National Federation of State High School Associations “I Wish I Had This When I Started Coaching.” Bill Utsey, Director of Athletics, 25-Year Coach, Greenville County Schools, SC INTRODUCING NFHS FUNDAMENTALS OF COACHING available at www.nfhslearn.com. Fundamentals of Coaching is now the standard for interscholastic teacher/coach education. Forty state high school associations have already adopted it for their coaches’ education requirement. Promoting educational athletics, this student-centered curriculum is research-based and focused on providing teacher/coaches with the skills and strategies necessary to optimize the experience of each student. It informs and inspires, with thought-provoking interactive exercises and dramatic videos. Learn more – NHFS Fundamentals of Coaching is ready now at www.nfhslearn.com Take Part. Get Set For Life.™ Endorsed by NFHS REPORT Core Educational Values Missing in Club Sports BY ROBERT F. KANABY, NFHS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, AND JIM TENOPIR, NFHS PRESIDENT ecent articles in The Chicago Tribune and Athletic Business ranking sixth-graders nationally. Why? magazine express concerns about the future of high school- Part of the answer is overzealous parents who are trying to ensure R based sports as nonschool-based club programs gain in pop- a certain future for their sons and daughters. We wonder if these ularity across the country, particularly in the sports of basketball, three- through eight-year-olds are having fun. And what happens to swimming, volleyball, ice hockey and soccer. these kids by the time they reach high school? Many will lose interest Unquestionably, as the national leadership organization for edu- in playing sports because of the overemphasis and singular focus on cation-based athletic and activity programs in the United States, the one sport. Some will fall prey to overuse injuries. And a very, very small NFHS and its 51 member associations share those concerns, but per- minority will attain that valued college scholarship that was the par- haps for different reasons. By no means is this an epitaph because ents’ dream in the beginning. The overwhelming majority, however, the most recent participation numbers belie any reports about a shift will spend more money for club sports than they ever regain through to nonschool-based programs. college scholarships, which by the way, mom and dad, come one year The annual NFHS High School Athletics Participation Survey is fea- at a time. tured on page 18, and for the 19th consecutive year, the number of So, how do we ensure that participation in high school sports con- participants in high school athletics increased – this year by 86,471. tinues to increase in the years to come? First and foremost, leaders in An all-time high of 7,429,381 boys and girls participated in high high schools nationwide – superintendents, school boards, building school sports during the 2007-08 school year. administrators – must continue to recognize the value of athletics pro- Assuming that there are more students attending high school each grams and provide funding for as many young people as possible to year, an annual increase in raw participation numbers could reason- participate. High school sports is about the opportunity to participate ably be expected, which the survey reveals to be occurring. However, and learn; it is not about a singular focus on winning and “getting to even more impressive and more telling is the fact that the participa- the next level.” Second, the educational aspect of high school sports tion percentage rate among students is actually increasing as well. must be paramount. Coaches who receive training in areas other than This year’s survey shows that 54.8 percent of students enrolled in high Xs and Os of a sport, such as through the NFHS Coach Education pro- school participate in athletics – up from 54.2 percent a year ago. gram, will be able to impart valuable life lessons to student-athletes Young people find high school-based athletics more relevant than to prepare them for life after high school. This aspect truly sets high ever before. school-based sports apart from club sports. Nonetheless, the growing interest by some high school students Finally, high school sports should be fun. Surveys have shown that and their families in club sports should serve as a wake-up call to re- the No. 1 reason kids play sports is to have fun and be with their energize our education-based programs and continue the necessary friends. Keith Jackson, former National Football League all-star tight funding to keep these one-of-a-kind programs alive. The United States end and a 2001 inductee in the National High School Hall of Fame, is unique among all the countries in the world with regard to offer- in his acceptance speech that year said, “There is no time like high ing sports opportunities in an educational setting, and we need to do school.” everything possible to make sure these doors remain open. We’ve never forgotten that statement that Keith made because it’s No doubt, the interest in club sports at the high school level is due so true. It’s called community, and there’s nothing like it ever again. in large part to the increased focus on specialization at a young age. The friendships and memories last a lifetime. Thanks to all of you who Today, there are three-year-olds playing soccer and six-year-old girls are leaders in high school athletic and activity programs across this playing hockey. Believe it or not, there is a boys 8-and-under national great nation. Keep up the good work. Keep the focus of our pro- NFHS | www.nfhs.org/hstoday basketball tournament, and the basketball recruiting “experts” are grams different from club-based sports. Keep it educational. 1 HighSchool™ THE VOICE OF EDUCATION-BASED ATHLETIC AND FINE ARTS ACTIVITIES TODAY Contents 8 Welcome We hope you enjoy this publication and welcome your feedback. You may contact Bruce Howard or John Gillis, editors of High School Today, at [email protected] or [email protected]. VOLUME 2, NUMBER 2 COVER STORY EDITORIAL STAFF Presidential Candidates Benefited From High School Sports: Publisher.......................Robert F. Kanaby Editors ..........................Bruce L. Howard Basketball and wrestling were sports of choice. –Bill Boyle .....................................John C. Gillis Production.....................Randall D. Orr Advertising....................Judy Shoemaker Both presidential candidates’ photographs courtesy of Wikimedia Commons at www.commons.wikimedia.org. Graphic Designer...........Kim A. Vogel Online Editor .................Chris Boone PUBLICATIONS COMMITTEE Superintendent..............Darrell Floyd, TX Principal........................Joe Loomis, IN High School Today, an official publica- SUBSCRIPTION PRICE tions Committee, but the publisher cannot be re- 08 School Boards ...............Bill Boyle, UT tion of the National Federation of State One-year subscription is $24.95. Canada add sponsible for loss or damage. $3.75 per year surface post age. All other foreign State Associations..........Treva Dayton, TX Reproduction of material published in High High School Assoc ia tions, is published subscribers, please contact the NFHS office for School Today is prohibited with out written per- Media Director ..............Robert Zayas, NM eight times a year by the NFHS. shipping rates. Back issues are $3.00 plus actual mission of the NFHS executive director. Views of Athletic Trainer ..............Brian Robinson, IL postage. the authors do not always reflect the opinion or Fine Arts........................Steffen Parker, VT EDITORIAL/ADVERTISING OFFICES Manuscripts, illustrations and photo graphs may policies of the NFHS. Athletic Director ............David Hoch, MD National Federation of be submitted by mail or e-mail to Bruce Howard, Coach ...........................Don Showalter, IA State High School Associations editor, PO Box 690, Indianapolis, IN 46206, Copyright 2008 by the National Fed eration of Legal Counsel................Lee Green, KS PO Box 690, Indianapolis, Indiana 46206 <[email protected]>. They will be carefully State High School Associa tions. All rights re- Telephone 317-972-6900; fax 317.822.5700 considered by the High School Today Publica - served. High School Today | October Contest Official..............Tim Christensen, OR 4 FEATURES HST ONLINE 11 SURVEY RESULTS Activities Lead to Success in Later Life: Top Canadian leaders say sports contributed to their career develop- 35% ment. –Dr. Tim Berrett and John Paton 14 SPIRIT NEWS Cheerleading Injury Rates Being Misreported: Risk minimization efforts yield reduction in injuries. –Jim Lord You can read all articles – and more not published in this issue – online at www.nfhs.org/hstoday. 18 PARTICIPATION SURVEY High School Sports Participation DEPARTMENTS Increases Again: All-time record number of boys and girls participating 1 NFHS Report Core Educational Values Missing in high school sports. –John Gillis in Club Sports 6 Quick Hits Useful facts and information 22 12 Top High School Performances LEGAL ISSUES 16 Above and Beyond Behavior Policies for Athletes – Can Coaching Beyond the Field They Be Enforced Legally?: Court cases show variety of challenges to 20 Sports Medicine Vocational Athletic Training: An behavior policies. –Lee Green Educational and Athletic Safety Solution 28 Did You Know? • Rowing Difficulties 26 Worth the Trouble HEALTHY LIFESTYLES • Popularity of Rugby on the Rise Atlas & Athena: Recapturing the Healthy Mission of Sport: Program 30 In the News helps improve performances