Softball Advisory Committee

Minutes
August 28, 2007 • 10 a.m.
Robert W. Hughes FHSAA Building
Gainesville, Florida


The Softball Advisory Committee met on Aug. 28, 2007 at 10 a.m. The following members were present: Alan Wackes, Westminster Academy (Fort Lauderdale); Natalia Gonzalez, Mandarin HS (Jacksonville); Gary Ward, Mount Dora HS; Kerry Kelly, Cooper City HS; Mark Schusterman, Gulliver Prep (Miami)/FACA; and Candace Hicken, West Nassau HS (Callahan). FHSAA Staff present: Jamie Rohrer, Associate Director of Athletics; Denarvise Thornton, Senior Director of Athletics; Dr. John Stewart, Commissioner; and Shaterra Reed, FHSAA Intern.

The meeting was called to order at 10 a.m. Advisory Committee members were asked to complete their travel vouchers and then introductions were made.

Jamie Rohrer welcomed the committee and gave a brief statement as to the responsibilities of the committee and the procedures that were to be followed. Mrs. Rohrer also informed the committee that the next FHSAA Board of Directors Meeting would be held on Sept. 23-24, 2007 at the Robert W. Hughes FHSAA Building in Gainesville, Fla.

The first order of business was to elect a Chairperson for the meeting. Mark Schusterman was nominated and selected to chair the meeting, 6-0. [Motion: Kelly, Second: Ward]

Mr. Schusterman briefly reviewed the minutes of the 2006 Softball Advisory Committee Meeting and they were approved, 6-0. [Motion: Gonzalez, Second: Ward]

Mrs. Rohrer briefly discussed the Softball Manual and notified the Committee that no major editorial changes would be made. The committee members did not have any questions, nor raise any concerns about the Manual’s contents.

In review of the 2007 FHSAA Softball State Championships, given the circumstances, the event was noted to be a success. The committee discussed the smoke delays, lightning delays, and two injuries and noted the excellent communication of the FHSAA Staff, Hillsborough County School District Staff and Plant City Stadium Staff. Given the obstacles beyond anyone’s control, the event still ran smoothly. Mrs. Rohrer did also recognize that the schools, which were affected by the cancellations and delays, were very pleasant to deal with and helped to make the necessary changes as easy as possible.

The committee then reviewed the following NFHS Softball Rules Changes for 2007-2008, which are as follows:

Recommendation #1: Adopt rule 3-2-11, “Players permitted to wear metal cleats and metal toe plates.”

Discussion of Recommendation #1: The more competitive schools within the FHSAA will not have a problem adjusting as many of the players wear/have worn metal cleats in outside competitions/leagues. However, it may take a little more time for the average schools to adjust if they choose to wear them. Additionally, metal cleats are thought to be safer when it comes to more serious leg, knee and ankle injuries due to the higher quality of the shoe and the traction. However, there are implications that they will cause more small-scale injuries such as cuts to the legs and/or ankles.

The committee approved the recommendation, 6-0. [Motion: Ward, Second: Gonzalez]

Dr. Stewart noted that the recommendation would be fast-tracked for immediate action by the Board of Directors at its September Board Meeting. Mrs. Rohrer will be compiling as much information as possible prior to that meeting for the Athletic Directors Advisory Committee and Board of Directors to review.

Rules 3-6-7 and 7-3-1 were discussed and no action was taken on either. The committee did however note that the 10-second rule (7-3-1) would continue to make it very difficult to coach the batters, who will now be even more pressed for time.

Additional recommendations that were acted upon are as follows:

Recommendation #2: Apply for a third NFHS Experiment for the pitching distance in softball to remain at 43’.

Discussion of Recommendation #2: The committee feels very strongly that the future of the game depends on the 43’ pitching distance. In order to keep offense & defense on a level playing field and the safety of the game at the highest of standards, it is very important that the FHSAA move forward with the experiment if allowed.

The committee approved the recommendation, 6-0. [Motion: Hicken, Second: Wackes]

Recommendation #3: Condense the FHSAA softball finals to a 3-day format (Thursday-Saturday) instead of the current 6-day format. This structure would combine a traditional tournament format with that of the current State Championship.

Discussion of Recommendation #3: Condensing to a 3-day format will lessen the loss of time from school for athletes, coaches and student spectators and may possibly increase attendance due to a later schedule which encompasses the use of the auxiliary fields and doesn’t limit the contest to the stadium, except for the Championship games.

The committee approved the recommendation, 6-0. [Motion: Wackes, Second: Ward]

Mrs. Rohrer gave a brief update of Sportsmanship as far as Softball is concerned and Dr. Stewart notified all committee members of the upcoming Sportsmanship Summit that is being held in Orlando on Sept. 14, 2007.

During general round table discussions, the committee communicated the need for some type of verification that hosts of state series contests should be accountable for so that proper facilities are used. Additionally, it was noted that the FHSAA needs to reiterate the mandatory use of the official game ball at all state series contests. It was mentioned that some schools were not prepared to play with the official game ball when they were hosting a district and/or regional event.

Lastly, it was discussed that it may be a good idea to push the date back for spring sports advisory committee meetings. With the later school start date, it makes it hard for coaches to attend the meeting during the first or second week of school.

There being no more business, the meeting was adjourned at 12:20, 6-0. [Motion: Kelly, Second: Wackes]