FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 11, 2004


Board approves officials fee increase, elects Ward president

GAINESVILLE – The Florida High School Athletic Association Board of Directors today approved the increase of the maximum per-contest pay scale for officials at its year-end meeting at the Wyndham Westshore Hotel in Tampa.

Over the next two school years, baseball, basketball, softball and wrestling officials will receive a $10 per contest raise; officials in football, soccer and volleyball a $6 per contest raise and in flag football a $3 per contest raise. Half the total raise will be implemented in the upcoming 2004-05 school year, and the remainder in the 2005-06 school year. Also approved was an increase from 50 cents to 60 cents per mile one way one vehicle in the mileage rate that member schools may pay officials. Two vehicles will be permitted per crew in the state football series only. The Board also asked that training and evaluation tools be developed to ensure the progression of the quality of officiating.

The Board also elected Fleming Island High School principal Sam Ward president for the 2004-05 school year. Forest High School (Ocala) athletic director Dave Horner was reelected vice president.

“I am looking forward to serving the FHSAA as president,” said Ward. “I welcome the opportunity to work with Dr. Stewart in setting goals for the Association.”

In other business, the Board of Directors:

• Adopted the use of the libero player in volleyball for the 2004-05 school year.

• Approved adoption of a change in format for the FHSAA Girls Volleyball Finals state tournament, expanding it from three to four days. Three classifications will play semifinal matches and championship matches on Wednesday and Thursday respectively; the remaining three will play semifinal and championship matches on Friday and Saturday; each day will be one session; semifinal match times will be 10 a.m., noon, 2 p.m., 4 p.m., 6 p.m. and 8 p.m.; championship match times will be 2 p.m., 4:30 p.m. and 7 p.m.; classifications playing on Wednesday-Thursday and Friday-Saturday will rotate from year to year.

• Approved a new overtime procedure for soccer: two 10-minute sudden-victory periods preceded by five-minute intervals; the first goal scored in either period terminates the game; if no goal is scored in either period, the overtime will proceed directly to penalty kicks.

• Approved the adoption of an amendment to Policy 7, "Financial Policies," relative to the assessment of sanctioning fees for preseason classics and invitational tournaments in wrestling, reducing the fees for preseason classics and invitational tournaments in a one-year pilot experiment as follows: preseason classics from $100 to $75; invitational tournaments of 8 teams or fewer from $250 to $100; invitational tournaments of 9 to 16 teams from $500 to $250; and invitational tournaments of 17 to 32 teams from $500 to $250.

• Approved the continuation of use of the Precision Timing System at the FHSAA Girls Basketball Finals and FHSAA Boys Basketball Finals state tournaments provided there is no cost to the FHSAA.

• Approved the adoption of use of the National Wrestling Coaches Association web-based Optimal Performance Calculator for establishing a wrestler's minimum certified weight, which includes both hydration and body-fat testing by an FHSAA-approved assessor, nutrition education and a maximum limit on weight loss of not more than 1.5 percent of weight per week. Schools would be required to participate in the program during the 2004-05 season, but would not be bound by its results and could choose to continue use of the existing method of determining minimum certified weights. Schools choosing to use the program for determining minimum certified weights would not be subject to NFHS Rule 1-3-2b (50 percent rule).

• Approved a recommendation to clarify weigh-in provisions for dual-team meets and individually bracketed tournaments by stipulating that in a dual-team meet the coach may alter his line-up within the provisions of NFHS Rule 4-4-2; and that in individually bracketed tournaments, once a wrestler's weight class is determined, that wrestler must compete in the that weight class for the duration of the tournament per NFHS Rule 10-2-2.

• Approved the establishment of the following minimum requirements for hosting individually bracketed multi-school wrestling events: up to 8 teams (2 mats, 4 officials); 9 to 16 teams (3 mats, 5 officials); 17 to 24 teams (4 mats, 6 officials); and 24 to 32 mats (5 mats, 8 officials). No match in such an event shall be permitted to being later than 10 p.m., and there must be a minimum of 10 hours between the end of the last match of the day and the start of weigh-ins the day following.

• Approved a decrease in the number of days from 10 to 7 that a "Wrestler Skin Condition Examination Report Form" signed by a physician is valid before the wrestler is required to obtain a new form from the physician of the skin condition remains present.

• Approved a recommendation to adjust the girls weightlifting season by one week as follows: first practice date from Monday of Week 19 to 20 (Nov. 15, 2004); first regular season meet from Monday of Week 22 to Week 23 (Dec. 6, 2004); last regular season meet from Saturday of Week 30 to Week 31 (Feb. 5, 2005); sectional qualifying meets from Weeks 27 and 29 to Weeks 28 and 30 (Jan. 10-15, 24-29, 2005); and FHSAA Finals state meet from Saturday of Week 31 to Week 32 (Feb. 12, 2005).

• Approved the adoption of an amendment to Policy 33, "Guidelines for Filming, Videotaping Athletic Contests," expanding the restrictions on filming and videotaping athletic contests by schools to include still photography; and to stipulate that while spectators are permitted to use battery-powered, hand-held camcorders to videotape state series contests for their own personal use subject to the policies of the host facility, they may not sell or redistribute the video footage in any form.

• Approved the adoption of an amendment to Policy 16, "Policy on Foreign Exchange and Other International Students," stipulating that foreign exchange students, like other international students, must be in attendance within the first 10 days of the school year rather than on the first day of school.

• Approved the creation of a "Student-Athlete Nomination Committee" to identify and nominate former student-athletes who are potential candidates for induction into the Florida High School Athletic Hall of Fame.

• Approved a recommendation that no reapportionment of administrative sections occur at this time, and that the Board of Directors adopt a policy stipulating that a review of the apportionment of sections shall occur in the final year of each 6-year election cycle so that any reapportionment can occur prior to the annual elections to be conducted in that year. The next review would take place in Fall 2008.

• Approved a preliminary operating budget for the 2004-05 school year.

• Approved the adoption of an investment policy for the Association.

• Approved the adoption of an amendment to Policy 13, "State Series Pass Policy," relative to the use of FHSAA-issued state series passes by member school personnel.

• Approved the adoption of an amendment to Policy 7, "Financial Policies," relative to increasing the maximum reimbursement to schools that realize a financial loss in hosting a district or regional state series event from $250 to $350.

• Approved the adoption of an amendment to Policy 7, "Financial Policies," establishing 30 days as the due date for the payment of invoices as well as the due date for filing a request for waiver of an administrative fee or fine.

• Denied a recommendation to reduce the number of classifications in girls and boys basketball only on an experimental basis for the 2005-06 and 2006-07 classification period from 6 to 3 as first option or 6 to 4 as second option.

• Denied a recommendation to refer to the Legislative Committee recommendations that the earliest possible date that the preparticipation physical examination may be conducted to be valid in the following school year be moved from May 15 to April 1; and that the comprehensive physical examination be mandatory biennially rather than annually, with physician follow-ups in the off-year only in areas of concern as indicated on the annual health history form completed by the student and parent.

The Florida High School Athletic 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 Sept. 26-27, 2004 at the FHSAA headquarters in Gainesville.

Contact:
Jack Watford
Director of Communications, FHSAA
(352) 372-9551 ext. 170
jwatford@fhsaa.org