A great deal of “feedback”, so to speak, Departments Welcome Back! is received at the office in response to eligibility Executive Director’s Message ......................... IFC Welcome back to another school year. rulings... specifically, those rulings that render a student ineligible. Some of this feedback is Questions & Answers ..................................... 1 By now the fall sports have all begun and the News ......................................................... 2-3 business of educating students is well under loud, some of it is colorful, some of it is Administrative Information ............................. 4-9 way. It has been a busy summer for the emotional. Some of it comes from parents, Sportsmanship ................................... 10, 38-41 Board of Directors .................................... 11-18 MSHSAA office and schools throughout the some of it comes from schools. So, I go back to the statement that MSHSAA is an Fall Athletics ............................................ 19-24 state. Many districts spent the Winter Athletics ............................................ 24 summer completing building association which is run by the Spring Athletics ............................................ 25 Activities ................................................. 26-28 projects and renewing the member schools. Because this is exactly the case, the member Cheerleading & Dance .................................. 29 appearance of their schools. Coaches ...................................................... 30 This time of year highlights many schools have an obligation to Officials .................................................. 30-34 topics that the member schools provide feedback to the Awards .................................................. 35-37 of the Missouri State High MSHSAA Board of Directors, Advisory Committees, and the School Activities Association Executive Staff deal with on a regular basis… MSHSAA office to let us know including student-transfers. We how you feel about the DR. KERWIN URHAHN, Executive Director constitution and by-laws of the Elig bility rulings, transfers, interpretation of certainly live in a mobile society. Const tution and By-Laws, budget and finance, insurance, Students move from one family Association. litigation, legislative liaison. GEORGE BLASE, Asst. Executive Director member to another or families As I start my third year in the office, I have repeatedly Football, baseball, softball, camps and clinics, all-star move from one town to another. events, team hosts. All this relocating makes requested school administrators STACY SCHROEDER, Asst. Executive Director and coaches to offer solutions Swimming and diving, academic compet tion, water educating those children more polo, hardships, waivers, personnel, MSHSAA Leadership for things they do not like, instead of bringing difficult. School program. The increased mobility of students also problems and expecting someone else to fix FRED BINGGELI, Asst. Executive Director them. I have spoken with different Advisory Track and field, cross country, speech and debate, increases the issues requests for transfers of nonfaculty coaches, coaches education, sports medicine, eligibility at the high school level. The Committees about things they are not happy school classification, enrollments. with in their sport or activity. I have also TIM THOMPSON, Asst. Executive Director MSHSAA rule on transfers has evolved from its Wrestling, golf, officials. inception. Originally the rule stated that any asked them to give suggestions on how to DAVINE DAVIS, Asst. Executive Director student that transfers schools is ineligible 365 make solutions work. Many groups have Music, volleyball, cheerleading, dance, performing taken me up on the offer, for which I am groups, gymnastics, foreign exchange, sanctions. days for all sports at all levels; whereas, KEVIN GARNER, Asst. Executive Director today there are nine exceptions that allow thankful. This process only makes the Basketball, soccer, tennis, athletic directors liaison, Association stronger. waivers. partial eligibility, if not full eligibility, when CRAIG LONG, Chief Financial Officer students transfer schools. However, the days One topic frequently advanced by our Budget and finance, vendor contracts and bids, coaches involves modifying the State Series advertising, corporate partners, awards, orders, during which the rule was originally buildings and grounds. established are long gone. We have to look formats. New formats would have more JASON WEST, Communications Director at today and the society in which we live. schools involved and require more games Publications, media relations, public relations, played, and in some cases increase the loss of television and radio rights, web site maintenance, I had a Superintendent pose this question records, statistics, sportsmanship programs & Summ t, school time. Interestingly enough, this often Distinguished Service Awards, Scholastic Achievement to me recently, “If we are an association of Awards, Traditions, student services, video rentals. member schools and the member schools run counters to the feedback the Association August 2008 (vol. 73, no. 1) the Association, then can’t we …?” He has an receives from school administrators. I understand these desires from my days outstanding point. The Missouri State High The MSHSAA Journal is published four times per School Activities Association is run by the as a coach. However, I can not forget my year (August, November, February and May) by days as an athletic director trying to make a the Missouri State High School Activities member schools. It is the member schools that Association. make the rules and member schools that schedule fit into a very narrow window, or my days as a principal trying to ensure the 1 N. Keene St., PO Box 1328 change the rules. Columbia, MO 65205-1328 From the first day of August to the 29th academic side was first and foremost by (573) 875-4880, Fax (573) 875-1450 day of August, we had 290 hardship transfers, protecting instructional time, and finally, my [email protected] days as a superintendent trying to find money All photos by Columbia Photo, unless noted. 3,800 promotion transfers, 676 standard Printing by Kelly Press, Inc., 4430 Interstate Dr., transfers, 258 waiver transfers and 487 “other” in a budget when there was none to be found. The reason I write about this is to ask that Columbia, Mo. © 2007 MSHSAA, all rights transfers submitted to the Association. The reserved. coaches, athletic directors, principals and The Journal is available free to all dues-paying reason I tell you this is because it shows the senior highs, junior highs, officials and to all trend of students moving from one school to superintendents work together within their district to understand the needs of everyone registered media. It is also available via another. This is not unique to any one school. subscription for $8 per school year by calling the The majority of students transferring are involved. I am not saying that State Series MSHSAA office. formats will not change, because some eligible with no restrictions. However, it is the Eligibility Rulings daunting task of the MSHSAA office to already have. But, I encourage all evaluate the transfers to determine if the stakeholders to remember what high school All official eligibility opinions shall be in writing and shall bear the signature of the executive eligibility is possible. Review of eligibility activities are about: education of students in a setting that does not require a desk or four director. Verbal rulings are not official. Principals under the “hardship” exception is particularly are reminded that correspondence concerning time-consuming and tedious. Part of the walls and where everyone can participate at eligibility rulings, annual eligibility lists, applica- tions for waiver of the transfer rule, hardship definition given in the handbook for a hardship some level in some sport or activity. Good luck with the school year. transfers and sanction forms, must be signed by is, “when sufficient evidence is provided to the principal for consideration by the MSHSAA. show that it was necessary for the student to Remember that my staff and I serve you. transfer because of unforeseen, unavoidable, Please take advantage of the opportunities to or unusual circumstances.” QUESTIONS & ANSWERS Fall Questions & Answers The following are questions and answers or more classes, then they must be either pertaining to the MSHSAA Constitution and receiving passing grades in their By-Laws and/or MSHSAA Board of mainstreamed classes and/or be making Directors policy. These are provided as an standard progress in the self-contained aid in interpreting the rules and regulations classes taken in a resource room which which MSHSAA member schools have would be the equivalent of five courses adopted. If you have a specific area and/ offering a total of 2.50 units of credit or 70% or question which you would like explained, of the maximum allowable credit whichever contact Kerwin Urhahn, MSHSAA executive is greater. Note: Inclusion of activities on director. Your attention is called to the fact the IEP as an educational service is not questions and answers regarding appropriate. (By-Law 213) interpretations of the MSHSAA Constitution Question: We have a student in our and By-Laws appear following the school who has been invited to attend a Constitution Article or By-Law they relate to softball evaluation event in late August. Our in the