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Volume 83, Issue 2
Winter 2014
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12/19/13
THE BULLETIN Official Publication of the Minnesota State High School League 2100 Freeway Boulevard Brooklyn Center, MN 55430-1735 763-560-2262 http://www.MSHSL.org Information within this Bulletin may be reprinted only with the permission of the MSHSL.
Volume 83, Issue 2 Winter 2014 Editorial Staff Editor: Howard W. Voigt Assistant Editor: Ellen Rajkowski Contributing Editors: David Stead Kevin Merkle Lisa Lissimore Craig Perry Jody Redman John Millea Rich Matter Chris Franson Board of Directors Regions 1-2A Scott McCready, St. Charles Regions 3-4A Bob Grey, Montevideo Regions 5-6A Emmett Keenan, St. Cloud Cathedral Regions 7-8A Mike Kolness, Ada-Borup Regions 1-2AA Tom Graupmann, Northfield Regions 3-4AA Mike Manning, Rosemount Regions 5-6AA Dan Johnson, Hopkins Regions 7-8AA Mike Olson, Little Falls State School Boards Assn. Roz Peterson, Lakeville Deborah Pauly, Jordan MN Assn. of Secondary Principals John Hamann, Underwood Erich Martens, Sauk Rapids-Rice Boys Sports Mark Solberg, Cambridge-Isanti Girls Sports Shelly Hotzler, Jackson County Central MN Music Educators Assn. Lane Powell, Fillmore Central Speech Assn. of MN Chris McDonald, Eagan Governor's Appointees Lea B. Olsen, Minneapolis Steven Beals, Montevideo Laurie Esau, Orono Steve Eklund, Braham
Printed by Carlson Print Group 7490 Golden Triangle Drive Eden Prairie, MN 55344 The MSHSL Bulletin is published in Fall, Winter and Spring and is designed to meet the needs of the 525 member Schools.
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League Office Personnel The Minnesota State High School League Office has been established to provide special services to the member schools. Listed below are the office personnel: Extension / Voice Mailbox Executive Director - David Stead ........................ 480 Executive Assistant - Lynne Johnson ........... 490 Associate Director - Jody Redman ..................... 481 Administrative Assistant - Amie Ince ............. 491 Associate Director - Kevin Merkle ...................... 484 Administrative Assistant - Amanda Johnson 494 Officials Coordinator- Katie Schulte .............. 496 Associate Director - Craig Perry ......................... 482 Administrative Assistant - Susi Hollenbeck ... 492 Associate Director - Lisa Lissimore .................... 483 Administrative Assistant - Sheila Robinson .. 493 Director of Information - Howard W. Voigt .......... 485 Assistant - Ellen Rajkowski ........................... 542 Assistant Director - Richard Matter ..................... 497 Accounting Assistant - Sharon Bahma ......... 541 Ticketing Assistant - Nancy Myers ................ 487 Assistant Director - Chris Franson ...................... 488 Web Site Coordinator - Nancy Etter .............. 551 Graphic Designer - Tracie Bressler ............... 552 Media Specialist - John Millea ............................ 554 Program Specialist - Amy Doherty ..................... 495 Office Manager - Kristi Vesall ............................. 489 Administrative Assistant - Yvonne Walsh ..... 486 Receptionist - Ann Bailey .............................. 540
When calling the League Office (763-560-2262), direct your requests to staff persons as designated: Accounts Payable .............................................................. Sharon Bahma Accounts Receivable ......................................................... Yvonne Walsh Activity / Late Registrations ................................................ Chris Franson Activity Section Assignments ............................................. Chris Franson Administrative Regions ........................................................... Dave Stead Anyone Can Save A Life .................................................... Jody Redman Archive Information ........................................................ Howard W. Voigt Athletic / Activity Director Advisory Committee ................... Kevin Merkle Board of Directors Information ............................................... Dave Stead Camps and Clinics .................................................................. Craig Perry Charter Officials Associations .............................................. Kevin Merkle Chemical Rule Interpretations ................................................ Craig Perry Cooperative Sponsorship ................................................. Lynne Johnson Debate, Speech, One Act Play & Music Judges ............... Chris Franson Registration of Debate, Speech, One Act Play & Music Judges ........... Nancy Etter ExCEL Program ................................................................. Lisa Lissimore Fine Arts Rules Interp. (Debate, Speech & Music) ........... Chris Franson Fine Arts Rules Interp. (One Act & Visual Arts) ................ Chris Franson Gender Equity ......................................................................... Dave Stead General Information on MSHSL ............................................. Dave Stead Hall of Fame ....................................................................... Lisa Lissimore Insurance ................................................................................. Rich Matter Interstate Sanctions ................................................................ Dave Stead League Publications ...................................................... Howard W. Voigt Marketing and Promotions ................................................. Lisa Lissimore Membership Information ................................................... Lynne Johnson News Media Services .................................................... Howard W. Voigt Non-School Competition ......................................................... Craig Perry Office Management ................................................................. Kristi Vesall Officials Program .................................................................. Kevin Merkle PSAs and TV Visuals ..................................................... Howard W. Voigt Registration of Officials ....................................................... Katie Schulte Results and Records ..................................................... Howard W. Voigt Rulebooks, Supplies, Awards ............................................ Yvonne Walsh Rules Interpretation Meetings ............................................. Katie Schulte School Eligibility ...................................................................... Craig Perry Sports Medicine Advisory Committee .................................... Craig Perry Spotlight on Scholarship Program ..................................... Lisa Lissimore Student Ejections ..................................................................... Ann Bailey Student Eligibility .................................................................... Craig Perry Supplemental Allowances ...................................................... Kristi Vesall TEAM UP Program ............................................................. Jody Redman Ticket Assistant ..................................................................... Nancy Myers Triple “A” Award .................................................................. Jody Redman Web Site Development ....................................................... Chris Franson Web Site Assistance ............................................................... Nancy Etter
Activity Rule Interpretations, Coach Incidents Reports, and Activity Advisory Committees
The MSHSL Logo is a registered mark of the organization and use in any manner is prohibited unless prior approval is obtained from the League.
Schedule of Board of Directors Meetings October 3 ................................. MSHSL Office Brooklyn Center December 5 ............................. MSHSL Office Brooklyn Center January 23 ............................... MSHSL Office Brooklyn Center April 3 ....................................... MSHSL Office Brooklyn Center June 2 ...................................... MSHSL Office Brooklyn Center Representative Assembly Meeting TBD ................ Edinburgh USA, Brooklyn Park
Adapted Athletics (Bowling, Floor Hockey, Soccer, Softball) ... Rich Matter Alpine Skiing / Boys’ & Girls’ .................................................. Rich Matter Badminton / Girls’ .............................................................. Lisa Lissimore Baseball ................................................................................. Kevin Merkle Basketball / Boys’ ................................................................. Kevin Merkle Basketball / Girls’ ............................................................... Lisa Lissimore Cheerleaders ....................................................................... Jody Redman Clay Target Shooting .......................................................................... TBD Cross Country Running / Boys’ & Girls’ ............................ Lisa Lissimore Dance Team / Girls’ .............................................................. Kevin Merkle Debate ................................................................................. Chris Franson Football .................................................................................. Kevin Merkle Golf / Boys’ & Girls’ ................................................................. Dave Stead Gymnastics / Girls’ .............................................................. Jody Redman Ice Hockey / Boys’ & Girls’ ..................................................... Craig Perry Lacrosse / Boys' & Girls’ ......................................................... Rich Matter Music ................................................................................... Chris Franson Nordic Ski Racing / Boys’ & Girls’ .......................................... Rich Matter One Act Play ....................................................................... Chris Franson Robotics ................................................................................ Amy Doherty Soccer / Boys’ & Girls’ ........................................................ Jody Redman Softball / Girls’ .................................................................... Lisa Lissimore Speech ................................................................................ Chris Franson Swimming and Diving / Boys’ & Girls’ ............................... Lisa Lissimore Synchronized Swimming / Girls’ ........................................ Lisa Lissimore Tennis / Boys’ & Girls’ ............................................................ Craig Perry Track & Field / Boys’ & Girls’ ............................................. Jody Redman Visual Arts ........................................................................... Chris Franson Volleyball / Girls’ ................................................................. Jody Redman Wrestling ................................................................................. Craig Perry
Dave’s Dialogue
Set expectations ..............................................................................................................2
News and F eatures Features
Sometimes we win...sometimes we lose .......................................................................3 Bethlehem Academy, Wayzata presented Challenge Cups ............................................4 Spotlighting students who shine .....................................................................................6 Football scheduling decision anticipated ........................................................................8 What is district football scheduling? ...............................................................................9 Scrape some management off your plate to make room for leadership .....................11
Inside This Issue
Athletic Activities
New study first to focus on ACL injuries across multiple high school sports .............12 Reduction strategies for ACL injuries ............................................................................13 Concussion: Return-to-Learn guidelines .......................................................................15
Officials
Jerry Seeman was known as the “Official’s Official”....................................................20
Also
Board of Directors Meeting Minutes ............................................................................24 Winter 2014 Calendars of Meetings and State Events .................................................27
On The Cover
Last Game in the Dome
The Owatonna Huskies, in their fifth state tournament appearance, won their first championship playing the last Prep Bowl game in the Metrodome. Owatonna, also runner-up three times, was also one of the teams to play in Prep Bowl I in 1982. Minnesota Prep Photo / MNPrepPhoto.com
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Winter 2014 Bulletin
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Dave’s Dialogue
Set expectations By David V. Stead Executive Director
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Legendary UCLA basketball coach John Wooden had a favorite saying: “When opportunity comes, it’s too late to prepare.” Champions may be recognized during the course of a title game, but they are made months in advance.
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ohn Maxwell is an author and speaker who has written more than 60 books, primarily focusing on leadership. Titles of his books include The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership and The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader: Becoming the Person Others Will Want to Follow. I received the following article written by Maxwell from one of our athletic directors, and I submit and
quote it as it was written. As I read Maxwell’s words, I thought about all of us in educationbased activities. I saw coaches and activity directors; administrators and teachers; school boards and school communities who work successfully in tandem to support and enable others to become better in every aspect of life. I thought about all of us who attended the Why We Play conference last
summer and the debt of gratitude we owe to the leaders in our office and the planning committee of activity directors who “saw” the need
and modeled Maxwell’s words without ever having read them. Read this article. Let it resonate with you and then choose
to share the common set of characteristics Maxwell speaks about to influence your “players” in ways that will most certainly ensure the success of your team.
Characteristics of successful coaches By John C. Maxwell March 27, 2013
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uccessful coaches come with a variety of personalities. Mike Ditka and Bobby Knight exuded emotion whereas Phil Jackson had a stoical demeanor. Pat Summitt was the very picture of intensity, while John Madden was gregarious and affable. Geno Auriemma’s outspoken and animated style paints a stark contrast to Tom Landry’s poised and understated manner of patrolling the sidelines. Yet, for all their differences, great coaches share a common set of characteristics that make them successful. They establish trust Years ago I had the privilege of spending time with Coach Dick Vermeil who guided the St. Louis Rams to victory in Super Bowl XXIV. During our conversation, I inquired about his number one priority in leading his team. Without hesitating, he said, “John, anyone who has coached for long knows that you’ve got to establish trust with your players before you can ever lead your players. Trust is the most essential thing to establish as a coach. Players will not follow you completely until they can trust you completely.” Reflecting on my experience, I agree wholeheartedly—trust precedes influence for every leader of a team. They lend perspective In the film Hoosiers, Norman Dale (Gene Hackman) guides the small-town Hickory Huskers to the Indiana high school state semifinals. In that era, schools did not compete in separate classifications based on enrollment. For this reason, Hickory’s players are about to play inside of the largest venue and in front of the biggest crowd that they have ever seen. Just before the team takes the court, Coach Dale addresses them with the following words. “There’s a tradition in tournament play to not talk about the next step until you’ve climbed the one in front of you. I’m sure going to the state finals is beyond your wildest dreams, so let’s just keep it right there. Forget about the crowds, the size of the school, their fancy uniforms, and remember what got you here. Focus on the
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fundamentals that we’ve gone over time and time again. And most important, don’t get caught up thinking about winning or losing this game. If you put your effort and concentration into playing to your potential, to be the best that you can, I don’t care what the scoreboard says at the end of the game. In my book, we’re gonna be winners! OK?!” The movie scene captures one of the primary duties of coaching: giving perspective to the team. Coaches foresee the thoughts and emotions that will be generated by an upcoming challenge. Then, they redirect the team’s mindset away from fears and worries by reminding everyone of their strengths and focusing their attention on the task at hand. They orchestrate people If assembling talent was the only thing needed for success, the New York Yankees would win championships year after year since they regularly have the highest payroll in baseball. However, as longtime Boston Celtics coach Red Auerbach observed, “They said you have to use your five best players, but I found you win with the five who fit together the best.” The best coaches arrange a collection of individuals into a harmonious whole. They ensure preparation Coaches dream in X’s and 0’s. They pore over video footage of their opponents looking for weaknesses to exploit, and they strategize the game plan most likely to set the pace of play to their team’s advantage. However, once the game begins, even the most brilliant schemes cannot compensate for lack of training. Competition has a way of revealing whether or not a team has made the best use of its practice time. The best coaches begin preparing their players long before they actually compete in a game. They condition the team to perform at its peak mentally, emotionally, and physically by guiding them through drills and exercises. Legendary UCLA basketball coach John Wooden had a favorite saying: “When opportunity comes, it’s too late to prepare.” Champions may be recognized during the course of a title game, but they are made months in advance. See Characteristics on Page 5
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Sometimes we win…sometimes we lose By Jody Redman Associate Director
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t the beginning of each sports season, teams identify their goals for the upcoming year. These goals keep them focused, working hard and on a quest to win conference titles, and ultimately state championships. Goals help prepare our students to win games…but what happens when they don’t? With the score tied, the goalie readies himself to defend the final kick in the tiebreaker shootout. He rocks back and forth knowing that this kick will be the deciding factor. If he fails, the game is over and his beloved team will go home. If he succeeds, they will play on with their dream still alive. As the ball is kicked, the goalie dives to the right. The ball goes to his left and settles into the back corner of the net. Realizing that he had made the wrong choice, all that remains for the goalie is devastation. He melts to the ground, his face buried in the turf, his pain raw. At the same time, the opposing team rushes to lift their hero into the air in celebration. Joy paints their faces with smiles and jubilant screams. With pumping fists and arms extended, they celebrate their good fortune. They will play on with the championship in their sights and their state tournament dream still alive. Watching the devastated goalie, I can see the weight of www.MSHSL.org
the loss consume him. He did everything he was coached to do. He faced fear and judgment head on with both hands open. He stepped in front of the net and made decisions that would ultimately determine the outcome of his team’s hard fought battle. He accepted his challenge with great anticipation and determination. He did all of this, and still his team will not play on. The difference between these two teams being defined as winners or losers is contained in our culture’s narrow view of success. It is most often determined in one nano-second after hundreds of hours of dedicated preparation and hard fought battles. The outcome on the scoreboard paints the final picture— one winner and one loser. If this is the only way that a team can win, then the goalie and his team are the losers. The scoreboard clearly states that. Their season is over. What does this team that set goals
and worked hard to accomplish them get when they lose and their season is over? There will be no medals, no trophy, no fire truck to escort them through town, and no championship celebration. They are the losers. Can there be more than season-ending devastation for these young athletes? The answer is yes, but it is dependent on their coach and how he sees and responds to the loss. In John Maxwell’s book, Sometimes You Win, Sometimes You Learn, he states, “A loss doesn’t turn into a lesson unless we work hard to make it so. Losing gives us an opportunity to learn, but many people don’t seize it. And when they don’t,
losing really hurts. To become a learner from losses—you need to change the way you look at losses, cultivate qualities that help you respond to them, and develop the ability to learn from them.” How do we as coaches take this incredible disappointment that sports presents—the loss—and get to something positive— the lesson. How do we seize the opportunity and ensure that something positive can come from losing? Lessons will be learned if we as coaches understand that there is a big difference between the goals that we set at the beginning of the season and our
News and Features
coaching purpose. Joe Ehrmann summarizes the need for a concise purpose in the following quote from his book InSideOut Coaching. “Too many coaches have no clear, concise purpose other than winning and choose a path uncertain of where they will end or how their direction will affect their players. You can’t navigate a ship by studying the wind and the waves alone—you have to set your sights on a port, a lighthouse, some WHY—the purpose that keeps us centered and focused on honoring the high calling of being coaches.” The goals we set at the beginning of the season keep us on track and moving forward. Goals give us a destination. Conversely, our coaching purpose is far more important than getting to a destination. Our coaching purpose provides our students with a journey that will challenge and help them develop their potential as human beings—an experience that will manifest in the development of our students’ inner lives. For this to happen,
“... Losing gives us an opportunity to learn, but many people don’t seize it. And when they don’t, losing really hurts. To become a learner from losses—you need to change the way you look at losses, cultivate qualities that help you respond to them, and develop the ability to learn from them.”
See Sometimes on Page 5 Winter 2014 Bulletin
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News and Features
“Last year was an incredible year; an enjoyable year. Very special.”
By Miles Trump
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few hours before Bethlehem Academy’s football team won the cherished Paddle for a fourth consecutive year, a new prized trophy made its way into the hands of the school. Representatives of the school were presented the Class A Challenge Cup before the school’s October homecoming game against Medford, a rivalry and traveling trophy game known as the Battle for the Paddle. Lisa Lissimore, associate director of the League, and Michael Borman of Wells Fargo presented the trophy to Bethlehem Academy Activities Director Ed Friesen before kickoff. The award, which has been given to schools each year for the last decade based on success in post-season athletics
and fine arts, puts Bethlehem Academy in a select group of award-winning schools. Three schools have received the award each year since 2011 and two schools received it each year from 2004-10. The addition of a third class and a change in the scoring system a few years ago has allowed more schools to earn the honor, but only 10 schools have combined to win 23 Challenge Cups. When the Challenge Cup program began, Friesen was dubious Bethlehem Academy could ever win it. “You need to have multiple state tournament teams that place,” Friesen said. “It takes a lot of hard work and good breaks to get to a state tournament and do well. It’s really challenging to do it in multiple sports, and, back-to-back seasons like what our girls
Miles Trump / Faribault Daily News
Bethlehem Academy presented Challenge Cup at homecoming game
Bethlehem Academy Activities Director Ed Friesen (center) holds up the Challenge Cup, which was presented to the school before the homecoming football game against Medford at Bruce Smith Field by Michael Borman of Wells Fargo (right) and League Associate Director Lisa Lissimore (left). put together last year is really challenging. “It’s a really amazing accomplishment when you look at how few have accomplished (it) yet.” Including co-ops with Faribault High School, the Cardinals competed in seven state tournaments
last year. Bethlehem Academy won the Class A state volleyball title and finished runner-up in football, third in girls’ basketball and fifth in girls’ dance team. The Cardinals, who scored 183 points in the competition, earned additional points from girls’ gymnastics and girls’
and boys’ swimming and diving. “Last year was an incredible year; an enjoyable year,” Friesen said. “Very special.” Miles Trump is a sports reporter for the Faribault Daily News. Former sports editor Brendan Burnett-Kurie contributed.
Grant Hill / GrantHillPhotography.com
Wayzata wins Class AAA Challenge Cup (L-R): Head Coach Girls’ Golf and Girls’ Basketball Mike Schumacher; Head Coach Boys’ Hockey Pat O’Leary and Daughter; League Associate Director Lisa Lissimore; Head Coach Boys’ Track Aaron Berndt; Director of Athletics and Activities Jaime Sherwood; Head Boys’ Basketball Coach Nick Tibesar; Head Girls’ Swimming and Diving Coach Elizabeth Hansen; Asst. Coach Boys’ Cross Country Running Mark Popp; Wells Fargo Representative Rebecca Cooper; Asst. Coach Gymnastics Abby Christensen; Head Coach Boys’ Golf Allan Christopherson; Head Coach Baseball Robert DeWitt; Head Coach Gymnastics Carly Jackson. 4
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Women coaches symposium set for Feb. 7
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symposium by women and for women sport coaches of all levels will be held in conjunction with and in celebration of National Girls and Women in Sport Day on the University of Minnesota campus. The event is set for Friday, Feb. 7, 8 a.m.3 p.m., in the TCF Bank Stadium Club Room. Purposes of the symposium include: ● providing high quality educational programming; ● providing an opportunity for networking for women in the coaching profession; ● building community among female coaches; ● providing community outreach; ●
increasing and retaining the number of females in the coaching profession; ● launching a local/ regional Alliance of Women Coaches Loop Group. The Cost is $50 for non-students and $25 for students. Profits will fund research and future programming that will benefit women coaches. All registered coaches will receive a complimentary ticket to the Tucker Center Film Festival being held the night before on Feb. 6. The fourth annual Tucker Center Film Festival features three films about women coaches, 7-9 p.m. in the DQ Room
of TCF Bank Stadium. ESPN and EspnW, as part of the Nine for IX series, granted permission to show Pat XO and Coach, films about legendary women’s basketball coaches Pat Summitt and Vivian Stringer. A trailer of From the Rough, a film about the first female to coach a collegiate men’s golf team and a short film from the Alliance of Women Coaches titled Why Women Coaches Matter will also be shown. Coffee, tea and a light breakfast will be served during registration along
with a screening of the documentary Media Coverage & Female Athletes. Celia Slater, executive director of the Alliance of Women Coaches will address the “Bigger Picture of Being a Champion.” Nicole M. LaVoi, Ph.D., associate director of the Tucker Center, University of Minnesota, will address “Why Women Coaches Matter!” Rayla Allison, J.D., School of Kinesiology, University of Minnesota will address “What Coaches Need to Know About Title IX.” A sport science panel titled “What Coaches Should
Know About Female Athletes” features experts sharing cutting-edge sport science evidence about female athletes that every coach of female athletes should know. Cindra Kamphoff, Ph.D., Director of the Center for Sport and Performance Psychology, University of Minnesota-Mankato, will focus on Mental Training: Carrie Peterson, program director of Food Science and Nutrition, University of Minnesota, will focus on Sport Nutrition. Diane Wiese-Bjornstal, Ph.D., director of the Sports Medicine
News and Features
See Symposium on Page 7
Characteristics.................................................. continued from Page 2 They provide discipline and accountability Coach Don Meyer nicely sums up a coach’s aim in providing accountability to the team: “Discipline and demand without being demeaning.” Coaches set expectations for the team and for individuals, and then
inspire their players to live up to those standards. By setting clear goals and expectations, coaches give players goals to stretch toward along with guidelines to ensure that they respect one another.
Sometimes ....................................................... continued from Page 3 the coach must understand their WHY and must make a conscious and intentional choice about how they will respond prior to the heat of the battle and prior to the final outcome on the scoreboard. It’s the same choice that faced the young goalie in the penalty kick situation. He made a conscious choice to go right before the shooter ever kicked the ball. As coaches we must do the same. We must make a conscious choice to be teachers of the lesson before difficulties arise and the outcome is determined. Emmett www.MSHSL.org
Why We Play—we play to give students MORE. We play to develop the human potential of the students who participate. Begin your journey by reading InSideOut Coaching by Joe Ehrmann and then join the Why We Play conversation on Twitter: @mshsl_coaches. Fox states, “Difficulties come to you at the right time to help you grow and move forward by overcoming them. The only real misfortune, the only real tragedy, comes when we suffer without learning the lesson.” The ability for coaches to suffer a loss and see through it to the lesson is what makes coaches great teachers. Great teachers clearly see their students as
more than human ‘doings’—concerned only with their students’ performance and instead, they see them as human ‘beings’—concerned with the growth and development of their students’ inner life. Our culture says the outcome on the scoreboard is everything. And yet there is so much potential for something deeper and more lasting if we can see more
than just the win or the loss. We want students to show up, present themselves, overcome obstacles, fight through adversity, find solutions, and create opportunities. We want and expect learning to come from their playing experiences. But for this to happen, we have to be willing to accept loss for what it is—an opportunity for coaches to teach—and, as such, an opportunity for
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students to learn and develop. When we take advantage of a loss and intentionally utilize it to develop our students’ inner life, something that will live well beyond their playing days, we are preparing our students to meet life’s challenges head on. Sometimes we win and sometimes we lose. When we are intentional and understand our coaching purpose— our WHY—both can have a positive impact on the human growth and development of the students participating on our teams.
“Difficulties come to you at the right time to help you grow and move forward by overcoming them. The only real misfortune, the only real tragedy, comes when we suffer without learning the lesson.”
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Spotlighting students who shine News and Features
“Research shows that many high school students are studying harder, rehearsing longer, and practicing late to become better students, better artists and better athletes. The Spotlight on Scholarship program is designed to recognize the effort and success of these students.”
By Lisa Lissimore Associate Director
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wenty-eight thousand, six hundred fifty-nine. That’s how many students received Spotlight on Scholarship certificates during the 2012-13 school year. Sponsored by the League since 1995, Spotlight on Scholarship is a year-round recognition program that honors athletes and fine arts participants who have a “B” or better grade average. High school students of all levels of competition, of every age and grade are eligible to receive a Spotlight on Scholarship certificate. “Research shows that many high school students are studying harder, rehearsing longer, and practicing late to become better students, better artists and better athletes,” said Dave Stead, executive director of the Minnesota State High School League. “The Spotlight on Scholarship program is designed to recognize the effort and success of these students.” Every year since 1995, the League has annually awarded between 22,374 and 43,063 certificates to students throughout the state who are involved in a variety of activities ranging from adapted bowling to one act play to cheer, music and the traditional sports of football, basketball, and track and field. In fact, students participating in these three sports earned the most certificates during the 2012-2013. Scores of other athletes in soccer, cross country running, volleyball, hockey, softball, golf, and baseball also received certificates. A review of the nonathletic activities that the League sponsors shows that Spotlight on Scholarship certificates were given to more than 3,000 musicians, dancers, cheerleaders, and actors last year. “We put out the call every year for schools to help us fulfill our goal to honor every high school athlete and fine arts participant in the state that See Spotlighting on Page 7
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Symposium ...................................................... continued from Page 5 Science Lab and associate professor, School of Kinesiology, University of Minnesota, will focus on Psychology of Injury. Mia Jackson, assistant director of Strength and Conditioning, University of Minnesota, will focus on Strength and Conditioning. In another panel titled “Developing the Female Athlete as Warrior” coaches and researchers will
explore and discuss challenges and strategies related to how to develop female athletes as mentally tough, confident, resilient, non-conflict avoidant, competitive leaders. Panelists include: Laura Bush, associate head coach, Gopher Volleyball, University of Minnesota; Kari Ornes, coaching director for Prior Lake Soccer Club; and Vicki Schull,
doctoral candidate in Kinesiology, University of Minnesota. Following lunch, Cheryl Reeve, head coach of the twotime WNBA Champions Minnesota Lynx will be introduced as the keynote speaker. The third and final panel titled “Great Women! Big Ideas!” features coaches from across all sports and levels of competition who will share their thoughts,
experiences and insights about the coaching profession. Panelists include: Pam Borton, head women’s basketball coach, University of Minnesota; Terry Ganley Nieszner, head women’s swim coach, University of Minnesota; Sarah Hopkins, head coach women’s cross country/track and field, University of Minnesota; Wendy Davis, head women’s rowing coach, University of
Minnesota; and Laura Halldorson, former head women’s hockey coach, University of Minnesota. There will be a closing wrap up activity and the launch of the Women Coaches Loop Group. The symposium is presented by the Tucker Center for Research on Girls and Women in Sports, the Alliance of Women Coaches, and Gopher Athletics. Register at www.TuckerCenter.org.
News and Features
Spotlighting ...................................................... continued from Page 6 has a “B” average,” Stead explained. “This can only happen if schools lead the way and get involved.” Every member school of the League is eligible to participate in the Spotlight on Scholarship program. To participate, schools must compute and report to the League the GPAs of all students who are members of a varsity, junior varsity, or “B” squad athletic or fine arts team. This
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information is due at the end of each activity season—fall, winter, spring. Once received, the League mails the appropriate number of certificates to each participating school. Cheerleaders, dance teams, and students in adapted athletic programs, robotics, and the visual arts are also eligible for this award program. To date, 616,627 students have represented their school in this program. The Spotlight on
Scholarship program also rewards fine arts and athletic teams for outstanding academic performances. In addition to honoring students for their individual efforts, the Spotlight on Scholarship program also provides banners to League member schools whose varsity fine arts and athletic teams collectively achieve a 3.0 or higher grade point average. This component of
the program requires school administrators to compute the grade point averages of all
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varsity (junior varsity and “B” squad teams are NOT eligible for this award) athletic and fine arts teams at the end of each school year and report this information to the League. The League then sends a Spotlight on Scholarship banners and/or year tag to all qualifying schools. Nearly 200 schools have earned a Spotlight on Scholarship banner.
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Football scheduling decision anticipated News and Features
Member schools are encouraged to contact Board members to share their thoughts on this issue. Contact information for the Board member who represents you can be found on the League website.
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By Kevin Merkle Associate Director
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t its Jan. 23, 2014, meeting, the League Board of Directors is scheduled to take action in regard to how regular season football games are scheduled. Ever since the inception of the section football playoffs in 1984, the question has been asked as to why not play only section opponents during the regular season— known as “Section Football.” Over the years a number of different schools have brought forward proposals to change to Section Football in order to help solve the continual challenges that some schools have trying to schedule regular season games. While there was interest in Section Football by some schools, perhaps 20-25 percent, there never was a large enough number in order to push through any change. As time has
progressed, more schools have had scheduling challenges—not always the same schools, but enough so that the percentage of those interested in Section Football grew. In 2009 the Board asked staff to put together a plan for Section Football. A Football Task Force began meeting in January of 2010 and after more than a year of work, their recommendation to the Board in March 2011 was to not to move to Section Football. The task force felt that even though the number of those in favor of Section Football had increased; and that Section Football could help to solve some scheduling issues; Section Football could cause more problems than it would fix. Instead, the task force recommended adding Class AAAAAA, establishing a policy for the Zero Week concept, and establishing a scheduling clearinghouse in
which the League office would assist schools in finding other schools to fill their schedule. The Board approved these recommendations. However, in doing so, the Board stated that if there were continued scheduling issues, Section Football would be “on the table.” Those recommendations were implemented and have assisted schools in completing schedules, but there are still scheduling issues, and again in 2012, schools requested the Board to consider Section Football. At that
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point the Board decided to re-visit football scheduling, stating that the status quo was not the answer and that a change needed to be made. League staff again reviewed options, and while a plan for Section Football was ready to go, other options needed to be considered due to the issues inherent with Section Football. The concept that evolved was a plan for what was called Scheduling Groups, or Pods, in which schools would be placed in groups and would then schedule regular season games within those groups. This plan,
now known as District Scheduling, was shared with the Board and at recent Area Meetings. The more that the District Scheduling plan has been developed, the more it seems to be a viable option. A special committee met twice this past fall to further develop the specifics of this plan, and a draft plan was discussed in detail at the Dec. 5, 2013, Board of Directors meeting. Regular Season Football Scheduling is an action item on the Board agenda for its next meeting on See Decision on Page 9
www.MSHSL.org
What is district football scheduling? By Kevin Merkle Associate Director
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istrict scheduling is the same concept explained earlier as “Scheduling Groups” or “Pods.” District scheduling is the official name that has been given to this concept. Section classifications are determined by school size and geography. One of the main issues with section scheduling is that in most cases sections are limited to eight teams and are restricted by the enrollment classifications used to determine class assignments. With only six or eight teams in a section, scheduling options are restricted. Think of district scheduling as section scheduling on steroids. District scheduling is also based on school size and geographical location— however, districts are not restricted by the enrollments used to determine classifications; and the number of schools in a district is not limited to six or eight. A third criteria; “like schools,” can also be used to help place schools where they best fit. In most cases districts will have 16 or more schools. All schools within that district must have an eight-game regular season schedule, but there is flexibility in how those schedules are developed. A small committee will assign schools to districts. Schedules can then be developed—based on geography, school size, strength of program—or a combination of those three factors. The recommendation is that districts divide into sub-districts or “conferences” to build their schedules. There should still be conference or district championships and all-conference or all-district teams.
A district of 16 teams, for example, could divide into two sub-districts or conferences of eight for seven games against other schools in each sub-district or conference and one crossover “non-conference” game. A district of 18 could divide into two groups of nine or three groups of six. The groupings of schools within the district and the schedules the groups develop can be adjusted every two years. If district scheduling is implemented, schools within each district would determine the “structure” of their district and how gameswill be scheduled. Schools will be able to develop a plan that works best for their district. While this could be a challenge in some cases, schools should be able to work out the issues. While this plan would create change for virtually all schools, most schools will find that they will compete against many of the same schools that they play against now. Current conferences are based on school size, geography and “like schools”— the same criteria that will be used to create districts. The difference is that instead of individual schools having to find conference alignment or football-only conference alignment—with the possibility of those alignments changing at anytime—schools are assigned to a district so every school is guaranteed a group of schools with which they can schedule. Districts will be larger than most conferences, allowing for more flexibility in scheduling. Important Note: The section playoff structure does not change. Seeding for the section playoffs would be based on the results of the regular season schedule played against district opponents.
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While this plan would create change for virtually all schools, most schools will find that they will compete against many of the same schools that they play against now.
Decision ........................................................... continued from Page 8 Jan. 23. Member schools are encouraged to contact Board members to share their thoughts on this issue. Contact information for the www.MSHSL.org
Board member who represents you can be found on the League website. Use the pull-down menu under the About MSHSL tab on the home page and select
the link for Contact Board of Directors. Important Note: See the additional article titled “What is district football scheduling?” that appears above on
this page. It describes District Scheduling in more detail. Additional specific information has been sent to each member school’s activities
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director and head football coach. Informational webinars will also be conducted for school personnel in January 2014 before the Board meeting.
See Seng on Page 11
9
Scrape some management off your plate to make room for leadership By Craig Perry Associate Director
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e are knee deep in snow and yes, knee deep in winter athletics and activities. The winter season is the busiest time of the school year for the League— more schools participating, more sports and fine arts activities offered, and more students participating than during the fall and spring seasons. In many cases the winter season for athletic directors becomes, simply, day-to-day survival when you continually ask yourself: “ What do we need to get through today?” and then, “Okay, what’s next?” You manage your programs, you manage your tasks, and you manage your coaches, students and parents. Your plate is full and there is no room for anything else. So, when you are asked the question, “What did you do to be a better leader today?” your quick response understandably becomes: “ I am managing everything on my plate. I don’t have time to add anything else to my plate, and I certainly don’t have time to add leadership.” My response is that—you need to empty your plate and you need to add leadership as your first helping. Through leadership your programs will grow, your coaches will develop, and your students will benefit immensely. At the December National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association conference
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Leadership was a prevalent theme. As a member of the NIAAA Publications Committee I spent two days discussing the role of the athletic director as a leader in the school community and identified ideas and methods to help high school athletic administrators move from simple management to effective leadership. The entire committee agreed that leadership is a high priority topic for high school athletic administrators. In the opening general session former NCAA and NBA great Bill Walton focused on leadership. Walton said leadership is about making people better. Leadership is a relationship of trust where together we overcome barriers to make the world good. He believes leaders have a duty and responsibility—an obligation—to empower others and help them understand what they are doing and where they are going. Walton’s foundational blocks for leadership are: passion, purpose, pride, loyalty, and a commitment to making people better. Credible leaders with integrity and authenticity can positively change and grow others.
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It was fitting, too, that the central theme of this year’s NIAAA Blue Ribbon Panel at the conference was leadership. At each national conference, five athletic administrators from across the nation are asked to participate in a two-hour forum to discuss a theme current and relative to high school athletics and activities. Members of the NIAAA Publications Committee craft the questions and moderate the forum. The central question this year: Why We Lead: Defining, Identifying, and Communicating the Purpose and Value of Education-based Athletics. The panelists were asked to provide their Personal Purpose Statement, with the following directive. As a high school athletic administrator, you understand the focus and value, the
purpose, of education-based athletics. Educationbased athletics grow and develop students. Individually, you have values that drive you and guide you as the leader of your athletic programs. Using those values please create your personal purpose statement that best represents your expectations for the coaches, the students and your school community. The responses from the five participants were refreshing and enlightening. Collectively, they believe the purpose of high school athletic and activities, their expectations for their coaches and programs, the purpose of why kids play and why, as an athletic director they lead, are as follows: ● We lead to encourage and inspire and we create an environment where different groups come together and work
Why We Lead: Defining, Identifying, and Communicating the Purpose and Value of Education-based Athletics Create your own Personal Purpose Statement, with the following directive. As a high school athletic administrator, you understand the focus and value, the purpose, of education-based athletics. Education-based athletics grow and develop students. Individually, you have values that drive you and guide you as the leader of your athletic programs. Using those values please create your personal purpose statement that best represents your expectations for the coaches, the students and your school community.
Winter 2014 Bulletin
together for a common cause; ● We are really talking about learning, and too often we do not communicate the message that learning takes place here, on the playing fields, so the learning must transfer to life, and learning about one’s self to prepare for life; ● We do not use the scoreboard as a measurement for success. We may not have won a game, may not have won a state championship, but we are still prepared for life. ● Each day do a mirror check: Ask yourself did I do okay today, did I help coaches grow and become better and students; ● Communication is the key—build relationships with the students and the coaches to let them know how much you care. Our purpose as an athletic administrator is to provide educational excellence in our athletic programs where we develop and foster competition, teamwork, and character and where the lessons learned here can be used daily in life. Clearly, the
Walton said leadership is about making people better. Leadership is a relationship of trust where together we overcome barriers to make the world good. He believes leaders have a duty and responsibility—an obligation—to empower others and help them understand what they are doing and where they are going.
See Leadership on Page 13 11
Leadership ....................................................... continued from Page 11 message delivered by the Blue panelists is simply this: through leadership, with shared values, we can develop and grow students to become the best that they can be. Later in the conference I was able to attend a workshop conducted by Mike Hughes and Mike
Krueger titled Molding Coaches into Leaders. They opened with a very clear definition of the difference between management and leadership: We manage things and we lead people. They then identified leadership simply as the ability to positively influence
and impact others through empowerment and service. A central component of their presentation was that taking time each day to be a leader would positively and dramatically impact the athletic programs, the coaches and the students at school.
Leaders « Empower Support creativity and divergent thinking Trust Delegate tasks of great responsibility Ask questions Seek knowledge from everyone Relate to people at work Find big picture solutions Focus on a few priorities Assume responsibility and apologize 'RQ·W DVN RWKHUV WR GR DQ\WKLQJ WKH\ GRQ·W GR themselves Do what is right Reflect to improve Create a climate of candor Follow through on their word Earn respect by giving it Find solutions Inspire
A quick summary of your selections should quickly indentify where you are as a manager or as a leader. Regardless of whether you have identified yourself as a leader or manager, you can still become a leader or become a better leader. All that is required is a commitment to change. This change, this commitment to leading rather than managing, can happen quickly and the first steps are really quite simple. Gather your coaches together, review LeDeaux’s list, and focus on the first Leadership component— Empower. Then, using the entire LeDeaux list, use the panelist’s question above to craft your
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school’s purpose statement. This empowerment with your coaches to create the expectations and desired outscomes for your programs is really the first block in the foundation of leadership that you build with your coaches, students and school community. Walton, LeDeux, the Blue Ribbon panelists, Krueger and Hughes all shared some commonalities regarding leadership and high school athletic administration. The foundation of leadership is based on making others better through empowerment, support, trust and commitment to help others become better. As the athletic
So how do we take the first steps toward re-defining our plate from pure management to adding leadership? One of the first steps is to take a good look at how you are currently operating. Sam Le Doux, in his article “Are you a Leader or Manager?” offers a simple
process to help you identify your management and leadership skills. Take a look at LeDoux’s list of identified differences between Leaders and Managers and in each Leadership/ Manager pair select the one that best describes you.
Managers « Manage 7HDFK ´WKH ULJKW ZD\µ and make sure everyone knows what to think Look over the shoulder Delegate tasks of minor responsibility Tell the correct answer Have prior knowledge to impart on everyone Make sure people relate to their work Provide quick fixes Take on many projects at once Place Blame Ask others to do things they don·W GR Do what keeps them out of trouble Reflect to pat themselves on the back Intimidate others into agreement Are too busy to follow through on their word Expect respect because of their title Find problems Dishearten
director at your school you are the face of your programs, you are the foundation upon which everything is built. And even though you are knee deep in day-to-day management you must find ways to implement leadership You must find ways to create positive and impactful change that empowers others to do great things. You must find ways to help your coaches lead and ultimately provide positive change with your students. You must find a way to redefine your plate to include leadership. Without question, as the leader of your athletic programs you want your programs, coaches and students to move from good to great.
You want your programs, coaches and students to be the very best that they can be. If you are content to simply manage, then things will stay the same; there will not be any growth. Maintaining the status quo is really not maintaining at all. While others around you vault to levels of greatness, status quo means you are really falling behind. As the AD, people naturally turn to you as the leader so you must consciously, with purpose, intentionally lead. When you lead you become the springboard—the launching point—of change that grows excellence in your coaches, students and programs. You may feel you are knee
Winter 2014 Bulletin
deep in the day-today management of your coaches and programs and you may feel your plate is full. If you change your plate and grow empowered leadership, then the questions you ask will go far beyond your immediate tasks for today. So when you ask yourself: “What did I do to become a better leader?” Your answer is this: I empowered and supported coaches by helping them understand the true value of education based athletics, where together we placed value on fostering teamwork, character, trust and most importantly— life learning. We changed the plate and now we are serving greatness.
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And even though you are knee deep in day-to-day management you must find ways to implement leadership You must find ways to create positive and impactful change that empowers others to do great things. You must find ways to help your coaches lead and ultimately provide positive change with your students.
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New study first to focus on ACL injuries across multiple high school sports Authors emphasize prevention techniques: Findings show ACL injury is more sport-, not gender-specific
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“The key message here is that targeted injury prevention programs should be focused on athletes participating in sports with the highest risk of ACL injury. For example, we found boys playing football were four times as likely to sustain ACL injury as boys playing other sports. Similarly, girls were four times as likely to sustain an injury in soccer and basketball compared to volleyball and softball.”
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nterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries are among the most devastating injuries a young athlete can sustain, given the frequent need for surgery and extensive rehabilitation as well as the potential for long-term health problems. A new study, “A Multi-Sport Epidemiologic Comparison of ACL Injuries in High School Athletics,” is the first of its kind to examine ACL injuries among high school athletes by gender and across multiple sports. It is also the first large epidemiology study to focus on knee injuries among high school athletes in more than a decade. The study is in the November-December Journal of Athletic Training, the National Athletic Trainers’ Association’s scientific publication and is available at http:// natajournals.org/doi/pdf/ 10.4085/1062-6050-48.6.03. More than 7 million students participate in high school sports today. Although the benefits of physical activity are well documented, injuries can exact economic, emotional, physical and social tolls. The knee joint is the second most commonly injured joint after the ankle and the leading cause of sport-related surgeries. ACL injuries account for 50 percent or more of all knee injuries and an estimated $1 billion is spent annually on ACL reconstruction in this country. “ACL injuries are traditionally regarded as a female athlete issue, yet this study found no significant gender difference in injury rates when all nine sports were considered,” said Dawn Comstock, associate professor, Colorado School of Public Health, an author of the study. “The key message here is that targeted injury prevention programs should be focused on athletes participating in sports with the highest risk of ACL injury. For example, we found boys playing football were four times as likely to sustain ACL injury as boys playing other sports. Similarly, girls were four times as likely to sustain an injury in soccer and basketball compared to volleyball and softball.” All high schools with one or more National Athletic Trainers’ Association-affiliated athletic trainers were invited to participate in the National High School SportsRelated Injury Surveillance Study using the High School RIOTM (Reporting Information Online) program. A random sample was used to select schools from each of eight geographic regions to achieve a nationally representative sample of 100 schools. Athletic trainers reported practice and competition data for nine sports during the 2007-08 through 2011-12 academic years. These consisted of five boys’ (baseball, basketball, football, soccer and wrestling) and four girls’ (basketball, soccer, softball and volleyball) sports. During the study, athletic trainers reported 617 ACL injuries occurring in 9,452,180 athlete-exposures for an overall rate of 6.5 ACL injuries per 100,000 exposures. ACL injuries accounted for 20 percent of knee injuries and Winter 2014 Bulletin
3 percent of all injuries. More than 74 percent of ACL injuries resulted in surgery (287 surgeries for boys out of 388 ACL injuries reported; 172 for girls out of 229 reported). Nationally, an estimated 124,626 ACL injuries in boys and 91,002 in girls occurred in athletes participating in the nine sports during the study period. Competition accounted for 74.9 percent of ACL injuries and athletes were seven times more likely to sustain the injury in competition than in practice. The most common mechanism of injury was player-to-player contact, which occurs more frequently and is often more intense, in games than practices. Overall, girls and boys had similar rates of ACL injury: the highest was for girls’ soccer (12.2 ACL injuries per 100,000 exposures) followed by football (11.1). Boys’ ACL injuries were sustained most frequently in playing football followed by soccer, basketball and wrestling. Girls were most often injured while playing soccer, followed by basketball, softball and volleyball. Of all ACL injuries, 87.6 percent were new while 2.1 percent were recurrence from a prior injury; 46.4 percent resulted in medical disqualification for the season while another 15.4 percent required a three-week or longer recovery period before the athlete could return to activity. The study authors noted that coaches and athletic trainers in sports with high rates of ACL injury should take special care to teach sport-specific skills (e.g. planting and changing direction, jumping and landing); address neuromuscular strength, and work on coordination of stabilizing muscles about the knee joint through stretching, plyometrics and strength training drills. “Future studies should focus on the modifiable sportspecific risk factors for ACL injuries,” adds Comstock. “This will help drive the development of effective, evidence-based and targeted ACL injury prevention programs.” Until such programs are developed, the authors concluded that the incidence of injury should be expected to rise along with the increasing number of young athletes participating in sports. Athletic trainers are health care professionals who specialize in the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of injuries and sport-related illnesses. They prevent and treat chronic musculoskeletal injuries from sports, physical and occupational activity, and provide immediate care for acute injuries. Athletic trainers offer a continuum of care that is unparalleled in health care. The National Athletic Trainers’ Association represents and supports 35,000 members of the athletic training profession. Visit www.nata.org. www.MSHSL.org
Reduction strategies for ACL injuries By William O. Roberts M.D., M.S.
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s Joseph and colleagues have shown in the recently published article in the Journal of Athletic Training (Nov-Dec 2013) looking at high school sports injury, anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear is an equal opportunity injury for girls and boys competing in high school sports. After years of focusing ACL reduction strategies on girls because of the numbers coming out of college studies, we are reminded again that we need age specific data to make safety decisions for our athletes. ACL injury in a teen athlete has long-term consequences that we are just starting to understand. The Scandinavian literature clearly shows that teens and young adults with ACL tears with or without ligament repairs have total joint replacements 15-20 years earlier than their noninjured teammates. So, ACL injury is a big deal for individual athletes beyond the missed seasons for recovery and rehabilitation. When I was in medical training, the ACL injury was linked to contact injury, usually in football. As we have learned more about the mechanism of injury,
the ligament tears are often not related to contact at all — about 40 percent are related to noncontact — and tears occur with offbalance landings and out-of-position pivots. Injury prevention strategies revolve around teaching proper landing and strengthening the muscle groups that control the pelvis and the femur. The safest landing is with the feet about shoulder width apart, the knees partially flexed, and gluts holding the femur in a neutral position (not allowing the femur to internally rotate). The neuromuscular patterns that reduce the risk of ACL injury is “natural” in some athletes and has to be taught or trained for others. What can we do to reduce the “epidemic” of ACL injuries to the knee in our high school athletes? A twopronged approach may help reduce this injury and likely the process should start well before the high school years. One prong is neuromuscular training for landing and cutting to prevent the knee from being in the wrong place or position, and a
Athletic Activities
second prong is to strengthen the muscle sets that control the motion of the pelvis and knee. Both will be required for long-term impact on knee safety, and this probably requires working these strategies into physical education classes and youth sports development at very young ages. One simple and quick fix is to drop stretching from the practice time for most athletes and move to a dynamic or active warm up. There are several programs out there to do this and the warm up/
These are still frames from a A YouTube video produced by Vince Gabriele, a certified physical preparation specialist and owner of Gabriele Fitness and Performance of Berkeley Heights, N.J. The video can be viewed at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D4yum27oQYk. Figure A (above left) depicts a suspect landing stance that should lead an athlete, coach or trainer to develop a specific strengthening program so that a landing from a box jump looks similar to that illustrated in Figure B (above right). www.MSHSL.org
In surgery it is common practice to “pause for the cause,” that is check to make sure the right patient and surgeon are in the room to do the correct procedure. A “pause for the cause” in knee injury reduction may be as simple as the box jump test. The athlete is asked to drop from a 12-18 inch high box, land, jump up, and re-land. On both landings the knees should remain in a vertical orientation over the second toe and not
strengthening time is aimed at improving the muscle groups that control the hip and knee. Training and strengthening aimed at landing, stopping, and changing direction skills are also incorporated into some of these programs and are an important part of injury reduction. Many of the programs will reduce hamstring strains, patellofemoral pain syndromes, and ACL tears. The FIFA 11+ program, PEP program, ACL Injury Prevention Program, and others can be found on the Web.
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See Strategies on Page 17
As we have learned more about the mechanism of injury, the ligament tears are often not related to contact at all — about 40 percent are related to non-contact — and tears occur with off-balance landings and outof-position pivots. Injury prevention strategies revolve around teaching proper landing and strengthening the muscle groups that control the pelvis and the femur.
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Concussion: Return-to-Learn guidelines By Brian Hainline M.D.
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fter someone suffers a concussion, there is presumed to be a brain energy crisis. Concussion results in an increased need for brain glucose in order to help the brain to heal, and it is accompanied by a reduction in cerebral blood flow, which is a response to the brain injury. The combination of increased brain energy need and decreased brain blood flow is referred to as a “mismatch,” and results in a brain energy crisis. The brain energy crisis model is primarily based on data obtained from rat studies and has not been correlated definitively in human subjects. The brain energy crisis is also a common explanation for many concussion symptoms, including delayed reaction time, poor working memory, dizziness, imbalance and a host of other cognitive, emotional and physical symptoms. The brain energy crisis is also the foundation for the stepwise return-to-play guidelines that were referenced in the NCAA Sport Science Institute Newsletter Volume 1, Issue 2, and in the three major review articles published in the past year (1-3). Whereas the brain energy crisis explanation is a tidy model of brain pathophysiology following concussion, it is overly simplistic and does not account for a multitude of other brain-based explanations for concussion symptomatology, including, but not limited to: ● Axonal shearing; ● Brain micro-hemorrhage; ● Brain inflammation and cytotoxic chemical expression; ● Localization of symptomatology to a specified region of the brain (as opposed to viewing concussion as a global brain event); ● Brain plasticity. It is important to note that the definition of concussion and the understanding of concussion pathophysiology are evolving rapidly. To date, there are over 42 working definitions of concussion and we still do not know the natural history of concussion from the viewpoint of evidence-based studies. Consensus-based documents form the backbone of concussion definition and concussion natural history discussions, and these documents are intertwined with the brain energy crisis viewpoint of concussion pathophysiology. Return-to-play is an important component of concussion management, and most experts agree that return-to-play should be accomplished in a step-wise manner, with the absence of symptoms forming the crux of whether the progression
should continue. It is noteworthy that return-to-play guidelines have not been validated in prospective evidencebased studies and are primarily based on consensus opinion. Rationale for guidelines ● Return-to-learn is a parallel concept to return-toplay, but has received less scientific coverage than its counterpart. The foundation of return-to-learn includes: ● Return-to-learn should be managed in a stepwise program that fits the needs of the individual. ● Return-to-learn guidelines assume that both physical and cognitive activities require brain energy utilization, and they similarly assume that such brain energy is not available for physical and cognitive exertion because of the concussion-induced brain energy crisis. ● Return-to-learn recommendations are based on consensus statements, with a paucity of evidence-based data to correlate with such consensus recommendations. ● Return-to-learn recommendations should be made within the context of a multi-disciplinary team that includes physicians, athletic trainers, coaches and administrators. ● Like return-to-play, it is not always easy to provide prescriptive recommendations for return-to-learn because the student-athlete may appear physically normal but is unable to perform at his/her expected baseline due to concussive symptomatology. The hallmark of return-to-learn is cognitive rest immediately following concussion, just as the hallmark of return-to-play is physical rest. Cognitive rest means avoiding potential cognitive stressors such as school work, video games, reading, texting and watching television. The rationale for cognitive rest is that the brain is experiencing an energy crisis, and providing both physical and cognitive rest allows the brain to heal more quickly. Data from small studies suggest a beneficial effect of cognitive rest on concussion recovery. For the college student-athlete, cognitive rest following concussion means avoiding the classroom for at least one day. The gradual return to cognitive activity is based on the return of concussion symptoms following cognitive exposure. The prevailing consensus to date includes: ● If the student-athlete cannot tolerate 30 minutes of light cognitive activity, he or she should remain at home or in the residence hall. ● Once the student-athlete can tolerate 30-45 minutes of cognitive activity without return of symptoms, he/she should return to the classroom in a step-wise manner. See Guidelines on Page 19
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The hallmark of return-to-learn is cognitive rest immediately following concussion, just as the hallmark of return-to-play is physical rest. Cognitive rest means avoiding potential cognitive stressors such as school work, video games, reading, texting and watching television.
Strategies ........................................................ continued from Page 15 “collapse in” toward the midline as illustrated in Figure A. The desired alignment of shoulders, hips and knees is illustrated in Figure B. Although this is not a “proven” strategy, when the test is abnormal it would be prudent to hold the athlete from sport activity and have the athlete placed in a specific strengthening www.MSHSL.org
program until the test is normal to reduce the risk of tearing the ACL. The specific exercises can include squats and lunges, but the exercises need to be done correctly to
make the strengthening effective. Most high school age athletes will need to learn them under supervision to be done correctly and effectively. The MSHSL will be
developing learning modules for coaches to assess athletes and teach the exercises effectively. There are videos on YouTube that demonstrate the exercises.
Important Note: The following is not an endorsement, simply a suggstion for reader review. Conditioning specialist Megan Dahlman has uploaded a 6 minute, 23 second video to YouTube, demonstrating some simple excercises that will assist athletes in strengthening the muscles that can help prevent non-contact ACL injuries. The URL is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nAF3E0cWtKk. Winter 2014 Bulletin
With a concerted effort, we can bring down the number of ACL tears that plague our athletes. William O. Roberts, M.D., M.S., is a professor of Family Medicine and Community Health, Division of Sports Medicine, University of Minnesota Medical School, and also is chair of the League’s Sports Medicine Advisory Committee. 17
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Guidelines ....................................................... continued from Page 17 Such return should include no more than 30-45 minutes of cognitive activity at one time, followed by at least 15 minutes of rest. ● The levels of adjustment needed should be decided by a multi-disciplinary team that may include the team physician, athletic trainer, faculty athletic representative or other faculty representative, coach, individual teachers and psychologist. The level of multi-disciplinary involvement should be made on a case-by-case basis. Academic terminology The procedures above form the core of the prevailing consensus for return-to-learn guidelines. The majority of student-athletes who are concussed do not need a detailed return-to-learn program because full recovery occurs within two weeks. Return-to-learn management becomes more difficult when the student-athlete has ongoing symptoms for greater than two weeks. Before discussing management of such student-athletes, it is helpful to discuss educational terminology that can provide the basis for more complicated return-to-learn cases. Academic adjustment—a student-athlete’s academic schedule requires some modification in the first one to two weeks following concussion. In this case, full recovery is anticipated, and the student-athlete will not require any meaningful curriculum or testing alterations. Academic accommodation—the student-athlete has persistent symptoms for more than two weeks following concussion. Because the student-athlete has not recovered in the anticipated period of time, he or she may require a change in the class schedule and special arrangements may be required for tests, term papers and projects. Although there is no fixed timeline for academic accommodation, this generally applies to student-athletes who have more prolonged concussion symptoms, or who may be suffering with post-concussion syndrome. It is important to verify, as best as possible, the diagnosis instead of assuming that the student-athlete has prolonged concussion symptoms. As discussed in NCAA SSI Newsletter Volume 1, Issue 3, post-concussion syndrome is not the same as prolonged recovery from concussion, and should be suspected in any studentathlete who has ongoing symptomatology two or more weeks following concussion. Post-concussion syndrome is a neuro-psychiatric condition that is best managed in a multi-disciplinary manner with active intervention. Passive management such as prolonged physical and cognitive rest is counter-productive in post-concussion syndrome. Academic modification—a more difficult scenario in which the student-athlete suffers with prolonged cognitive difficulties, which thereby requires a more specialized educational plan, usually within the construct of an individualized education plan. An individualized education plan is a formal educational plan for an individual, and is protected under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. This plan is more prescriptive than a 504 plan, which refers to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act. A 504 plan covers students who are not eligible for an individualized education plan but who require academic modification because of a documented medical condition. Campus resources The successful implementation of return-to-learn depends on several variables: ● Recognition that concussion symptoms vary widely among athletes, and even within the same individual who may be suffering a repeat concussion. ● Identification of a point person or case manager for the student-athlete who must navigate the dual obligations of academics and athletics.
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● Identification of co-morbid conditions that may further impair recovery including, but not limited to migraine, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety and depression. ● Identification of campus resources that can help assure that student-athletes are provided their full rights during this transition period. Campus resources vary, and can include the following: ● Office of Disability Services. Most campuses have a disability office that is responsible for verifying each student’s impairment under the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act (ADAAA). Sometimes, there is a separate disability office and ADAAA office, and in this case the first resource is the campus disability office. Concussion and mild traumatic brain injury are covered under ADAAA. ● Learning Specialists. Many college campuses have certified learning specialists who have specialized knowledge of medical conditions such as post-concussion syndrome. They usually work directly with the disability office. It is advisable for the core student-athlete medical team to identify a point person at the beginning of the season, and to be certain this point person is interwoven into the medical management plan. Because return-tolearning is often under-managed and under-recognized, there should also be broad discussions of this important paradigm with athletic departments across the country, leveraging organizations such as the National Association of Academic Advisors for Athletics, the American College Personnel Association, NASPA – Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education, the Coalition on Intercollegiate Athletics, National Athletic Trainers Association, American Medical Society for Sports Medicine and other allied organizations. Student-athletes are more likely to return to full classroom activity in the setting of a proactive and well-integrated management plan.
Athletic Activities
Student-athletes are more likely to return to full classroom activity in the setting of a proactive and wellintegrated management plan.
References ● McCrory P et al: Consensus statement on concussion in sport: the 4th International Conference on Concussion in Sport held in Zurich, November 2012. Br J Sports Med 2013; 47:250-258. ● Harmon KG et al: American Medical Society for Sports Medicine position statement: concussion in sport. Br J Sports Med 2013: 47:15-26. ● Giza CC et al: Summary of evidence-based guideline update: Evaluation and management of concussion in sports. Neurology 2013; 80:2250-2257. ● Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Returning to school after a concussion: a fact sheet for school professionals… http://www.cdc.gov/concussion/ pdf/TBI_Returning_to_School-a.pdf. ● Halstead ME et al: Returning to learning following a concussion. Pediatrics 2013. 132:948-957. ● Schneider KJ et al: The effects of rest and treatment following sport-related concussion: a systematic review of the literature. Br J Sports med 2013; 47:304-307. ● Moser RS et al: Efficacy of immediate and delayed cognitive and physical rest for treatment of sports-related concussion. J Pediatr 2012; 161:922-926. Reprinted from the Dec. 12, 2013, update on the NCAA Sport Science Institute website… http://www.ncaa.org/ wps/wcm/connect/public/ncaa/ssi/news/news+archive/ concussion+return-to-learn+guidelines
Winter 2014 Bulletin
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Jerry Seeman was known as the ‘Official’s Official’ Officials
By John Millea Media Specialist
T
“He was a competitor. He loved to figure out mathematical problems and football rules test questions. He was a walking rulebook.”
he Minnesota State High School League and the National Football League lost a great friend on Nov. 24 when Jerry Seeman died at his home in Blaine after a lengthy battle with cancer. He was 77 years old. Jerry was a longtime teacher, coach, school administrator, and sports official in Minnesota and Wisconsin, and he was best-known as an NFL official. To some, he was known as the “Officials’ Official.” Seeman served as an on-field NFL official from 1975 to 1990 and was the NFL’s senior director of officiating from 1991 to 2001. He officiated 15 playoff games and two Pro Bowls in addition to two Super Bowls, the last of which in 1991 was his final game on the field when the New York Giants beat the Buffalo Bills in Tampa, Fla. Seeman was credited for introducing a program for sending officiating crews to training camps to work practices and scrimmages and meet with players and coaches. That
Jerry Seeman program was designed to improve communication and understanding between the two sides. He also helped facilitate regular offseason meetings among officials and coaches, enhance the use of video technology and expand the grading system for game officials. “Jerry modernized and improved NFL officiating during his 10 seasons leading the department,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement distributed
by the league. “He was very proud of being a football official, and he always made the NFL proud through his skill, integrity, and professionalism.” Seeman was a multi-star athlete at Plainview High School and Winona State University. While at Winona State he met Marilyn, his loving wife of 57 years. He also is survived by sons Mike (Jan), Jon (Cathy) and Jeff (Colleen), grandchildren Chris (Amy), Jayme
(Jason), Tony (Megan), Tami and Kyle, greatgrandchildren Everly, Brittyn and Deklan, and brother Bob (Ardith). Jeff Seeman followed in his father’s footsteps and is a current NFL official as well as an Minnesota State High School League official. Jerry Seeman began his career in education as a math teacher and coach at Alexander Ramsey High School in Roseville. He went on to teach and coach in Whitehall, Wis., LaCrosse, Wis., and Fridley High School. He moved into administration in 1969, becoming assistant principal at Hopkins High School, and from 1970 to 1990 he served as TIES coordinator/ director of finance and personnel for Fridley Public Schools. He began officiating high school football in 1963 and stayed active at the prep level through 1974, eventually moving on to work small college football in Minnesota and Wisconsin. In 1972 he became an official in the Big Ten Conference and in 1975 he was hired as an NFL official.
He began officiating high school basketball in 1970, working high school and small college games for 21 years. Seeman served as supervisor of officials for Minnesota’s state basketball tournaments from 1977 to 1990 and lead basketball rules clinician. Seeman was inducted into the National High School Hall of Fme in 1992 and the Minnesota State High School League Hall of Fame in 1996. “He was a competitor,” Jeff Seeman told the St. Paul Pioneer Press. “He loved to figure out mathematical problems and football rules test questions. He was a walking rulebook.” Even after Seeman retired as officiating director he worked as an NFL observer. “He wrote rules exams up until last year, which is an exhaustive process,” Dean Blandino, the NFL’s current head of officiating, told the Minneapolis Star Tribune. “It was amazing right up until the very end how much he was involved.”
Thanks for school use for officials training Thanks to the following schools and their athletic administrator for assisting the League this past fall by hosting training clinics for winter sports officials: ● Irondale, Ron Blomberg ● Mankato West, Brian Fell ● St. Cloud Apollo, Chris McElroy ● Bemidji, Troy Hendricks ● Apple Valley, Pete Buesgens ● Rochester Century, Mark Kuisle ● Minneapolis Roosevelt, Dennis Stockmo
20
Winter 2014 Bulletin
● Detroit Lakes, Mitch McLeod ● Mounds View, Bob Madison ● Belle Plaine, Mindy Sparby ● Albany, Scott Buntje Providing the use of their facilities enabled us to train more than 800 officials prior to the winter sports seasons in hockey, gymnastics, basketball and wrestling. Plans are being made for spring sport clinics in baseball, softball, and track and field.
www.MSHSL.org
Centennial boys’ soccer players, coach lauded The following note sent to Centennial Boys’ Soccer Coach Jeff Ottosen and Centennial Activities Administrator Brian Hegseth was shared with the League. Good morning Jeff and Brian, I just wanted to say that your boys’ team and coaching staff were a class act last night (Section 7AA boys’ soccer final). As the referee of the match, your team played very, very well and focused. In my long experience, it is easy to get carried away in the emotion of what is at stake as well as the constant irresponsible behavior exhibited by the entire bench of the other team throughout the game. And although you ended up on the tough end of the result, you have a team and staff to be very proud of. They were exceptional representatives of Centennial High School as well as exhibiting what the MSHSL wants out of the student-athletes and what our great sport is all about. Bob Petersen Registered Official
Hutchinson student fans showed class at volleyball match The following note from Patrick Walsh, Hutchinson principal, was shared with the League. Paul Szymanski is the Hutchinson activities administrator. Hi Mr. Walsh, Mr. Szymanski, I just wanted to let all of you know how well each school’s student body supported the VB game/match this evening in DC. Each and every game was close all the way to the end. Both sides cheered their respective teams with 100 percent sportsmanship and integrity throughout the evening. Both student bodies even participated in chants and cheers together, even getting the fans to actually circulate “the wave” in the gym. It is competition and support like this that is fun to observe and be a part of during such games/matches. If you get a moment tomorrow and know some of your student leaders who attended, maybe sharing with them how well they represented their school, team, and town this evening is truly worth a pat on the back. Two classy and competitive schools and teams were in the DC gym this evening! Good luck the remainder of the season!
Congrats on a tremendous football atmosphere at Rogers
Officials
The following note sent to Rogers Activities Administrator Dan Ohlgren and Rogers Football Coach Marc Franz was shared with the League. Dan and Marc, Well done last night (Oct. 16). Thank you for an outstanding game, and event atmosphere last night. That was a very well played games on both sides of the ball. You two should be very proud of everything that took place last night, on and off the field. Tremendous sportsmanship and player-to-player respect was on display from the start to the finish. Not a negative word from any player was heard by myself or my crew. Wonderful cheering and game day excitement, as we could see, hear and sense a true joy for the game of football by all players involved. Be proud of your players, fans, and assistant coaches. That game, and game atmosphere, truly represent what Minnesota high school football and athletic sportsmanship are all about. Congratulations, and thank you for allowing my officiating crew to be part of the event. Best of luck as you move in to section play. Tim Litfin Registered Official / Gopher Officials Association The following note sent to St. Michael-Albertville Activities Administrator Brian Benson and St. Michael-Albertville Football Coach Jared Essler was shared with the League. Brian and Jared, Great football game last night (Oct. 16). Thank you and congratulations on an outstanding football game. I know it hurts to lose, but that game could have gone either way right up until the very last play. Such a very well played games on both sides of the ball. You two should be very proud of everything that took place last night in Rogers, on and off the field. Tremendous sportsmanship and player-to-player respect was on display from the start to the finish. Not a negative word from any player on either side was heard by myself or my crew. Wonderful cheering and game day excitement, as we could see, hear and sense a true joy for the game of football by all players and coaches involved. Be proud of your players, fans, and assistant coaches. That game, and game atmosphere, truly represent what Minnesota high school football and athletic sportsmanship are all about. Congratulations, and thank you for allowing my officiating crew to be part of the event. Best of luck as you move in to section play. Tim Litfin Registered Official / Gopher Officials Association
Brian R. Franklin Dassel-Cokato Middle School Principal
www.MSHSL.org
Winter 2014 Bulletin
21
WILSON, THE OFFICIAL BALL
OF THE MINNESOTA STATE HIGH SCHOOL LEAGUE AND THE MINNESOTA STATE HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL COACHES ASSOCIATION
As a coach you know that there can’t be cut corners. Every practice and game is an opportunity to improve and take your team to the next level. Wilson is now the Official Ball of both the Minnesota State High School League and Minnesota Baseball Coaches Ass ociation because we don’t cut corners either. The mate rials and construction of the A1010HS 1 ball will hold up rep after rep in practice and come game time let the preparation pay off.
facebook.com/WilsonBaseball
A1010HS1
Wilson is registered trademarks of Wilson Sporting Goods Co.
Impressive face-to-face dialogue by opposing players followed close loss
Officials
The first of the following notes was sent to Becker Football Coach Dwight Lundeen by an Orono parent and copied to Orono Activities Director Bucky Mieras who responded to the parent with the second note. Both notes were shared with the League.
BOLD football players, coaches impressed officials The following note was sent to League Executive Director Dave Stead. Hi Dave, I thought I should pass this along to you for consideration to add in the Bulletin. I just received this email from the head football official, Dave Madsen, who worked our section semifinal game this past Saturday (Oct. 26). We played Minneota/Lincoln HI and lost 27-17. Guess you can say we ended on a “positive” note. Melissa Sagedahl BOLD Activities Administrator Ms. Sagedahl was copied on this note sent to BOLD Football Coach Steve Solem. Steve, Just a note to let you know that our crew thoroughly enjoyed working your football game on Saturday night. It was a great game played by two very well coached teams from two great football programs on a beautiful fall night. You should be extremely proud of your players and your coaches who handled themselves with class all night long. Gary and I commented when we were leaving that if every game we worked was played that well and coached the way that game was coached, we would do this job (officiating) until we dropped. Thanks for showing your kids how to respond in victory and in defeat...enjoy your offseason. I am sure you guys will re-load for next year.
Mr. Lundeen, My name is Peter Lecy and my son plays football for Orono. First of all, congratulations on a nice win last Saturday (Oct. 26). While it is sad to be done, it was great to see a good football game played by both teams. The reason for my email is that I want to inform you of something very nice that happened after the game. I can imagine that most of the issues you deal with are problems so I wanted to let you know of something positive. As I stated, my son plays for Orono—he is number 55 and plays center. In the handshake line after the game, several of your defensive linemen not only shook his hand but stopped for a couple seconds to congratulate him on a good game and give him a pat on his helmet. Then, upon leaving the school to get back on the bus, number 75 from your team (senior Mason Olson) stopped my son, Chris, and congratulated him on a good game and that he should not hang his head. From what I understand, they talked for a few minutes with your player offering positive thoughts and a good luck in the future type of message. I assure you this action had a very positive and lasting impression on my son and would not be surprised to see him do this to his opponents next year. This was a class act by your player and I am sure your coaching influenced him in a way that brings this type of behavior out in action. If you feel it to be appropriate, please share my appreciation with your player and even his parents. In today’s world, it is nice to see a high school player go out of his way to reach out to an opponent the way your player did and it is a very positive reflection of the player’s character as well as your coaching. Good luck in Delano Friday night. Peter Lecy Orono Parent This note was sent to Mr. Lecy and Becker Activities Director Dave Niemi. Thank you for sharing Peter. This email means the world to me. What a game! Felt bad for the boys regarding the outcome, but I was very proud of the effort and energy they showed. Being down 22-0 is tough to come back, but they did it. Did it against a very tough team. Came down to a 2-point conversion. The excitement of the game kept me warm and cheering loud. Peter, your son Chris is a great young man and the more I get to know him the more I see his leadership and kind nature. I am proud of his everyday efforts to make our school and community better. He cares so much about other people. He is awesome in our leadership council. I know the care and time he puts into leadership, character, and sportsmanship is making our school a better place. Here is what I believe will be cool with this situation. Chris is going to pay this forward as he will want to make the same impact on an opponent on another day. I am going to share your email with our admin and the MSHSL as everyone needs to hear these great messages. I believe number 75 is Mason Olson. Mason passes the Man in the Mirror Test with flying colors! Every program deserves a Mason and a Chris in their program. See you soon and thank you for the great support during the football season. I cannot believe we are starting basketball in the next couple of weeks. Bucky Mieras Orono Activities Administrator
David H. Madson Registered Official
www.MSHSL.org
Winter 2014 Bulletin
23
Summary of the Minutes of the August 6, 2013, Board of Directors Meeting Board of Directors Meeting Minutes
24
Reflection, Pledge of Allegiance Board Actions 1. Approved the Agenda. 2. Approved Minutes of the June 3, 2013 Board of Directors meeting. 3. Received Legislative report about legislative initiatives; the past legislative session; issues regarding school funding, school finance, bullying and similar related issues affecting member schools. 4. Received Legal Counsel’s report that there were no pending legal matters or ongoing litigation against the Minnesota State High School League 5. Dave Stead reported that the NFHS Summer Meeting in Denver was a success and congratulated Lisa Lissimore, emcee for the Hall of Fame Banquet, and Jody Redman for her presentation at the Coaches’ Education Workshop. His report also included: ● planning for the 2013-14 school year with rules meetings, advisory committee meetings and a new Board Member Orientation; ● Bethel PhD candidates meeting in the office to learn about the Minnesota State High School League and other high school activities associations in the states from which the candidates came; ● reminded members to hand in the materials that had been given to them for their signatures; ● thanked Board Members for the 2012-13 successful school year; and ● staff is looking forward to an equally successful 2013-14 school year. 6. John Hamann reported action items and discussion from the Executive Committee including: ● input from a member school’s Local Advisory Committee; this information will be shared with member schools at the Area Meetings; ● discussion regarding the 100 Year Celebration logo contest whereby students may become involved in providing logo support – this will further be discussed by the Executive Committee; ● discussion regarding co-ops and the forming of coops, the timelines to do so which also will be discussed at the Area Meetings; and ● discussion regarding St. Louis Park girls’ hockey request to remain in Class A as compared to Class AA – this will be further discussed at the October Board of Directors meeting. 7. Approved a resolution in appreciation and recognition for service and dedication for Board of Directors members whose terms had been completed. 8. Approved the 2013-2014 Board of Directors Committee Assignments. 9. Approved the 2012-2013 expense reimbursement dollar amounts. 10. Approved the following publications as presented: (1) Official Handbook; (2) Board Policy Manual; (3) Region Secretaries Manual; (4) Officials Manual; and (5) Employee Handbook. 11. Approved the trophy and medal contract with Trophies Plus for the 2013-2014 and 2014-2015 school year. 12. Approved the Appeals Process as presented effective August 1, 2013. 13. Approved the Eligibility Committee minutes of the August 6, 2013 minutes as presented. 14. Approved the May and June 2013 financial reports as presented. 15. Approved an engagement letter requested by the State Auditor’s office to audit both the Minnesota State High School League as well as the Administrative Regions. 16. Approved the insurance costs and the various vendors providing insurance for High School League activities. Winter 2014 Bulletin
Discussion Items A. Jody Redman reviewed the soccer tournament dates and sites for 2014-2015 because the Metrodome will not be available. Jody has been in contact with St. Cloud State University and is exploring the possibility of conducting both the semi-finals and the finals at that facility. SCSU and the League are working through the details and while the dates may change because of conflict with St. Cloud, it is believed this particular facility would be available. Final action will be determined later and Jody will report about this during the October Board of Directors meeting. B. Kevin Merkle reviewed the football scheduling concept regarding the 2014-2015 schedule with the University of Minnesota and the dates that might be available during the 2015 season. It may be necessary to shorten the season and play the games in mid November based on the facility availability at the University of Minnesota. Additional meetings will be held with the University to identify what dates would be possible. C. Merkle also addressed issues such as the playoff possibilities regarding section football or the tournament format that will advance teams to the football playoff because of the scheduling conflicts difficulties throughout the state. This is a discussion issue that will be shared with attendees at the Area Meetings. Other football issues addressed were: ● safety and risk minimization; ● attachments to helmets that may void the warranty and the NOCSAE certification standard; ● continued work with the concussion issue; and ● number of quarters, the number of days and hours of contact during football practice that are being changed on a state by state level or perhaps utilized at the national level. D. Merkle indicated that flexibility regarding the football scheduling as well as the football playoffs is the key word, but hopefully additional information and finalization of this issue will be possible. It was suggested that action be taken in December or February for the 2015-16 tournament format as well as the potential for placing schools into classifications for 2015 and 2016 should be completed by the end of this year as a target. E. Staff will be meeting to review contracts with the Target Center and the Xcel Center for the future. It is important these dates are available and while the dates have been held the contract changes, including a 6% increase in facilities costs, need to be further clarified. Staff will do that for final approval by the Board at the October Board of Directors meeting. F. A review of the Board goals for 2013-2014 identified eight goals and the committee responsibility for accomplishing those goals. These items will be approved in October, and staff will continue to begin to work on the goals with the appropriate committees. G. David Stead discussed the Conference Placement Committee Meeting and identified that six schools had appeared for placement into conferences per the state statute. Five of those six schools will be placed, one placement is yet to be determined, and additional information will come to the Board once the Placement Committee has approved the concept and the schools have been identified about the placement of their school into a conference for the 2014-2015 school year. The complete, official Minutes may be obtained from the League office by the designated school representative of member schools. www.MSHSL.org
Summary of the Minutes of the October 3, 2013, Board of Directors Meeting Reflection, Pledge of Allegiance Board Actions 1. Approved the Agenda with the following additions: Action Item 9F Conference Placement, add Academy of Holy Angels; and Discussion Item 10E Baseball and Softball Advisory Committee Recommendations. 2. Approved Minutes of the August 6, 2013 Board of Directors meeting. 3. Tim Dorway, Chanhassen High School Principal, spoke regarding a request for a Journalism Partnership between Minnesota High School Press Association and the Minnesota State High School League and the benefits of a partnership. 4. Bruce Houck, Superintendent Hendricks Public Schools, spoke regarding an eligibility request from Hendricks High School. 5. Legislative Report received. 6. Legal Counsel’s Report received that there is no pending or ongoing litigation against the Minnesota State High School League. 7. Executive Director’s report included: ● Fall Area Meetings are complete; ● Medtronic Community Partner Spotlight will focus on the MSHSL during October; this is recognition for the MSHSL and Jody Redman’s work helping member schools develop an Emergency Action Plan; ● An update on the remodeling project (bathrooms/ kitchen/front entryway); ● The MSHSL’s presence at the State Fair; ● The MSHSL hosted the NFHS Section 5 meeting at the League office September 2 – 5, 2013; and ● An update on Target and Xcel Center contracts. 8. President’s report included: ● 100 Year Celebration Logo Contest; ● Review of Board Goals; ● Denied a request from St. Louis Park Girls’ Hockey to remain in Class A; ● Approved a one year exception for the Schwan’s Cup to allow a New Hampshire team to participate; the original sanction request was denied because the contest would be played on a legal holiday; ● The development of a Transgender Policy(ies); and ● Remodeling update. 9. Approved the 2013-2014 Board of Directors Goals as presented. 10. Approved the 2014 State Football Tournament to be held Friday, November 21, and Saturday, November 22, 2014 at TCF Bank Stadium
www.MSHSL.org
11. Tabled the action on the 2015 State Football Tournament dates and sites to the December 5, 2013 Board of Directors meeting 12. Approved new Eligibility Hearing Procedure. 13. Approved the 2013-2014 school year Championship Baseball Tournament to be played at Target Field on Saturday, June 14, 2014 and Monday, June 16, 2014 as a back-up date. 14. Approved the 2014-2018 tournament site contracts with Xcel Energy Center and Target Center. 15. Approved the following placement of schools into conferences: Northwest Suburban—Irondale, Spring Lake Park, and Totino-Grace; Tri-Metro—Academy of Holy Angels, Columbia Heights, and Fridley. 16. Approved the Eligibility Committee minutes from the September 11, 2013 meeting as presented. 17. Approved the Eligibility Committee minutes from the October 3, 2013 meeting as presented. 18. Approved the July and August 2013 financial reports as presented. 17. Approved an amendment to the current 403(b) Document Plan that requires employees to work a minimum of 750 hours to be eligible to participate in the MSHSL 403(b) Plan. 19. Approved staff proceeding with plans for “Why We Play” conferences for school administrators and plans for regional Continuing Education courses for coaches. Discussion Items A. Jody Redman updated the Board regarding the soccer tournament dates and sites for 2014-2015. Currently, staff is looking at St. Cloud State University. More information will be available with possible Board action at the December Board of Directors meeting. B. Kevin Merkle spoke regarding the scheduling format. A more specific plan will be presented at the December Board of Directors meeting. C. The Board discussed the potential partnership with the MHSPA. More information will be available and action requested at a future meeting. D Discussion was held regarding the Baseball Advisory Committee’s recommendation to increase the size of the official squad from 18 players to 20 players; and the Softball Advisory Committee’s recommendation to move from a three-class tournament to a four-class tournament.
Board of Directors Meeting Minutes
The complete, official Minutes may be obtained from the League office by the designated school representative of member schools.
Winter 2014 Bulletin
25
Winter 2014 Calendar of State Events Jan. 17-18 .......................................................................................................... STATE DEBATE TOURNAMENT—University of Minnesota, Minneapolis Feb. 12 .................................................................................................................................................. STATE ALPINE SKI MEET—Giants Ridge, Biwabik Feb. 13 .................................................................................................................................. STATE NORDIC SKI RACING MEET—Giants Ridge, Biwabik Feb. 13-14 ............... STATE ONE ACT PLAY FESTIVAL—Class AA (13) & Class A (14) - O’Shaughnessy Auditorium, St. Catherine University, St. Paul Feb. 14-15 ..................................................................................................... STATE GIRLS’ DANCE TEAM TOURNAMENT—Target Center, Minneapolis Feb. 19-22 .................................................................... STATE GIRLS’ HOCKEY TOURNAMENT—championship rounds @ Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul and consolation rounds @ Ridder Arena, U of M, Minneapolis Feb. 21-22 ......................................................................... STATE GIRLS’ GYMNASTICS MEET—Sports Pavilion, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis Feb. 27-March 1 .................................................................................... STATE WRESTLING TOURNAMENT—Xcel Energy Center, RiverCentre, St. Paul Feb. 27-March 1 ............................................................................... STATE BOYS’ SWIMMING & DIVING MEET—U of M Aquatic Center, Minneapolis March 3 .................................................. Opening date for girls’ synchronized swimming, adapted bowling, adapted softball & girls’ badminton practice March 5-8 ..................................................................... STATE BOYS’ HOCKEY TOURNAMENT—championship rounds @ Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul and consolation rounds @ Mariucci Arena, U of M, Minneapolis March 10 .................................................................................................................. Opening date for girls’ fast-pitch softball, and track and field practice March 12-15 ........................................................... STATE BOYS’ BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT—Target Center, Williams Arena, U of M, Minneapolis and Concordia University, St. Paul March 14-15 ................................................................ STATE ADAPTED FLOOR HOCKEY TOURNAMENT—Bloomington Jefferson Senior High School March 17 ............................................................................................................................................................ Opening date for golf and baseball practice March 18-22 .......................................................... STATE GIRLS’ BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT—Target Center, Williams Arena, U of M, Minneapolis and Concordia University, St. Paul TBD by each Region ................................................................................................................................... VISUAL ARTS FESTIVALS- TBD by each Region TBD by each Region ..................................... SECTION / STATE MUSIC CONTESTS/FESTIVALS - various Minnesota sites, dates TBD by each Region March 24 .................................................................................................................................................................... Opening date for boys’ tennis practice March 31 ................................................................................................................................................ Opening date for boys’ and girls’ lacrosse practice April 11-12 ................................................................................... STATE SPEECH TOURNAMENT—Class AA (11) and Class A (12), Blaine High School
Calendars
Congratulations to the Fall 2013 State Team Champions Girls’ Tennis .................................................................................................................................................................. A – BRECK SCHOOL, Golden Valley AA – EDINA Boys’ Soccer ................................................................................................................................................................................ A – ST. PAUL COMO PARK AA – NORTH, North St. Paul Girls’ Soccer ............................................................................................................................................. A – BENILDE-ST. MARGARET’S, St. Louis Park AA – MINNETONKA Boys’ Cross Country Running ............................................................................................................................................................................ A – PERHAM AA – WAYZATA Girls’ Cross Country Running ..................................................................................................................................................................... A – ANNANDALE AA – WAYZATA Girls’ Volleyball ....................................................................................................................................................... A – SOUTHWEST CHRISTIAN, Chaska AA – MARSHALL AAA – EAGAN Adapted Soccer ............................................................................................................................................ CI – BURNSVILLE/FARMINGTON/LAKEVILLE PI – ROBBINSDALE/HOPKINS/MOUND-WESTONKA Girls’ Swimming & Diving ....................................................................................................................................... A – VISITATION, MENDOTA HEIGHTS AA – WAYZATA Football ...................................................................................................................................................................................... 9-Man – GRAND MEADOW A – MAHNOMEN AA –CHATFIELD AAA – ST. CROIX LUTHERAN, West St. Paul AAAA – HUTCHINSON AAAAA – OWATONNA AAAAAA – EDEN PRAIRIE
Winter 2014 Calendar of Meetings Jan. 7 ........................... Hockey Advisory Committee, League Office, 9 a.m. Jan. 7 ...................... Herb Brooks Award Committee, League Office, 11 a.m. Jan. 14 ....................... Wrestling Advisory Committee, League Office, 9 a.m. Jan. 15 ........................ ExCEL Selection Committee, League Office, 10 a.m. Jan. 22 ..... Athletic Directors Advisory Committee, League Office, 9:30 a.m. Jan. 23 ......................... League Board of Directors, League Office, 9:30 a.m. Jan. 25 ............................... SAT National Test Date (www.collegeboard.org) Feb. 4 ......................................... Visual Arts Advisory, League Office, 2 p.m. Feb. 5 ................... Track & Field Advisory Committee, League Office, 9 a.m. Feb. 8 .................................... ACT National Test Date (www.actstudent.org) Feb. 18 ........................ Baseball Advisory Committee, League Office, 9 a.m. Feb. 19 .............. Boys’ Lacrosse Advisory Committee, League Office, 9 a.m. Feb. 19 .............. Girls’ Lacrosse Advisory Committee, League Office, 3 p.m. March 6 .................... Triple “A” Selection Committee, League Office, 10 a.m. March 8 .............................. SAT National Test Date (www.collegeboard.org)
www.MSHSL.org
March 12 ................. Minnesota Adapted Athletics, League Office, 3:30 p.m. March 17 ....................................... Region Secretaries, League Office, 9 a.m. March 19 .................. Track & Field Section Managers, League Office, 8 a.m. March 19 ... Track & Field Meet Hy-Tek Operators, League Office, 10:30 a.m. April 3 ................... League Board of Directors Mtg., League Office, 9:30 a.m. April 8 ..................... Officials Advisory Committee, League Office, 9:30 a.m. April 12 .................................. ACT National Test Date (www.actstudent.org) April 18 ....................... TeamUp Advisory Committee, League Office, 10 a.m. April 22 . Area Meeting, Best Western Garden Inn, North Mankato, 9:30 a.m. April 23 .......................... Speech Advisory Committee, League Office, 9 a.m. April 23 .................... Area Meeting, The Marshall Golf Club, Marshall, 9 a.m. April 25 ..................................... Area Meeting, Clarion Inn, Rochester, 9 a.m. April 28 ............................. Area Meeting, Best Western, Fergus Falls, 9 a.m. April 29 ....................... Area Meeting, Best Western, Thief River Falls, 9 a.m. April 30 ....................................... Area Meeting, Valentini’s, Chisholm, 9 a.m.
Winter 2014 Bulletin
27
Sudden Cardiac Arrest is a leading cause of death in Minnesota.
You Can Help Change This
Anyone Can Save a Life is an emergency response program for after-school practices and events designed to save lives from sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). This program is available free of charge to all Minnesota High Schools. This program empowers students to be a part of the response team. Every sport at every level should have a response plan in place. Contact your school’s Athletic Administrator to ensure your child is protected. Young people are often unaware of the risk factors and don’t tell adults if they experience symptoms. The following symptoms indicate that SCA may be about to happen:
Teddy, a student at Wayzata High School, is a Sudden Cardiac Arrest Survivor. He collapsed on the football field during a summer conditioning program and was revived by a coach administering CPR and using an AED.
Racing heart, palpitations Dizziness or light-headedness Fainting or seizure, especially during or right after exercise Excessive, unexpected fatigue during or after exercise Excessive shortness of breath during exercise The following factor can increase the risk of SCA: Family history of known heart abnormalities or sudden death before age 50
What Can You Do? Know the warning signs and risk factors of SCA. Check with your student athlete’s coach to see if there is a plan in place.
If someone collapses and is not breathing normally:
•• • 1
Call 911
2
Start CPR: • Push hard and fast in the center of the chest
3
Get an AED • Turn it on and follow the voice prompts
www.anyonecansavealife.org
The key to survival is
ACTION! If SCA goes untreated, the person will die.
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Resources for your college questions
When it comes to education financing, Wells Fargo wants your students and their parents to make the choice that works for their family. Using the variety of resources Wells Fargo provides, your students and parents can get answers to their college questions: ƌɄ *'' " ƷɄ+-*"- (ƈ students get emailed information about a range of topics from managing campus tours to navigating the financial aid process. ƌɄ ''.Ʉ -"*Ʉ *((0)$/4ƈ students and parents can have conversations about college planning with other students, parents, financial aid officers, and more. ƌɄ /0 )/Ʉ * ) *2)SMɄ '*"ƈ students and parents can get information, share stories and ask questions about paying for college, managing debt and more. ƌɄ ' 0' /*-.Ʉ ) Ʉ 0 " /Ʉ2*-&.# /.ƈ families can use these tools to crunch the numbers necessary to plan for college. © 2012 Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. All rights reserved. 737860 09/12
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Minnesota State High School League
Nonprofit Org. U.S. POSTAGE
2100 Freeway Boulevard Brooklyn Center MN 55430-1735 PHONE: 763/560-2262 FAX: 763/569-0499 World Wide Web: www.MSHSL.org
PAID TWIN CITIES MN Permit No. 31890
ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED
Mission Statement The Minnesota State High School League provides educational opportunities for students through interscholastic athletic and fine arts programs and provides leadership and support for member schools.
Beliefs ◆ Participation in school activity programs is a privilege and not a right. ◆ Sportsmanship needs to have a constant presence in all school-based activity programs. ◆ Students should have an equal opportunity to participate in all activities offered by their school. ◆ Ethical behavior, dignity and respect are nonnegotiable. ◆ Student participants who choose to be chemically free must be supported. ◆ Collaborative relationships with parents enhance a school’s opportunity to positively impact student success. ◆ Academic priorities must come before participation in athletic or fine arts activities.
◆ Positive role models and an active involvement in a student’s life by parents and others are critical to student success. ◆ High school activity programs are designed for student participants, and adults must serve in a supportive role. ◆ The success of the team is more important than individual honors. ◆ Compliance with school, community and League rules is essential for all activity participants. ◆ Participation in school-sponsored activities must be inclusive, not exclusive. ◆ Ethical behavior, fairness, and embracing diversity best serve students and school communities.