since earning his Ph.D. in mathematics education from Purdue in 1968, Professor Bittinger has been teaching mathematics and writing textbooks for nearly 50 years. He has authored more than 250 mathematics publications, which have sold more than 13 million copies. In addition, Professor Bittinger has written a book entitled Dusty Baker's Hitting Handbook, co-authored by Jeff Mercer as well as longtime Major League Baseball player and manager Dusty Baker.
With the addition of Bittinger Stadium to the already impressive list of state championship venues, the IHSAA now has a state finals event at every major public university in Indiana, including Ball State, Indiana University, and IUPUI.
Mental Attitude Award Recipients: Winter 2018
Girls Swimming & Diving
- Alexandra Bader, Jay County
Wrestling
- Mason Parris, Lawrenceburg
Boys Swimming & Diving
- Isaac Khamis, Richmond
Girls Basketball
- 1A: Megan Niehaus, Vincennes Rivet
- 2A: Calista Rice, Central Noble
- 3A: Sarah Vas, Northwestern
- 4A: Maray Bell, Warren Central
Gymnastics
- Claire Thompson, Columbus North
Boys Basketball
- 1A: Carson Blair, Southwood
- 2A: Collin Hochgesang, Forest Park
- 3A: Jaylin Chinn, Evansville Bosse
- 4A: Jalen Whack, Carmel
State Champions: Winter 2018
Girls Swimming & Diving
- Team: Carmel
Wrestling
- Team: Indianapolis Cathedral
Boys Swimming & Diving
- Team: Carmel
Girls Basketball
- 1A: Marquette Catholic
- 2A: Central Noble
- 3A: Northwestern
- 4A: Warren Central
Gymnastics
- Team: Chesterton
Boys Basketball
- 1A: Morristown
- 2A: Oak Hill
- 3A: Culver Academies
- 4A: Warren Central
- June 1-2: Boys, Girls, Unified Track & Field State Finals; Girls Tennis Team State Finals
- June 8-9: Girls Tennis Singles & Doubles State Finals
- June 9: Softball State Finals
- June 11-12: Boys Golf State Finals
- June 15-16: Baseball State Finals