NFHS REPORT Bob Gardner Named NFHS Executive Director BY ROBERT F. KANABY, NFHS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, AND ENNIS PROCTOR, NFHS PRESIDENT It is indeed our pleasure to announce ber of the NFHS Football Rules Committee and served on the NFHS that Bob Gardner has been chosen by Football Officials Manual Committee. He also chaired the Fis- the NFHS Board of Directors as the next cal/Funding Subcommittee for the 1999-2002 NFHS Strategic Plan. executive director of the National Feder- As chief operating officer of the NFHS, Bob has chaired the ation of State High School Associations. NFHS Rules Review Committee, the NFHS internal committee com- As many of you know, Bob has served as posed of all NFHS rules editors. He has been responsible for NFHS chief operating officer of the NFHS for insurance programs and the NFHS committee nomination process. the past 10 years and has done a superb Bob represented the NFHS on the NCAA Anti-Gambling Task Force, job in that position. has been a presenter at numerous state and national meetings, In addition to his 10 years with the and has served on the USA Football Board of Directors. NFHS, Bob has a long and successful background with our mem- With his varied background in teaching, coaching and admin- ber state associations. He was a member of the Indiana High School istration at the local, state and national levels, we believe Bob is Athletic Association (IHSAA) staff for 15 years, including the final the ideal candidate to continue to move this organization forward five years as commissioner. in the years to come. At the IHSAA, Bob led the change in the football playoffs to Although these are challenging times right now as many permit participation by all schools, negotiated the association’s schools deal with severe budget cuts, we believe there are bright largest corporate sponsorship agreement in history with Farm Bu- spots on the horizon as Bob takes over this spring. reau Insurance and led the transition to multiple classes in team The NFHS Coach Education Program is among the brightest sports. He also was instrumental in the IHSAA winning a landmark stars as more and more coaches are receiving education-based Supreme Court case affirming the restitution rule and a Federal training and becoming certified as accredited interscholastic Court case protecting the state’s right to enforce eligibility stan- coaches. With the launching of Fundamentals of Coaching Soft- dards. ball this month, there are now six sport-specific courses available. During his 40 years in secondary education – all in the state of Since the start of the Coach Education Program in 2007, more than Indiana – Bob has served at every level. He started as a teacher and 140,000 coaches have taken the core course – Fundamentals of coach for eight years at three Indiana high schools, including Milan Coaching. And, 46 of the 51 member state associations have High School, which won the 1954 state basketball title and led to adopted the course. Assistant Director Tim Flannery has done an the movie, Hoosiers. He coached football, basketball, baseball and outstanding job in championing this program. track, and he also was athletic director at one of his stops. Certainly, the troubled financial status of school districts will be Bob also was a high school principal for seven years at Milan among the topics of discussion as the next NFHS Strategic Plan is Junior-Senior High School. He had been selected to serve as su- formulated during the coming school year. This will be the sixth perintendent of the Milan Schools as well in 1985 before he ac- three-year plan developed by the membership and will provide di- cepted the assistant commissioner’s position with the IHSAA. rection through 2014. During his years at Milan, Bob also was a member of the IHSAA March is a great time of year as schools participate in winter Board of Directors. championships across the country. We wish you the best as you Before he joined the NFHS staff in 2000, Bob served in a vari- continue your daily work with the millions of students involved in ety of volunteer roles with the organization. He was a voting mem- athletic and fine arts activities. NFHS | www.nfhs.org/hstoday 1 FEATURES 10 SPORTS COMPETITION Hawaii, Alaska Teams Face Challenges to Play Games: Travel is a complicated issue for schools in these states. –Dan Schumerth HighSchoolTHE VOICE OF EDUCATION-BASED ATHLETIC AND FINE ARTS ACTIVITIES TODAY ™ 14 EMERGING SPORT Equestrian Teams Growing in Popularity, Participation: Although primarily still a club sport, schools in some states providing new sport option. Contents –Emily Newell 20 ADMINISTRATION 8 Conducting an Emergency Plan Drill: In case of medical emergency, schools should have plans in place to handle a crisis event. –Joe Sargent, CMAA DEPARTMENTS 1 NFHS Report 6 Quick Hits Useful Facts and Information 12 Legal Issues School Sued for Suspending Student-athletes Over MySpace Pictures 16 Above and Beyond • In Wake of Tragedy, Kansas Team Finds Unexpected Support • Wrestlers Leave Mats to Clear Snowy Driveways COVER STORY 22 Did You Know? Strategies for Hiring the Best Coach for Your • NJCAA Presents Option for Many Student-athletes School: Selection of coaches is extremely impor- • Cooperative Athletic Programs Continue tant in education-based athletics. to Grow –Dr. David Hoch, CMAA 25 Fine Arts Music Educator Awards 28 Sports Medicine 10 The Sickle Cell Athlete: What Administrators, Coaches Need to Know Welcome 30 In The News We hope you enjoy this publication and welcome your feed- 32 Voices of the Nation back. You may contact Bruce Howard or John Gillis, editors of High School Today, at [email protected] or [email protected]. High School Today | March 4 HIGH SCHOOL TODAY ONLINE An official publication of the National Federation of State High School Associations VOLUME 3, NUMBER 6 EDITORIAL STAFF High School Today, an official publication of the National Publisher.......................Robert F. Kanaby Federation of State High School Assoc ia tions, is published eight times a year by the NFHS. Editors ..........................Bruce L. Howard .....................................John C. Gillis EDITORIAL/ADVERTISING OFFICES The National Federation of State High School Associations, Production.....................Randall D. Orr PO Box 690, Indianapolis, Indiana 46206; Telephone 317- Advertising....................Judy Shoemaker 972-6900; fax 317.822.5700. Graphic Designer...........Kim A. Vogel SUBSCRIPTION PRICE Online Editor .................Chris Boone One-year subscription is $24.95. Canada add $3.75 per year surface post age. All other foreign subscribers, please contact the NFHS office for shipping rates. Back issues are PUBLICATIONS COMMITTEE $3.00 plus actual postage. Superintendent..............Darrell Floyd, TX Principal........................Ralph Holloway, NC Manuscripts, illustrations and photo graphs may be sub- mitted by mail or e-mail to Bruce Howard, editor, PO Box School Boards ...............Bill Boyle, UT 690, Indianapolis, IN 46206, <[email protected]>. They State Associations..........Treva Dayton, TX will be carefully considered by the High School Today Pub- lica tions Committee, but the publisher cannot be respon- Media Director ..............Robert Zayas, NM sible for loss or damage. Athletic Trainer ..............Brian Robinson, IL Fine Arts........................Steffen Parker, VT Reproduction of material published in High School Today is prohibited with out written permission of the NFHS ex- You can read all articles – and more not published in Athletic Director ............David Hoch, MD ecutive director. Views of the authors do not always reflect Coach ...........................Don Showalter, IA the opinion or policies of the NFHS. this issue – online at www.nfhs.org/hstoday. Legal Counsel................Lee Green, KS Copyright 2010 by the National Fed eration of State Guidance Counselor ......Barb Skinner, IN High School Associa tions. All rights reserved. Contest Official..............Tim Christensen, OR NFHS | www.nfhs.org/hstoday 5 QUICK HITS For the Record Unusual Nicknames Girls Basketball Most Points Scored, Career Poca (West Virginia) High School’s mascot is, fittingly, 5,424 the Dot. Yes, they are the Poca Dots. What better a nick- name for a team from a town called Poca could there be? Adrian McGowen That’s what a newswriter from Charleston, West Virginia, Goodrich, Texas thought in 1928 when he suggested it. And the name has (2003-06) been in style ever since. The Dot has been transformed over the years, changing from a simple logo to the fierce and Source: 2010 National High School Sports Record Book. To order, call toll-free fighting Dot. 1-800-776-3462, or order online at www.nfhs.com. Around the Nation Question: Do you allow students below the 9th grade to play on the varsity in state competition? 10 High School Today | March 6 IT ALL STARTED HERE Ndamukong Suh BY EMILY NEWELL Before Ndamukong Suh was a college football stand- Besides football, Suh was a track standout in shot put. out at the University of Nebraska and a top National Foot- He was the district shot put champion in 2004, and won ball League (NFL) prospect, he was a three-sport, high the Oregon School Activities Association Class 4A shot put school scholar-athlete. title in 2005, throwing for a school-record 61-feet-4. Suh was born and raised in Portland, Oregon, where he Suh also received honors as a basketball player at Grant, attended Grant High School. earning honorable-mention all-league honors both his jun- When Suh decided he wanted to play football his fresh- ior and senior years. man year of high school, his mother told him if he main- As a senior, Suh was a finalist for the Portland Tribune‘s tained a grade-point average of 3.0 or higher, he could try Athlete of the Year. out as a sophomore. He went on to play football at the University of Ne- The rest is history.