NEW JERSEY STATE INTERSCHOLASTIC ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION 1161 Route 130, P O Box 487 Robbinsville, NJ 08691

League/Conference Officers Meeting Summary February 7, 2013

Attendees – Denis Nelson (Big North) Mike Gatley (CAL) Lou Raba (Colonial) Bud Kowal and Steve Gazdek (CVC) Rob Haraka and John DiColo (NJAC) Stan Fryczynski (NJIC) Tim Walsh and Phil Smart (OLY) Lorenzo Sozio, Joe Piro and Steve Jenkins (SEC) Keith Lister and Edward Rieman (Shore) Carl Weigner (Skyland) Michael McAleer (TCC) Chris Dziczek (TCC/OC) Mike Sandor (UCC)

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ALLSTATE INSURANCE PRESENTATION

Jimmy Cheng, from NJSIAA sponsor Allstate Insurance, gave a presentation. He urged all athletic directors to push the NJSIAA/Allstate free quotes program. For each quote request that Allstate receives, NJSIAA receives $10. There’s no obligation to buy. A roster sheet was passed around for contact information. ______

STEVEN J. TIMKO REPORT

Regular Season Game Definition – 2nd Reading – A definition of what the NJSIAA believes constitutes a regular season game was sent to all schools. The Executive Committee passed the definition in its first reading; second reading will take place in April. If passed, schools will be polled six months later to see if they approve the definition. The importance of this definition is in the NJSIAA’s ticket price negotiations with the Department of Education, who does not recognize holiday and county tournaments as regular season games. NJSIAA thinks all games leading to the state tournament should be considered as regular season games.

L&C DePaul Catholic HS / Big North Appeal – DePaul Catholic sought relief from their placement in the Big North conference. The committee deliberated for a long time, but ultimately denied the appeal.

Strategic Plan 2013-2016 / Marketing Media Committee – A Marketing Media Committee was approved, which will be an important addition to the new strategic plan. Currently the NJSIAA is trying to put together the strategic planning committee, which will meet April – June, to establish the latest NJSIAA strategic plan. Anyone interested in being on this committee, please contact Steve or Liz Nodeland. Bruce Peragallo, Principal at Metuchen HS/Exec Committee member, will be a co-chair of the committee. Seeking a second co-chair.

Early Fall Start Date Waiver Clarification – Mr. Timko wanted to know if anyone had questions about the early fall start date, approved last month. Rob Haraka wanted clarification on scrimmages – if a scrimmage takes place on 9/7, is it a scrimmage or a game? Answer is it can be either, but must be mutually agreed upon by both teams. It can’t be a scrimmage for one team, a game for another. If a team opened up on 9/6, then the 9/7 match can still be considered a scrimmage and not be reported, but MUST count towards the maximum number of games allowed in that sport. Schools can open up any day they choose between 9/6 and 9/12.

USDOE Disability Guidelines – A task force is being created to research how other states / our own state handle offering sports to those with disabilities. The NJSIAA has not received anything from the State Dept. of Education, but is trying to be proactive.

Sportsmanship Mailing – As we head into the championships, the NJSIAA sent out a reminder to all schools about bullying and sportsmanship. There have been several issues going on in the news.

Wrestling – Team seeding took place on 2/5. There was an issue/misunderstanding. The Wrestling Committee thought a 7th seeded team could place over a 6th seed, if the 7th seed beat the 6th in head-to-head competition. This was incorrect because that rule is not stated in the tournament regulations. The top six, highest rated power point teams make the tournament. Incorrect teams were notified that they made the tournament. Two schools appealed, but the appeal was denied on the rationale that a 7th seed can’t bump a 6th seed, according to the Regulations. The rule specifically states that a 7th or 8th seed can only make the tournament if someone one drops out (example – gets skin disease). The team championships begin 2/11.

It was asked why not expand the tournament to the top 8? This idea was previously proposed but the Finance Committee shot it down. Not fiscally prudent. It was also questioned whether the NJSIAA would consider schools being responsible for the first round like we do with the districts? Steve responded that this may be the next step and recommended someone propose it in writing.

Mr. DiColo expressed frustration that things go to the Executive Committee for vote before being discussed at these meetings. L& C representatives should have some input on what gets put forward to the Exec Committee. It was discussed to have these L&C meetings prior to Exec meetings instead of after but Steve was unsure, since Exec Committee should be privy to some of the information prior to the L&C officers. Mr. Timko will reinforce in Exec Committee that county reps should be communicating information back to their conference, since this is not really happening.

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KIM COLE REPORT

Swimming Update – Seeding completed and went well. Important note regarding pilot program – The top four public power point teams were identified and distributed by northing number to the appropriate section and division. This will be studied throughout the Team Tournament. Seeds 8 and 9 in five groups. The Swim committee will review at the March 27th meeting so input and thoughts are welcome.

Mike Gatley didn’t think it was fair that a swimmer could miss a whole season but get medically cleared right before the tournament. Kim explained it has only happened twice in the past two years, and cannot speak to the history of the rule, but can bring it up in the committee meeting.

NAGWS Program – Program was a success!

Spring and Fall 2013 Dates – Please check the Sports Committee minutes under Sports Information on our website. Tentative fall Girls Tennis dates are posted, though they have not been approved yet, and are not in the Regulations.

Website – Kim hasn’t had time to work on this, but hopes to.

Sanctioned Events – Kim asked the committee to remind their conferences that schools are not allowed to participate in non-sanctioned events. NJSIAA has been made aware of potential violations.

Double First Base Field – The double first base rule is not used by NJSIAA. However, we are aware some schools are using a field with a double first base. We will be posting a form on the website requiring schools to identify if they use a field with a double first base. We will use this information for consideration of the double first base rule in the future. ______

DON DANSER REPORT (given by Kim Cole)

Winter Track Update – The Group Relays ran smoothly, and now Don is in the middle of the Sectional and Group Meets.

Fall ShopRite Cup – Is completed and posted online. ______

LARRY WHITE REPORT

Basketball – Seeding was taking place during this meeting.

Basketball Cutoff – Lorenzo Sozio questioned the amount of time given to fit in 16 games in basketball. He feels it is very difficult to play that number of games in the time given and there is a big break in between the cutoff and the tournament. Kim couldn’t speak for the rationale since Larry was not present for this meeting, but she did urge everyone to email any requests they want in any sport for review during the sports committee meetings. Committees are posted on our website, and there is an AD and Exec member on each committee so if people want changes, that’s the route to go. If the reason for the long break is assigning officials, Phil Smart recommended letting the schools worry about securing officials for the first round. This topic should be revisited next meeting when Larry is present.

Basketball Non-Member/Out-of-State Form– Phil Smart questioned whether there were consequences to schools who failed to submit this information. Kim explained that not submitting this information does not affect residual points, those are only based on record, but this could be something the committee could consider.

Interpretation Meetings – Baseball and softball interpretation meetings are back on the road. They took place at Bridgewater-Raritan, Brick Memorial, Williamstown and PCTI.

Bowling – Changing some of the tournament dates was discussed in preparation for the pending snow storm. ______

JACK DUBOIS REPORT

Football Committee Report – 1. The committee sustained the summer meeting resolution, which upheld non-public groups as is. 2. The mileage formula to play at MetLife Stadium will be modified. The one-way mileage of the highest remaining teams will be determined and placed in a pool for consideration by NJSIAA staff. Several reasons for the change include attendance, financial considerations, etc. 3. A new seeding / entrance procedure for football passed its first reading at the Exec Committee meeting. The best seven of the first eight games will count, so one game will automatically be dropped. A computer program will automatically drop the lowest power points seeded game, coaches would not be responsible. This was approved by the football committee, the Program Review Committee and the Exec Committee. 2nd reading takes place in April and will be implemented in fall 2013 if passed. a. Some felt this is being rushed since schedules are already in place for next year. Jack DuBois responded that based on the presentation he saw, this will not be a dramatic change. It may just affect #7 or #8 seeds. Still some felt implementing this in 2014 may appease many and it still affects some. b. Others questioned is this change to help one conference as opposed to helping the whole state? And even in that conference, it is doubtful that this will make other schools more willing to play the big football powerhouses c. How long before different sports make same request? d. A 5-3 team could be divisional champs but could be bumped by a 3-5 team and not make the playoffs. This doesn’t seem right. Rob Haraka mentioned that his coach has a proposal out there that ensure a .500 team qualifies. e. Also, Steve Jenkins expressed that the problems in the Big North need to be remedied. It’s not going away. f. It was requested that Gary Dorfman show the presentation of this proposal at the DAANJ conference, which is prior to the 2nd reading/final vote.

Fencing – Districts have been ongoing for the past two weekends. Results were distributed.

NJSCA Hall of Fame – The 2013 Class was selected. The listing was distributed.

Senior All-Star Game – A listing of selected players was distributed.

Ice Hockey – Finals set for 3/9. The semifinals will be played at the Codey Arena on 3/5 and 3/6.

Corporate – ShopRite has signed a three-year renewal contract to sponsor basketball and the ShopRite Cup. Sports Authority has signed on for two more years to sponsor the soccer championships and scholarships. ______

GARY ZARRILLI REPORT

Annual Dues Status - Only six schools are outstanding in paying their dues or submitting a PO.

A/R Balances – Outstanding balances from invoices past 90 days are minimal. A listing of outstanding schools was distributed.

Fall and Winter Participation Numbers – 18 schools owe fall numbers and 57 owe winter. A listing was distributed.

Affidavits and Membership Resolution Cards Status - A listing of outstanding schools was distributed. Next year, there will be a wording change, which will state that without these signed forms, a school will be ineligible for state tournaments.

Fall 2012 Financial Results – A financial comparison between the fall of 2011 and fall of 2012 was distributed. ______

SPORTS / TOURNAMENT PROPOSALS (Program Review)

Field Hockey Non-Public Classification – The proposal to create a non-public classification, forming a North and South Section in field hockey was passed by the Executive Committee. Presently there are 29 non-public schools with field hockey. This adds two additional Sectional Titles, one additional Group Title and 1 additional Tournament of Champions play-in game between the #4 and #5 seed. The Non-Public North and South would consist of 15/14 teams. The Public Sections presently consisting of 14/16 teams would reduce to 12/13 teams. The tournament would remain open to any team wishing to enter. Tournament Refusal forms will be required of those teams not wishing to be considered for seeding.

Spring Track Group Meets – The proposal to restructure the team scoring and crown a truer Group Meet Team Champion without changing how the meets are run/how individuals advance was passed by the Executive Committee. After sectionals the top two teams in each public group (Non –publics don’t need this adjustment because of the size of their fields) will advance with all of their athletes who placed in the top 12 places in each event. As is currently done, all medal winners in the sectionals will still advance, but the top team scorers will have additional athletes advance who placed 7th through 12th. At the group meets, only the 8 teams (the top two teams in each group from each section) can score team points. Thus, the group title will go to one of these 8 teams. All individuals and wildcards will still advance to the Meet of Champions as they have in the past. The only change is in team scoring and the fact that not just individuals will advance from sectionals to the groups, but in essence, their team will. The one side effect will be that in the Group meets there will be more athletes (now the maximum, barring ties, is 24 per event) in each event at the Group level.

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L&C OFFICERS’ CONCERNS / DISCUSSIONS / ISSUES

1. Colonial Conference (Lou Raba)

Survey-Salaries/Stipends for Conference Positions – Mr. Raba surveyed the committee whether their conferences pay Executive officers. Though some don’t, the majority does pay, but the paid positions varied. Mr. Raba asked everyone to email him the information.

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2. Colonial Valley Conference (Bud Kowal and Steve Gazdek)

Cooperative Sports and Ice Hockey – Mr. Gazdek, from a group III school, was looking for a way to co-op with his sister school, another group III school, in ice hockey. The conference approves the co-op but two group III schools sharing a co-op is against NJSIAA rules. Because this is a contact sport, Mr. Timko doubted a waiver would get passed because there was much resistance by the Executive Committee when this request was a non-contact sport with an expiration period. The fear within the CVC is that many schools are losing their ice hockey programs. This is an ice hockey issue only. Mr. Timko encouraged Mr. Gazdek to put it in writing and ask the Executive Committee to grant this waiver request. ------

3. Olympic Conference (Phil Smart)

Range Finders for Golf – This year, range finders will be allowed in the state tournament for distance only, but they cannot be attached to a phone. In regular season, it is up to the conferences whether they want to allow it. Steve Skinner, Golf Rules Interpreter, is currently creating guidelines for this practice. ------

4. Shore Conference (Edward Rieman and Keith Lister)

Independent Swimmers in Open Lanes – Edward Rieman, on behalf of his school, Henry Hudson Regional, asked how to allow his two female swimmers competitive lane time. The school does not have a team but he’d like to give the girls an opportunity to swim for times. Could his girls swim at another school’s meets if there is an eight-lane pool? The problem is this is contradictory to what the rules allow as the Constitution does not allow for exhibition/non-scoring swimmers in open lanes. Some suggestions from committee: 1. Rent out pool time from schools? 2. Allowed to combine with others schools for a few invitationals? 3. Co-op? 4. Be a team, even if it a two-person team.

Start Dates for Winter 2013/2014 Season – Next winter, practice for basketball begins 12/2. It will be difficult to get all pre-season practices in. Can the date be pushed back to the Friday after Thanksgiving or the Monday before Thanksgiving? Steve was unsure how this would go over since this was just voted on two years ago but can keep it open for discussion. At this point, there appears to be no reason to change the winter start date. ------

a. Super Essex Conference (Lorenzo Sozio, Joe Piro and Steven Jenkins)

Out-of-Season Coaching – Since NJ does not allow out-of-season coaching, more and more is being taken away from HS coaches. Kids are paying for extra training from the Parise Speed type schools. On signing days, instead of bringing their HS coach, kids are bringing their paid coaches. NY and PA allow out-of-season coaching w/ parameters. In football, coaches have three months to work with kids, but in basketball, only 9 days. Steve Jenkins is requesting something along the lines of a coach being allowed to have a shooting practice one day per week but would like to poll schools before taking legislative route. Also it was recommended to have a dead period in the summer since summer has gotten out of hand. ------

5. Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference (Rob Haraka and John DiColo)

Statewide Officials Committee – A draft of the proposed fee schedule was distributed. NJAC approved it as written 34-1, NJIC unanimously approved it and Big North hasn’t voted yet but expects to endorse it. Rob Haraka expressed that the fee for wrestling may be changed. Boys lacrosse officials will receive a pay cut since they make more than other type official, in addition to officials in volleyball and field hockey or wherever there is an official that officiates double games. The plan is to implement this fee schedule for three years, beginning in 2014. All leagues submitted fees, which the committee averaged, then added $2. This will be presented at the DAANJ Conference and tweaked by end of year. DAANJ lawyers said this can’t be adopted, only recommended, since officials are independent contractors, but Rob hopes all conferences adopt it, because that’s where the strength of the plan lies. It was questioned if there is consideration for a sixth official in football or 3-man team in basketball. John DiColo responded that the schedule can always be revised. For varsity officials, there is not much change or the fees are higher. The difference is seen in the subvarsity games. Many supported Rob’s request that all conferences adopt this fee schedule, and kudos were given to Rob Haraka for spearheading this operation.

ShopRite Cup – The criteria for awarding points was questioned. Don Danser brings up all the time how the formula for ShopRite should be reevaluated.

Ice Hockey Goalies – There are rules to protect soccer goalies but not ice hockey goalies, which leads to the defensive team seeking revenge. Officials need to do more and more protection is needed.

Academically Ineligible Students – Mr. DiColo suggested NJSIAA remind everyone that students academically ineligible at the beginning of the 2nd semester may become eligible May 1, if by that time they are meeting all of the academic eligibility requirements. ------

6. Skylands Conference (Carl Weigner)

Choice Schools – Carl Weigner questioned how other conferences consider choice schools – should they be considered non-public?

DAANJ Conference – Bob Hopek wanted to remind everyone that February 18th is the deadline for signing up for the LTC courses. Please pass on to conferences. Some courses may be dropped if the minimum of six registrants is not reached. ------

Legislation Proposals Due – March 15, 2013

Next Meeting – April 4, 2013