Minnesota State High School League
Board of Directors Meeting
June 11, 2012
Meeting Synopsis
Action Items
State tournaments that are seeded will no longer be seeded 1 through 4 next school year, with a blind draw determining the opponents. Instead, the Board approved a change in the policy to seed teams 1 through 5, with a blind draw determining the opponents for seeds 1, 2 and 3, and seeds 4 and 5 playing each other. The 16 administrative region committees were evenly split on whether 1 through 4 or 1 through 5 was preferred. Coaches’ association representatives were also polled and were also evenly split between either 1 through 5 or no preference.
An operating budget for the next fiscal year was approved by the Board. It projects revenues just slightly above the current year (0.46 percent) and expenses higher by 2.52 percent. The total budget amount is slightly over $8 million.
The Board approved renewal of insurance policies for catastrophic injuries to participants, and liability and medical coverage for officials. The premium of $4.35 per participant for the catastrophic medical coverage, which has a $2 million cap and $50,000 deductible, represents no increase. The premium for $1 million in liability and $50,000 in medical coverage for officials increased by 4.1 percent.
Requests to the National Federation were approved by the Board to continue rules experiments in two sports and request experiments in two other sports.
o In football, the continuing experiment pertains to onside kicks. The rule requires at least four members of the kicking team to be on each side of the kicker and that the kicking team cannot initiate contact until the balls touches the ground and travels at least 10 yards.
o In hockey, the continuing experiment pertains to stiffer penalties for boarding, checking from behind, and contact to the head, plus a change in how major or misconduct penalties are served so that non-offending players do not have to miss five minutes of the game serving the time as a substitute for the player that committed the infraction.
o In track and field, the new experiment pertains to jewelry. The rule now prohibits jewelry, but enforcement is difficult at best. The League is asking for the opportunity to waive the rule.
o In volleyball, the new experiment pertains to how officials use their hand signals to indicate which team next serves after a fault is whistled. The requested mechanics parallel what is now used at youth level volleyball.
Three policies were approved by the Board.
o One will require member schools to use National Federation rules or other rules adopted by the Board for all levels of competition, including sophomore, B-squad and junior varsity levels. Conferences, however, will be allowed to reduce the length of playing time, reduce the number of timeouts, allow waiver of uniform rules, use unregistered officials, and permit free substitution in baseball and softball for levels below varsity.
o A second addresses videotaping of games of opponents. In all sports it makes it an ethical violation to tape another school’s game, meet or contest without that school’s permission because each school owns the rights to its own games.
o The third prohibits member schools hosting post-regular season tournaments from making public address announcements that are of recruitment in nature.
The Board elected new officers for the 2012-13 school year. Waconia Principal Mark Fredericksen will serve as president. Underwood Principal John Hamann will serve as vice president. Breckenridge Superintendent Rick Bleichner will serve as treasurer.
Discussion Items
Executive Director Dave Stead recommended that the next Board at its August meeting discuss the issue of sportsmanship and student behavior at state events.
Associate Director Jody Redman presented a policy for first reading that defines permitted commemorative or memorial patches that can be displayed on uniforms. It allows an American flag not greater than two by three inches in size. It also allows commemorative or memorial patches not greater than four square inches. Such patches must be approved by the school principal and memorial patches may not remain beyond the time the memorialized student would have been eligible. Patches honoring other significant individuals are also permitted. Placement of patches may not interfere with the visibility of uniform numbers.
Board Committee Reports
Executive Committee
The committee approved a few date changes in the Activity Advisory Committee Process to better correspond with Board meeting dates. The committee also authorized staff to proceed with seeking bids for remodeling an area of the lower level of the League office building to add two offices, a conference room, and a secured storage area.
Eligibility Committee
The Board adopted nine separate eligibility recommendations from the committee to censure coaches or school administrators. One corrective action plan was also approved. The committee also approved two language changes in the Fair Hearing Procedure, one of which changes “10 calendar days” to “10 school business days” and the other changes the level of evidence required from “substantial” to “preponderance.”
Audit/Finance Committee
The Board approved the financial statements for the months of March and April. The Board also approved the committee’s recommendation to grant Region 4A $20,000 to supplement its operating fund. The committee also recommended the approval of the 2012-13 operating budget and the renewal of catastrophic and officials insurance plans.
Marketing Committee
The Board approved the committee’s recommendations to initiate a new one-year sponsorship by AAA Minneapolis at $25,000 to co-sponsor the League’s AAA Awards program, and to renew a two-year sponsorship at $30,000 per year with Sports Authority as the League’s sporting goods retail partner.
Technology/Coaches and Officials Education Committee
Staff reviewed continuing efforts to expand programming related to coaches’ education and officials training.
Extra Points
League Lobbyist Roger Aronson reported that the bill passed by the Legislature that funds a new stadium for the Minnesota Vikings also includes a provision for a minimum of seven days of use at no cost to the League for the state soccer and football tournaments. When the new stadium becomes available in three years, he said the cost savings will be even greater than the current cost of about $220,000 annually to use the Metrodome. He praised the work that Executive Director Stead and Board members Mindy Sparby, Roz Peterson, Mike Rusinko and Laurie Esau did in lobbying for the language in the bill. He also acknowledged the bill’s authors, Sen. Julie Rosen and Rep. Morrie Lanning, for their support of the League language inclusion, and for House Speaker Kurt Zellers and Rep. Joe Hoppe for resurrecting the language in conference committee after the Senate had removed it.
The Board saluted four outgoing members — President Mindy Sparby, Perry Aadland, Chris Laird, and Luanne Wagner — and they were presented with commemorative plaques and rings. Members Jill Lofald and Kim Algoo, whose terms have also expired, were unable to attend.
The Board also welcomed incoming Board members whose terms begin in August. Jackson County Central girls’ softball coach Shelly Hotzler replaces Sparby as the girls’ sports representative. Sauk Rapids-Rice Activities Director Tom Conzemius replaces Aadland representing Regions 7AA and 8AA. Montevideo Activities Director Bob Grey replaces Laird representing Regions 3A and 4A. Sauk Rapids-Rice Principal Erich Martens replaces Wagner representing Class AA principals. Eagan debate coach Chris McDonald replaces Lofald representing the communication fine arts. A governor’s appointee to replace Algoo has not yet been named.
The next regularly scheduled meeting of the League Board of Directors is Tuesday, August 7, 2012, at Ruttger’s Lodge at Bay Lake.