FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 3, 2003
Board approves calendar reorganization, classification structure for team sports
GAINESVILLE – The Florida High School Activities Association Board of Directors today approved a comprehensive sports calendar revision, as well as an improved classification structure for team sports other than football.
The calendar revision was the second of a two-part equation following the Board's adoption of revised contest limitations at its November 2002 meeting.
"This calendar proposal treats all sports fairly and addresses a number of concerns, include emerging sports that will likely have state championships coming on line within the next few years," said Commissioner Robert W. Hughes. "We've made a point of being progressive with these type of issues to put us in a good position for the future."
In the fall, cross country, golf and swimming & diving regular seasons were reduced to seven weeks. The recommended dates for golf, however, will not take effect until the 2004 season due to the current agreement with the FHSAA and the PGA Village, which serves as host for the FHSAA Golf Finals. Additionally, the length of the fall soccer regular season increases by one week, pushing its district, regional and state finals dates one week later. All existing fall sports will start practice on the same date. Girls volleyball and football remain unchanged.
In the winter, girls soccer begins and ends one week earlier, while girls basketball, boys basketball, boys soccer and wrestling remain unchanged.
Several changes redress the facade of the spring sports season. Baseball begins and ends one week later with no change in length of season. For softball, practice expands to four weeks to be equal with baseball, its first contest date and district tournament week remains the same and its regional tournament expands to two weeks, pushing the state finals one week later. Tennis season is reduced to nine weeks, begins one week later and ends at the same time. Track & field season is reduced to seven weeks, begins two weeks later and ends one week earlier. Finally, boys volleyball season begins one week later, extending to the same full eight weeks as girls volleyball, and its state finals moves two weeks later, reducing overlap with basketball and competition for use of the gym. The boys volleyball state finals moves into the slot opened up by moving track & field a week earlier and softball a week later.
The improved classification structure for the team sports of baseball, basketball, soccer, softball and girls volleyball calls for 90 schools each in Classes 6A through 2A and 134 schools in Class 1A. The adopted proposal, which is in effect for the 2003-04 and 2004-05 school years, expands girls soccer and boys soccer to five classifications by combining Class 2A and Class 1A, which allows soccer to be included in the consistent districting plan for Classes 6A-3A.
In other action, the Board of Directors:
• Approved a recommendation for team sports other than football to give each district the option to use a one-game district schedule to determine district tournament seeding. At the district meeting, schools present can vote by simple majority to implement a one-game district schedule for the two-year classification cycle. If a district adopts the one-game district schedule and two of the schools decide to play each other more than once, the first non-tournament game would count for seeding purposes. Schools are currently mandated to play a two-game district schedule.
• Approved a recommendation of the Cross Country Advisory Committee to remove the requirement to participate in the previous round of state series competition in order to be eligible to receive individual honors at each successive level.
• Approved a recommendation of the Cross Country Advisory Committee to ease the attendance requirement at the state meet coaches meeting to either the boys or girls head coach, instead of requiring both to be in attendance
• Approved a recommendation of the Swimming & Diving Advisory Committee to require meet referees who wish to officiate state series events to attend a rules clinic meeting prior to each season.
• Approved recommendations of the Volleyball Advisory Committee to establish a suggested pre-match format that would be required for state series competition and a minimum pre-match warm-up period of 25 minutes in length.
• Approved a recommendation to include volleyball and wrestling with cross country, golf, swimming & diving, track & field and weightlifting as sports exempt from needing FHSAA approval for competing in tri-matches and double-dual matches during the regular season.
• Approved modifications to the National Intramural-Recreational Sports Association (NIRSA) Flag Football rules for FHSAA girls flag football competition.
• Discussed the possibility of increasing from six to seven contest officials for state semifinal and state championship games in FHSAA State Football Series competition.
• Denied a recommendation of the Golf Advisory Committee to allow a player who is disqualified from the state tournament for a rules violation the first day to continue to play on the second day.
• Adopted a draft of the legislatively mandated report for submission to the 2003 Florida Legislature. The 2002 Florida Legislature directed the FHSAA Board of Directors to submit to the 2003 Florida Legislature by March 1 a report addressing three concerns: gender and minority representation on the Board of Directors; representation by each section; and corporate support for member school athletic programs.
• Appointed the following member school representatives to fill vacant delegate seats on the 2003 FHSAA Representative Assembly, which meets April 14-15 in Gainesville: Jeremiah Johnson, Bradford (Starke); Denis McBride, Pensacola Christian; Lynette Lanford, Trenton; Scott Carpenter, North Marion (Citra); John Sedlack, Central (Brooksville); Charlie McBride, Land O'Lakes; Pat Dodd, Mount Dora Bible; Gina Hodges, Crystal River Middle; Doug Sanders, Blake (Tampa); Dr. Ruth Heckman, Lake Placid; Dave Korman, All Saints' (Winter Haven); Heather Siler-Dobbs, Osceola Middle (Okeechobee); Ernie Mudugno, Naples; Jay Rader, Palm Beach Gardens; Victor Lopez, Miami; Debra Davis, LaBelle.
• Discussed the status of emerging sports. Participating schools in the sports of girls weightlifting and boys and girls bowling will be surveyed on their interest in an invitational state series for the 2003-04 school year. Proposed terms and conditions for such tournaments could be presented at the March meeting of the Board of Directors. Boys and girls water polo is on the brink of being eligible for an invitational state series. Boys and girls lacrosse could receive recognition status as soon as the June meeting of the Board of Directors.
The Florida High School Activities Association is the governing body for interscholastic athletic competition in Florida. It has a membership of 700 middle, junior and senior high schools.
The FHSAA Board of Directors is the executive authority of the Association, establishing guidelines, regulations, policies and procedures within the framework of the Association’s bylaws. The Board of Directors also has the sole authority over all terms and conditions of participation and competition in the FHSAA state championship series. The Board of Directors meets five times annually. Its next meeting is Mar. 30-31, 2003 at the FHSAA Headquarters in Gainesville.
Contact:
Jack Watford
Director of Communications, FHSAA
(352) 372-9551 ext. 170
jwatford@fhsaa.org
