MAGAZINE SPRING/SUMMER 2012 Reynoldsburg senior Destinee Gause School Sports are Vital More than ever before, it is time to show why interscholastic athletics are so important All in the Family Central Ohio bowlers with mental and physical challenges contribute to their teams’ successes Expansion Plan Football has a new division and the NFHS has several new education courses and a partnership with LRG HEART OF A CHAMPION With help from her Pilot Dog, Chloe, Lexington’s Sami Stoner didn’t let the loss of most of her eyesight take away her love of running OHIO HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION | 4080 ROSELEA PLACE, COLUMBUS, OH 43214 Minster claimed its first baseball state title in 2011 Proud Partner of the Whatever the sport, color or size, $ Eastbay has you covered. 15 off You play hard, so you need gear that can keep up. From day one to championship moments, players know that Purchases over $75* Eastbay has the most sizes, the most products and the *To receive $15 off your $75 purchase, enter promotion code MGEB39WY at checkout. Promotion/source code box is located in step 4 of checkout. Order value must total $75 or more before services, taxes, shipping and most selection — with pro gear you can’t find anywhere handling. Valid online at eastbay.com, by mail or phone. Does not apply to prior purchases or open orders and cannot be combined with any other else. So whatever your game, we’ve got you covered. offers. May not be used with purchase of GiftCards or toward team orders. Promotion may be modified or terminated at any time. Certain restrictions and exclusions may apply. Offer expires 6/25/2012 (11:59 pm CT). eastbay.com/ohsaa 1.800.826.2205 Official Team Uniform and Athletic Apparel Provider of the OHSAA TrackNField.indd 1 9/1/11 1:18 PM The Ohio High School Athletic Association does not seek to prepare student-athletes for the next level of competition, but for the next level of Strasburg-Franklin’s softball team overcame two weather delays and a Convoy Crestview squad to notch a 3-1 win in the 2011 OHSAA Division IV softball state championship game. The state title was the sixth for the Tigers, which ended the sea- son unranked but made a run to their 12th state tournament. They are one of only five schools in OHSAA history to own six or more state softball titles. life. I NSIDE O H SAA M AGAZINE 350,000 About the OHSAA and NFHS ................................................... 2 Student-Athletes From the Commissioner .......................................................... 3 Ready Reference Calendar ...................................................... 4 OHSAA Allied Organizations ................................................... 4 From the Board President ....................................................... 5 1,604Member Schools OHSAA Adds Seventh Division in Football .......................... 10 826 high schools, 778 junior high schools News and Notes ....................................................................... 11 Pupil Activity/Coaching Permit Update ................................ 11 Sami’s Story: Blind Runner Making History with Dog ...12-14 Stargardt disease set in when she was in eighth grade and has taken almost all of Sami Stoner’s sports eyesight, but thanks to her Pilot Dog, Chloe, it hasn’t taken away her ability to run 24 On the Lane to Success ....................................................16-17 Lauren Sampson has spina bifida, but she and others with challenges have not let that stop them from being a part of their schools’ bowling teams 1 Mission Sports Medicine Updates..................................................18-19 OHSAA Magazine is published three times per year by the Ohio High School Athletic Association. It is mailed to Eligibility Resources Online .................................................. 18 superintendents, principals and athletic directors of all member schools. Annual subscriptions may be purchased Officiating Update ................................................................... 20 for $20 and single copies are available for $7 by contact- ing Brandy Young, or . Athletic Director Update (OIAAA) ......................................... 21 [email protected] 614-267-2502 On the Cover: Reynoldsburg’s Destinee Gause helped District Boards and Budgetary Updates .............................. 22 lead her team to a runner-up finish in the 2011 4x400 meter relay. Now a senior, Gause has won three consecutive state Circle of Champions Adds New Members ........................... 23 championships in the 200 meter dash and also claimed the title in the 100 meter dash in 2011. Tournament Draw Dates ........................................................ 23 Inset Photo (Left): Minster won its first baseball state championship in the spring of 2011, claiming the Division OHSAA Foundation Update ................................................... 24 IV title by defeating New Middletown Springfield 6-0. The Wildcats had previously reached the championship game Meet the OHSAA’s Corporate Partners ...........................25-27 one other time in 2003. Spring Tournament Previews ................................................ 28 Inset Photo (Right): Lexington’s Sami Stoner and her Pilot Dog, Chloe, have won the hearts of anyone who has seen them run in cross country races. They have become OHSAA Magazine a national inspiration after Sami lost most of her eyesight due to Stargardt disease. Volume Three, Number Three. Spring/Summer 2012 @OHSAASports All photos in OHSAA Magazine, unless otherwise credited, are provided by Impact Action Sports Photography, the official 1 | OHSAA www.ohsaa.org photographer of OHSAA Championships. Layout and Design by Matt Cooperrider, West-Camp Press, Westerville, OH Created and Edited by Tim Stried, OHSAA Director of Information Services Email comments and suggestions to Tim Stried at [email protected] Printed on a recycled paper OHSAA Mission Mission The Ohio High School Athletic Association’s mission is to regulate and administer interscholastic athletic competition in a fair and equitable manner while promoting the values of participation in interscholastic athletics as an OHSAAMEMBERSHIP integral part of a student’s educational experience. The OHSAA represents its member schools by recognizing and promoting academics, the safety of participants, good citizenship and lifelong values as the foundation of • No Benefitsannual membership dues. interscholastic athletics. • No tournament entry fees. • Reimbursement for some travel expenses to regional and state Commitment tournaments. The Ohio High School Athletic Association is committed to serving • No cost for catastrophic insurance its member schools by being the nation’s premier non-profit coverage of all student-athletes. athletic administration organization. • Opportunity to sell presale tickets to some regional and state tournament contests and keep a portion of the revenue. We will: • Provide exemplary athletic oversight through swift, fair, consistent and impartial regulatory rulings; • Operate with openness that generates trust and with strict fiscal accountability; Didyou • Provide impartial, responsive and inclusive leadership; • Conduct tournaments of nationally recognized excellence; and • Honor our ultimate purpose, which is to foster lifelong values, good Know? citizenship, ethics and a fair-play approach to life among student-athletes • The OHSAA receives no while promoting safe and sporting-like athletic environments. tax dollars of any kind. • The OHSAA is a private, not-for- The OHSAA is a member of the National Federation of State High School Associations profit organization and is audited (NFHS), which consists of the 50 individual state high school athletic and/or by an independent firm every year. activities associations and the association of the District of Columbia and nine Canadian • Membership status in the OHSAA organizations. These associations have united to secure the benefits of cooperative action is on a volunteer basis. and increased efficiency through the coordinating of ideas of all who are engaged in • The OHSAA has no full-time staff high school athletic and activities programs. members assigned to compliance or NFHS Mission Statement investigations. The responsibility of The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) serves its members, re- following OHSAA bylaws and regu- lated professional organizations and students by providing leadership for the administration lations resides with each member of education-based interscholastic activities, which support academic achievement, good school. Violations are to be reported citizenship and equitable opportunities. in writing to the OHSAA. • Student-athletes tend to have • 51 State Associations • 20,000 High Schools • 500,000 Coaches and Sponsors better attendance records, lower 11,000,000 Student Participants • 500,000 Officials and Judges • dropout rates, higher grade-point 9 Canadian Associations • 14 Other Affiliate Members averages, improved self-confidence and are better prepared for a successful career. Assistant Commissioner Roxanne Price congratulates Centerville seniors Brad Boll and Ruben Geeraert, 2 www.ohsaa.org along with head coach Scott Long (background), on their third place finish in the 2011 Division I doubles state | OHSAA tournament. Boll and Geeraert defeated Springboro’s Ryan O’Gara and Zach Berry 6-0, 6-1 in the final match of their career. The 2012 boys tennis tournament will take place at the newly renovated OSU Outdoor Varsity Tennis Courts May