mshsl spring 2012 bulletin

Volume 81, Issue 3, Spring 2012

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THE BULLETINOfficial Publication of the

Minnesota State High School League2100 Freeway Boulevard

Brooklyn Center, MN 55430-1735763-560-2262

http://www.MSHSL.org

Information within this Bulletinmay be reprinted only with the

permission of the MSHSL.

Volume 81, Issue 3Spring 2012

Editorial StaffEditor:

Howard W. VoigtAssistant Editor:Ellen Rajkowski

Contributing Editors:David SteadKevin Merkle

Lisa LissimoreCraig Perry

Jody RedmanJohn MilleaRich Matter

Chris Franson

Board of DirectorsRegions 1-2A

Scott McCready, St. CharlesRegions 3-4A

Chris Laird, Heritage Christian AcademyRegions 5-6A

Rick Bleichner, BreckenridgeRegions 7-8A

Mike Kolness, Ada-BorupRegions 1-2AA

Mark Fredericksen, WaconiaRegions 3-4AA

Mike Manning, RosemountRegions 5-6AA

John Soma, EdinaRegions 7-8AA

Perry Aadland, Chisago Lakes AreaState School Boards Assn.

Roz Peterson, LakevilleWalter Hautala, Mesabi East

MN Assn. of Secondary PrincipalsJohn Hamann, Underwood

Luanne Wagner, St. FrancisBoys Sports

Mark Solberg, Cambridge-IsantiGirls Sports

Mindy Sparby, Belle PlaineMN Music Educators Assn.Lane Powell, Fillmore Central

Speech Assn. of MNJill Lofald, Duluth DenfeldGovernor's Appointees

Kim Algoo, ShakopeeMike Rusinko, Eden Prairie

Laurie Esau, OronoSteve Eklund, Braham

Printed byCarlson Print Group

7490 Golden Triangle DriveEden Prairie, MN 55344

The MSHSL Bulletin is publishedin Fall, Winter and Spring and

is designed to meet the needs ofthe 525 member Schools.

League Office PersonnelThe Minnesota State High School League Officehas been established to provide special services tothe member schools. Listed below are the officepersonnel:

Extension / Voice MailboxExecutive Director - David Stead ........................ 480

Executive Assistant - Lynne Johnson ........... 490Associate Director - Jody Redman ..................... 481

Administrative Assistant - Amie Symens ...... 491Associate Director - Kevin Merkle ...................... 484

Administrative Assistant - Amanda Johnson 494Officials Coordinator- Katie Vanderpoel ........ 496

Associate Director - Craig Perry ......................... 482Administrative Assistant - Susi Hollenbeck ... 492

Associate Director - Lisa Lissimore .................... 483Administrative Assistant - Sheila Robinson .. 493

Director of Information - Howard W. Voigt .......... 485Assistant - Ellen Rajkowski ........................... 542

Assistant Director - Richard Matter ..................... 497Accounting Assistant - Sharon Bahma ......... 541Ticketing Assistant - Nancy Myers ................ 487

Assistant Director - Chris Franson ...................... 488Web Site Coordinator - Nancy Etter .............. 551Technology Assistant - Tracie Bressler ........ 552

Media Specialist - John Millea ............................ 554Program Specialist - Amy Doherty ..................... 495Office Manager - Kristi Vesall ............................. 489

Administrative Assistant - Yvonne Walsh ..... 486Receptionist - Ann Bailey .............................. 540

The MSHSL Logo is a registered mark of the organizationand use in any manner is prohibited unless prior approval is

obtained from the League.

Schedule of Board of Directors Meetings

October 6 ................................. MSHSL OfficeBrooklyn Center

December 1 ............................. MSHSL OfficeBrooklyn Center

February 2 ................................ MSHSL OfficeBrooklyn Center

April 5 ....................................... MSHSL OfficeBrooklyn Center

June 11 .................................... MSHSL OfficeBrooklyn Center

Representative Assembly Meeting

May 14 .......... Edinburgh USA, Brooklyn Park

When calling the League Office (763-560-2262),direct your requests to staff persons as designated:

Accounts Payable .............................................................. Sharon BahmaAccounts Receivable ......................................................... Yvonne WalshActivity / Late Registrations ................................................ Chris FransonActivity Section Assignments ............................................. Chris FransonAdministrative Regions ........................................................... Dave SteadArchive Information ........................................................ Howard W. VoigtAthletic / Activity Director Advisory Committee ................... Kevin MerkleBoard of Directors Information ............................................... Dave SteadCamps and Clinics .................................................................. Craig PerryCharter Officials Associations .............................................. Kevin MerkleChemical Rule Interpretations ............................................... Craig PerryCooperative Sponsorship ................................................. Lynne JohnsonDebate & Music Judges ..................................................... Chris FransonDebate Judge & Music Judge Registrations ......................... Nancy EtterExCEL Program ................................................................. Lisa LissimoreFine Arts Rules Interp. (Debate & Music) .......................... Chris FransonFine Arts Rules Interp. (One Act & Visual Arts) ................ Chris FransonFine Arts Rules Interp. (Speech) ....................................... Chris FransonGender Equity ......................................................................... Dave SteadGeneral Information on MSHSL ............................................. Dave SteadHall of Fame ....................................................................... Lisa LissimoreInsurance ................................................................................ Rich MatterInterstate Sanctions ................................................................ Dave SteadLeague Publications ...................................................... Howard W. VoigtMarketing and Promotions ................................................ Lisa LissimoreMembership Information .................................................. Lynne JohnsonNews Media Services .................................................... Howard W. VoigtNon-School Competition ........................................................ Craig PerryOffice Management ................................................................ Kristi VesallOfficials Program .................................................................. Kevin MerkleOne Act Play Judge Registrations ......................................... Nancy EtterOne Act Play Judges .......................................................... Chris FransonPSAs and TV Visuals .................................................... Howard W. VoigtRegistration of Officials ................................................ Katie VanderpoelResults and Records ..................................................... Howard W. VoigtRulebooks, Supplies, Awards ........................................... Yvonne WalshRules Interpretation Meetings ...................................... Katie VanderpoelSchool Eligibility ...................................................................... Craig PerrySpeech Judges .................................................................. Chris FransonSpeech Judge Registrations .................................................. Nancy EtterSports Medicine Advisory Committee .................................... Craig PerrySportsmanship Program ................................................... Lisa LissimoreSpotlight on Scholarship Program .................................... Lisa LissimoreStudent Ejections ..................................................................... Ann BaileyStudent Eligibility .................................................................... Craig PerrySupplemental Allowances ...................................................... Kristi VesallTEAM UP Advisory Committee .......................................... Jody RedmanTEAM UP Program ............................................................. Jody RedmanTicket Assistant .................................................................... Nancy MyersTriple “A” Award .................................................................. Jody RedmanWeb Site Development ....................................................... Chris FransonWeb Site Assistance ............................................................... Nancy Etter

Activity Rule Interpretations,Coach Incidents Reports, andActivity Advisory Committees

Adapted Athletics (Bowling, Floor Hockey, Soccer, Softball) .. Rich MatterAlpine Skiing / Boys’ & Girls’ .................................................. Rich MatterBadminton / Girls’ .............................................................. Lisa LissimoreBaseball ................................................................................. Kevin MerkleBasketball / Boys’ ................................................................. Kevin MerkleBasketball / Girls’ ............................................................... Lisa LissimoreCheerleaders ...................................................................... Jody RedmanCross Country Running / Boys’ & Girls’ ............................ Lisa LissimoreDance Team / Girls’ .............................................................. Kevin MerkleDebate ................................................................................. Chris FransonFootball .................................................................................. Kevin MerkleGolf / Boys’ & Girls’ ................................................................. Dave SteadGymnastics / Girls’ .............................................................. Jody RedmanIce Hockey / Boys’ & Girls’ ..................................................... Craig PerryLacrosse / Boys' & Girls’ ........................................................ Rich MatterMusic ................................................................................... Chris FransonNordic Ski Racing / Boys’ & Girls’ .......................................... Rich MatterOne Act Play ....................................................................... Chris FransonSoccer / Boys’ & Girls’ ........................................................ Jody RedmanSoftball / Girls’ .................................................................... Lisa LissimoreSpeech ................................................................................ Chris FransonSwimming and Diving / Boys’ & Girls’ ............................... Lisa LissimoreSynchronized Swimming / Girls’ ....................................... Lisa LissimoreTennis / Boys’ & Girls’ ............................................................ Craig PerryTrack & Field / Boys’ & Girls’ .............................................. Jody RedmanVisual Arts ........................................................................... Chris FransonVolleyball / Girls’ ................................................................. Jody RedmanWrestling ................................................................................. Craig Perry

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www.MSHSL.org Spring 2012 Bulletin 1

9League Honors

Students forExCEL-ence

Dave’s DialogueDave’s DialogueDave’s DialogueDave’s DialogueDave’s DialogueThe Secret of SuccessOpportunities Are Part of the Success ........................................................................................................ 2

News and FNews and FNews and FNews and FNews and Featureseatureseatureseatureseatures

Inside This Issue

Athletic ActivitiesAthletic ActivitiesAthletic ActivitiesAthletic ActivitiesAthletic Activities

AlsoAlsoAlsoAlsoAlsoBoard of Directors Meeting Minutes ......................27

2011-12 Calendars Of State Events, Meetings .......31

EligibilityQ & A Regarding Open Gym,Non-School Competition and Training,Due Process.............................................................16

2012 Quarterfinal Football Sites, Dates Set ............18

Baseball, Softball Section TournamentsTo Return to 8-Team Double Elimination .................18

Player Respect and Sport Safety.............................19

13Andover’s RipleyNamed Section 5

Recipient of

OfficialsOfficialsOfficialsOfficialsOfficialsPromotional Levelsfor Officials Moving Forward ...................................22

Officials Awards Presented AtState Boys’ Basketball Tournament.........................23

Ellingworth, Cline, Wunderlich, Busche Win Triple A Awards3

Minnesota Well RepresentedAt National Robotics Championships12

National High School Spirit of Sport Award

Fine Arts ActivitiesFine Arts ActivitiesFine Arts ActivitiesFine Arts ActivitiesFine Arts ActivitiesKSTC-TV, Channel 45, Wells Fargoand League LaunchSpotlight on the Arts Campaign

21

2 Spring 2012 Bulletin www.MSHSL.org

➨

Dave’s Dialogue

Dave Stead

By Dave SteadExecutive Director

John D. Rockefeller, Jr., oncesaid, “The secret of success is todo the common thingsuncommonly well.” And that’sexactly what was recognizedwhen more than 200 peoplegathered on March 24 tocelebrate 32 Triple Arepresentatives from throughout

Minnesota. Those students werehonored for their participation infine arts and athletics activitiesand for exemplary academic workin the classroom.

Mindy Sparby, Belle Plaineactivities director and presidentof the League Board of Directors,spoke to the honorees and theirguests. She shared the followingmessage:

The secret of success

By Mindy Sparby

It is an absolute pleasure for me to be able to speak to such anoutstanding group of young men and women as well as the parents,school personnel, League staff, and others who have helped shapethem into who they have become.

I would like to thank the sponsors of today’s program —Fairview Health Services and AAA Minnesota. Your continuedsupport of our more than 500 member schools truly shines aspotlight on the foundation of school programs: arts, athletics andacademics.

Triple A award winners — you are seated up here today becauseyou truly are the best of the best! You have put countless hours oftime and energy into your academics, arts, and athletics. As aschool administrator I know how important your leadership is. Yourdrive and your willingness to succeed change the culture in ourschools and our state and communities for the better.

This award is very special to me because I know that being awell rounded student-athlete in high school is what has shaped meinto the person I am today. I emphasized the word student and theword athlete because that’s who you are. I’ve looked at resumesand I’m impressed by your academic abilities coupled with yourextensive connection to the arts and athletics.

My mom was a piano teacher of 32 years. If anyone in our townof 1,200 people knew how to play the piano, it was most likelybecause of her influence. She made sure I was involved in band,choir, one act play, as well as volleyball, basketball, track andsoftball.

I became a collegiate athlete, but I know my mom would havebeen even more proud if I could have sung in the choir as well. But

like you, I knew my limitations. I knew my academic foundation wasthe key to future success, but I’m also a more well rounded personbecause of the people I met and the opportunities I have been giventhrough my involvement in activities.

I’ve focused on a saying about success I’d like to share with you.“Yes, it is a challenge to succeed; you’ve got to become a good

planner, and a good dreamer. You’ve got to see the futureaccomplished in advance. You’ve got to greet the world each day asif you are in fact confident, focused and assured of a successfuloutcome. You’ve got to put in the long hours and believe in the valueof what you are doing! You’ve got to learn to enjoy the process,because opportunities are part of the success.”

I have that quote hanging in my office because of its importancein my life. It helps keep me positive and focused. It also reminds meto enjoy the day-to-day things that happen in my job at school, or athome with my kids. And I appreciate the lessons learned from eachdifferent experience.

As leaders, you know how to achieve a successful outcomebecause you’ve learned to put in the work necessary to achieve yourgoals.

I often hear people talk about getting “burned out” with schooland with sports and activities. But you are wonderful examples ofwhy being well rounded can prevent that from happening. And, I’llbet you know how to fully enjoy the day-to-day routines in yourschool.

Parents, family members, friends, and school administrators arehere today to join the Minnesota State High School League to honoryou. Triple A award winners, THANK YOU for your commitment andyour connection to your school and your school communities. Todayis truly a day to celebrate all of your exceptional accomplishments.

Opportunities are part of the success➨

Mindy said it well, andRockefeller’s quote years ago wascertainly applicable to those 32

young men and women. Theyrepresent all of the things thatare good in our Minnesota

schools, and their work ethic andability to do the common thingsso very well continue to set a

standard hundreds of others willemulate.

Congratulations Triple Ahonorees.


News & Features

By Jody RedmanAssociate Director

Katie Ellingworth of RedwoodValley High School, D.J. Cline ofBattle Lake High School,Savannah Wunderlich ofOwatonna High School, and KirkBusche of Rochester Century HighSchool were awarded theMinnesota State High SchoolLeague Academic, Arts, andAthletics Awards on March 24during ceremonies held at theGraves 601 Hotel in Minneapolis.

Established in 1988, theaward, popularly known as theTriple A Award, recognizes andrewards high school seniors fromacross the state for theirachievements in the classroom,the arts, and athletics. To qualifyfor the award, students musthave a “B” or better grade-pointaverage and participate in

League-sponsored athletic andfine arts activities. Leaguemember schools are invited tonominate two students — oneboy and one girl — for the award.

Award recipients are selectedthrough a multi-level processinvolving the League’sadministrative regions and acommittee of athletic, fine artsand educational leaders. One girland one boy from Class A schoolsand one girl and one boy fromClass AA schools are ultimatelychosen state winners and eachreceives a four-year $1,000scholarship.

Following are the brief profilesof the 2012 Academics, Arts, andAthletics Award winners, plus all28 other finalists, all of whomshare their thoughts onparticipating in high schoolactivities.

Ellingworth, Cline, Wunderlich, Busche win Triple A Awards

The 2012 Triple A Award winners (L-R): D.J. Cline, Katie Ellingworth, Savannah Wunderlich, andKirk Busche.

Katie EllingworthRedwood Valley High School — Region 3AGPA: 3.91Tennis, dance team, basketball, track and field, band, choir, speech

Katie Ellingworth has participated in four sports throughout her

high school career: tennis, dance team, basketball, and track and field.She has been named All-Conference in both tennis and track and field.She also has earned All-State honors in track and field with an eighth-place finish. Katie also has been in speech throughout high school.During the school day, Katie takes advantage of Advanced Placementand College in the School classes, and is in band and choir, earningsuperior ratings in each. She also has been named to the All-StateChoir. A teacher states that in his 13-year teaching career, Katie standsout among the top in academic ability, personality, creativity andmotivation.

“As a student, athlete and performer, I hold myself to an extremelyhigh standard. I believe that ‘just getting by’ is an unacceptableapproach to anything. No matter the task, settling for a sub-parperformance isn’t in the cards for me. I treat all of my activities as ifthey are works of art, and I don’t ‘quit painting’ until I believe that I

“I treat all of myactivities as if they

are works of art,and I don’t ‘quitpainting’ until I

believe that I havedone my best.”

have done my best.”

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2012 Academics, Arts & Athletics Award Finalists

Molly DunlapLa Crescent

Trevor AkasonPine Island

REGION 1A

Katy KuiperSt. Peter

Sean MurphyNicollet

REGION 2A

Katie EllingworthRedwood Valley

Max DibbleFulda

REGION 3A

Katie NordickProvidence Academy

Riley GehlWest Lutheran

REGION 4A

Leah PetersonOnamia

Preston WeberPierz

REGION 5A

Kendra SchmidgallHancock

D.J. ClineBattle Lake

REGION 6A

Kate ShelerudEsko

Drew JohnsonMesabi East

REGION 7A

Samantha LeeWin-E-Mac

Davis MillsStephan-Argyle

Central

REGION 8A

Savannah Wunder-lich

Owatonna

Kirk BuscheRochester Century

REGION 1AA

Micayla MooreHutchinson

Daniel BaackMankato West

REGION 2AA

Maren LoeApple Valley

Arthur HarrisBloomington

Jefferson

REGION 3AA

Erika StorvickWoodbury

Eric CorcoranStillwater Area

REGION 4AA

Kristen NordbyCentennial

Jonathan DillMaple Grove

REGION 5AA

Anna HjerpeRobbinsdale Armstrong

Josh ThorsonWayzata

REGION 6AA

Karley PetersenGrand Rapids

Benjamin Nault-Maurer

Cambridge-Isanti

REGION 7AA

Heidi NelsonDetroit Lakes

Samuel KussRocori

REGION 8AA


News & FeaturesTriple A ................................................................................ continued from Page 3

D.J. ClineBattle Lake High School —Region 6AGPA: 3.906Cross country running, basketball, track and field, band, choir,one act play, speech

D.J. Cline has broad fine arts experience; in addition to one act playand speech, he is in band and choir and has received superior ratingsin each. D.J. has also been named to the All-State Choir. D.J. has alsoparticipated in the State Cross Country Running and Track and FieldMeets, placing as high as eighth in State Track and Field. He also wasnamed All-Conference and All-State in cross country running, and heplays basketball in the winter. D.J. also juggles College in the Schoolsclasses with his wide assortment of activities. A teacher explains thatD.J.’s diverse involvement has made him one of the most influentialstudents in the school because he interacts with such a wide spectrumof their population.

“I have always beenthe leading type, andthat means that ifI’m in something Iam going to dowhatever it takes tobe the best I can be.”

“I’m not just a participantin anything I do. I have alwaysbeen the leading type, and thatmeans that if I’m in somethingI am going to do whatever ittakes to be the best I can be. Abig reason for my success isthe amazing staff and coachesfrom Battle Lake and thecombined Ottertail Centralteams. Without their initialleadership, I probably wouldn’tbe the leader I am today.”

Savannah WunderlichOwatonna High School — Region 1AAGPA: 4.083Cross country running, track and field, band, choir, orchestra

Savannah Wunderlich maintains a weighted grade-point averagehigher than a 4.0 while enrolling in Advanced-Placement and College inthe Schools classes. In addition, Savannah was named a National MeritSemifinalist. Within the arts, Savannah participates in band, orchestraand choir, earning Superior ratings in both band and choir. Savannahalso competes in cross country running and track and field, earningAll-Conference honors in cross country running. A teacher and coachexplains that Savannah’s academic record is a testimony to herdedicated approach to learning, and her athletic leadership is due toher passion for the sport and her dedication to her teammates.

“Through my rigorousschedule, I have learned tomanage my frustration andpersist in long and difficulthomework assignments. I havealso developed good problem-solving skills and strong studyhabits. Aside from what thelearning process has taughtme, I have learned a great dealin my classes. Next year whenI enter college, I am sure that Iwill be prepared for whatevercourses are waiting.”

“Through myrigorous schedule, Ihave learned tomanage myfrustration andpersist in long anddifficult homeworkassignments.”

Kirk BuscheRochester Century High School — Region 1AAGPA: 4.0Cross country running, soccer, Nordic skiing, track and field, band,debate

Kirk Busche, a National Merit Semifinalist, holds a 4.0 grade-pointaverage as a student in numerous Advanced Placement classes. He is amember of both debate and band, and has received an Excellent rating

in band. Understanding the meaning of teamwork, Kirk states aboutband, “Alone, we were decent, but together we became a force to bereckoned with.” Kirk has been a member of the soccer, cross countryrunnng, Nordic skiing, and track and field teams. A coach explains thatKirk is one of the most dedicated, driven and organized individuals heknows, and that Kirk approaches all of his activities with a strongsense of vocation and investment.

“The excellence I strive foris not simply a measurementof worth by the world, butrather a measure of excellenceby my own standards. I do notjudge my achievements byarbitrary scales such as times,skill levels, or grades. Instead,my definition of excellence andself-worth is based on self-improvement.”

“I do not judge myachievements by

arbitrary scales suchas times, skill levels,

or grades.”

Molly DunlapLa Crescent High School — Region 1AGPA: 4.0Cross country running, track and field, band, visual arts

“Through my participation in arts, academics, and athletics the pastfew years, I have grown into a well-rounded young woman that hascontributed greatly to the surrounding area. I am a leader in theclassroom and in the hallways, as well as outside of school. Mywidespread involvement has helped me to meet many communitymembers, and I believe I have made a positive impact on othersaround me.”

Trevor AkasonPine Island High School — Region 1AGPA: 3.7Football, basketball, baseball, track and field, choir, orchestra

“I do not let the athlete side of me define who I am. I branch out toother activities such as orchestra, choir, and school plays to makemyself multi-dimensional. By participating in these different groups Ibroaden my perspective. Being so involved in these things has givenme a new outlook in life, and I will never take it for granted. No matterwhich activity it is, I strive to be the best I can be.”

Katy KuiperSt. Peter High School — Region 2AGPA: 3.95Volleyball, basketball, golf, band, choir

“Athletic activities have helped me prepare for my future byproviding me with teamwork and leadership skills. Being a team playerwill help in all aspects of future life when working a job or trying to runa household. Along with being a team player I also learned leadershipskills so I will be ready to lead my classroom when I become ateacher.”

Sean MurphyNicollet High School — Region 2AGPA: 3.813Football, basketball, track and field, band, choir

“I think the more you are involved in school activities, the better. Itgives you a chance to spend time with friends and represent yourschool. For me it is an honor to represent my school. I get to go outand do what I love. Over my high school career I’ve represented myschool at the highest level in academics, athletics and the arts.”

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Max DibbleFulda High School — Region 3AGPA: 3.92Football, basketball, track and field, band, choir

“I remember my first, nerve-wracking solos and ensemblescompetition. It was my first time performing in a singing contest. Whenit was over, I came away with a wonderful thing – confidence. After mysolo I wasn’t afraid of talking to someone or performing again. I feelthis will help me with my future.”

Katie NordickProvidence Academy — Region 4AGPA: 3.99Volleyball, basketball, track and field, band

“Education has always been my number one priority. My academicwork has taught me to be responsible for my own actions. It has taughtme that if I do not put time and effort into my studies, I cannot expectgood results. Others can aid me, but ultimately I must do the work. Ihave become independent and ready to embrace my future.”

Riley GehlWest Lutheran High School — Region 4AGPA: 4.285Football, basketball, baseball, track and field, band, choir,one act play

“It’s important to take advantage of the many academic, athleticand arts programs available at the high school level. Being involved isa special opportunity. Striving to be the best and making yourself alittle better each day is what we all should do. It can be difficult tojuggle activities, sports, and the academic work of school. This all-around effort trains you for adulthood.”

Leah PetersonOnamia High School — Region 5AGPA: 4.0Volleyball, basketball, track and field, band, choir

“All of these experiences have allowed me to step into a new roleand out of my comfort zone. Preparing for concert, competitions, andperformances has given me the skills that will help me be successful inthe future. Practice, dedication, and consistency are skills that I havelearned through participating in a variety of arts activities.”

Preston WeberPierz High School — Region 5AGPA: 4.0Football, basketball, track and field, band

“The most important quality athletics have demonstrated to me isthat to succeed one must depend on others. One person can only leadhis or her team so far, but when a group works together with acommon goal, the full potential of each individual can be reached andthe collaborative efforts will always result in accomplishments whichfar outweigh anything one could do alone.”

Kendra SchmidgallHancock High School — Region 6AGPA: 3.94Volleyball, basketball, softball, band, choir, one act play

“When I had to perform solos in both band and choir I wasextremely nervous and thought I would never be able to perform infront of people. I practiced as much as I could because I feared failure.The day finally came when I had to perform. I had overcome my nervesand I felt a great sense of accomplishment. I learned that in life youhave to go out of your comfort zone to find out what you are reallycapable of accomplishing.”

Kate ShelerudEsko High School — Region 7AGPA: 4.0Cross country running, soccer, track and field, band

“My passion for learning started at an early age. Since earlychildhood I have flung myself wholeheartedly into the accumulation ofknowledge, whether trivial or meaningful. In addition to the content Ihave learned, I have gained further wisdom. That is, I have learnedhow I best learn. While some students can get by on cramming thenight before a test, I need to take time with any given topic, reading,researching and applying.”

Drew JohnsonMesabi East High School — Region 7AGPA: 4.1Cross country running, swimming and diving, Nordic skiing, golf,track and field, band, choir

“One of the most important qualities that I have developed is notrelying on others to do everything. In both band and choir, I haverealized through the years that I cannot depend on other people tocarry my part. I believe that this has helped me because now I do mybest to learn my part, and to assist others if they need my help. I thinkthis quality will help me later in my life because I will take ownershipin what I do, and will not rely on others.”

Samantha LeeWin-E-Mac High School — Region 8AGPA: 4.0Volleyball, basketball, softball, band, choir, one act play

“In all aspects of the fine arts, the people that you work withbecome a family. You go through highs and lows together while stillstriving for a common goal, whatever that may be. Sometimes,whether you reach it or not is not what is important. What’s importantis the journey you took to get there and the sacrifices you made foreach other along the way. In the future, I know I won’t reach everysingle goal I set, but hopefully I’m proud of the person I became alongthe way.”

Davis MillsStephen-Argyle Central High School — Region 8AGPA: 3.73Football, basketball, baseball, band, choir, one act play

“I have been fortunate enough to have coaches who have had ahuge impact on not only my athletics, but also my academics andpersonal development. Athletics teach many life lessons about workethic and dedication to success. A healthy respect for competition candrive an individual in all aspects of life, and I will use these lessons asI move forward in the next chapters of my life.”

Micayla MooreHutchinson High School — Region 2AAGPA: 3.909Soccer, volleyball, hockey, softball, band, choir

“There are sleepless nights, sore bodies, and frustrated minds. Butin the big picture, what separates the exceptional is how one reacts tothese trials. Being challenged and maintaining a positive attitudethroughout the experience is what truly benefits a person’s life. After agame, whether our team wins or loses, I can shake my opponent’shand and honestly tell them, ‘Good game,’ because I know I gave mybest effort and there are others out there who are doing the same.”

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Daniel BaackMankato West High School — Region 2AAGPA: 4.101Soccer, Alpine skiing, tennis, band, choir

“There is not one time in my high school career as a student,musician, or an athlete where I said, ‘You know what, I give up.’ I putmy best foot forward in everything I am involved in. I do this so thatlooking back tomorrow, I don’t regret anything I did today. I take pridein doing the right thing when people aren’t watching. In times ofadversity, I pull from past events to guide me on my life’s journey. I getsatisfaction out of bettering the lives of people who surround me.”

Maren LoeApple Valley High School — Region 3AAGPA: 4.0Volleyball, band

“While I alone played ‘Rhapsody in Blue’ on marimba, other peoplehelped to make my performance run smoothly. The audience only sawmy accompanist and me, but members of the technical crew, thedirectors, my lesson teacher, and my friends and family supported meevery step of the way. They helped me prepare for my performance.When I stumbled, they picked me up. Learning that an individualperformance is the product of more than solitary practice will help mefor the rest of my life.”

Arthur HarrisBloomington Jefferson High School — Region 3AAGPA: 4.046Soccer, tennis, speech, debate

“Debate has prepared me with analytical skills, which I can use andapply to different situations. Debate helps me to understand the world,through constant current event research and debates over the currentpolicy agenda. Debate teaches me how to be humble and acceptdefeat, which is an important skill in a world where conflicts startbecause no one knows how to back down and say they were wrong. Iknow that I will be prepared for whatever career I pursue because ofthe skills I have learned in debate.”

Erika StorvickWoodbury High School — Region 4AAG.P.A. 4.1379Cross country running, Nordic skiing, softball, track and field, band,choir, speech

“Regardless of who wins, we have all received benefits from beinginvolved. The value of arts, athletics, and academics is undeniable:success in one area often leads to success in another. All of us in thiscompetition realize this; we work hard and are passionate about whatwe do. I am glad that my generation is full of promising students, withgreat potential for leadership. We look forward to a bright future.”

Eric CorcoranStillwater Area High School — Region 4AAGPA: 4.311Cross country running, Nordic skiing, track and field, orchestra

“More important than all of these individual achievements is whatties them together: the initiative, the focus, and the hard work requiredon a daily basis to achieve success in academics, athletics, and thearts.”

Kristen NordbyCentennial High School — Region 5AAGPA: 4.034Basketball, softball, band

“Sports during high school allowed me to obtain the qualities ofbeing time-conscious, as well as self-motivated, competitive, andhard-working. Participating in sports forced me to consider the mostimportant tasks that needed completing that day. Self-motivation camefrom the desire to improve myself in order to compete at the highestlevel in my sport; the coaches gave me the opportunity to improve, butit was up to me to improve myself.”

Jonathan DillMaple Grove High School — Region 5AAGPA: 3.98Cross country running, wrestling, track and field, band, orchestra

“Most importantly, I learned that good sportsmanship involveswinning humbly and losing graciously. I learned to set long- and short-term goals for myself, and I know that the qualities I developed insports will go with me into the future as I am faced with challengessuch as studying and working long hours, attending graduate schooland even getting a job.”

Anna HjerpeRobbinsdale Armstrong High School — Region 6AAG.P.A. 4.0Cross country running, Nordic skiing, track and field, lacrosse,band, choir, orchestra

“In my opinion, being successful isn’t about making the most moneyor having the best job and house. Success for me is about happiness,and I have found the greatest joy in music. I am so fortunate to havehad the opportunity to participate in orchestra, band, and choir duringhigh school. Music too often gets put on the shelf to make room forother things; however, I know it will always be the safety net into whichI will fall when I need to turn away from the craziness of the world.”

Josh ThorsonWayzata High School — Region 6AAGPA: 4.026Cross country running, track and field, choir, visual arts

“Life has no meaning unless you give it one. You won’t be presentedwith a plan on how to become something, to change someone’s life orcreate something great simply because you exist. Instead, I think thatlife is all about goals, both in the long and short term. There’s no otherway to make a change in the world.”

Karley PetersenGrand Rapids High School — Region 7AAGPA: 4.031Soccer, basketball, track and field, band, choir

“The level of coursework I have been taking throughout high schoolhas taught me how to take something of the unknown and run with ituntil it becomes clear, which leads to other curious unknowns. Workingwith my classmates in academic activities has taught me to open mymind to new thoughts and theories and perhaps add my own twists toa new understanding, and in doing so achieving something that I wouldnot be able to do alone.”

See TTTTTriple Ariple Ariple Ariple Ariple A on

Brandon RoigerSleepy Eye

Joshua OlerudSpring Grove

Christina MonsonAlbert Lea

Ellie HeidornOrono

Allison CordesRoseville Area

Daniel SpikaEastview, Apple Valley

Ethan RybergBOLD, Olivia

Madalyn HelgetSleepy Eye St. Mary’s

Tianna CselovszkiSleepy Eye

Alisha StemperFoley

Christian SchmidtChisago Lakes Area,

Lindstrom

Kristian KirschtBertha-Hewitt

Hannah DavidsonVirginia

Steffan StrohUnderwood

Caleb SchneiderNorthome

Joshua LoomisWatertown-Mayer

Amy ErlandsonNorth St. Paul

Michael SwearingenBuffalo

Abbey SchultzSwanville

Eric MadsonHutchinson

Frank FairchildGibbon-Fairfax-

Winthrop

Sylesh VollaEagan

Aaron SchwabElk River

Grant ManleyMora

John Carlo FrancoSt. Paul Humboldt

Alexandrea SosallaHibbing

Nicole PaulsonFosston

Jessica MooberryBenson

Lyle NybergAitkin

Randi MehusSpring Grove

Macy HartmanWadena-Deer Creek

Crystal AmundsonThief River Falls


News & Features

Triple A ................................................................................ continued from Page 7

Benjamin Nault-MaurerCambridge-Isanti High School — Region 7AAGPA: 3.966Soccer, swimming and diving, band, choir

“Sportsmanship is more than shaking hands at the end of a game;it’s respecting the official, the rules, and the athletes. Equallyimportant, it’s accepting the responsibility to represent yourcommunity positively. I know that I will participate in sports in thefuture and will take these lessons with me.”

Heidi NelsonDetroit Lakes High School — Region 8AAGPA: 4.071Soccer, hockey, track and field, choir, band

“Being involved in fine arts taught me important life lessons thatwill assist me in the future. I have learned not to judge others for whatthey do until I have tried it myself. I have also learned to never holdback from trying something for fear of failure or what others mightthink.”

Samuel KussRocori High School — Region 8AAGPA: 4.227Football, wrestling, basketball, baseball, track and field, band, choir

“Throughout my experiences in high school, I’ve come to learn howlife is much bigger than winning the game, acing a test, or singing aperfect solo. It’s about how one appreciates what they have, to bethankful for the people around them, and for them to make the mostout of life.”

Lisa Lissimore

By Lisa LissimoreAssociate Director

Celebrating its 16th year of recognizing high school juniors, theMinnesota State High School League honored the 2012 ExCEL Awardrecipients during ceremonies at the State Girls’ Basketball Tournamenton March 17.

ExCEL — Excellence in Community, Education and Leadership —is a unique award program that is given annually to high school juniorswho are leaders in their schools and who demonstrate a strongcommitment to community volunteerism.

Here are brief profiles of the 2012 ExCEL Award winners:

Crystal AmundsonThief River Falls High School

School Activities: Student Council, Math League, National HonorSociety, FFA, Science Fair, athletic director aide

Athletics: Volleyball, basketball, softballFine Arts: Band, choir, orchestraCommunity Service: Church musician and volunteer, Sunday School

teacher, 4-H, youth sports coach and referee, American Cancer Societyvolunteer

Allison CordesRoseville Area High School

School Activities: National Honor Society, Link Leader, peer tutoring,Raiders Against Destructive Decisions

Athletics: Cross country running, basketball, track and fieldFine Arts: Band, choirCommunity Service: Youth sports coach and tournament assistant,

Twin Cities Marathon volunteer, church publications and teachingvolunteer, blood drive volunteer, mission trip participant, church campcounselor

Tianna CselovszkiSleepy Eye High School

School Activities: Theater, Mock Trial, Knowledge Bowl, NationalHonor Society, Student Council, History Club, FFA, School ReferendumCommittee

League honors students for ExCEL-ence

Combining formore than 17,000communityservice hours, the2012 ExCELAward recipientsare extraordinaryindividuals ...

Combining for more than 17,000community service hours, the 2012ExCEL Award recipients areextraordinary individuals who workvoluntarily to end hunger, house thehomeless, and provide disaster relieffor those in need. Many are involvedin 4-H and FFA outreach activitieswhile others coach youth sportteams, teach Sunday school, mentorat-risk children and volunteer atfood shelves, nursing homes,libraries and hospitals. One student,Sylesh Volla of Eagan High School, isa certified tax preparer who helps

low-income families and individuals file their taxes.I oversee this program and the 2012 ExCEL Award winners’

approach to volunteerism inspires others to make service a centralpart of their lives. These students are engaged in life-changing projectsthat build stronger, healthier and safer communities.

The League, along with broadcast partner KSTC-TV, Channel 45,honored the ExCEL Award winners in a televised on-court awardceremony during halftime of the Class AA girls’ basketballchampionship game on March 17. Video vignettes featuring the ExCELAward winners were also aired throughout the broadcasts of all of thewinter tournaments.

The ExCEL Award program began in 1996. Award recipients areselected through a multi-level process that involves League memberschools and an independent panel of judges from schools throughoutMinnesota. More than 3,200 students have been recognized with thisaward program. Two-hundred and ninety-five students were nominatedby their schools this year. See ExCELExCELExCELExCELExCEL on Page 10


News & FeaturesExCEL .................................................................................. continued from Page 9

Athletics: Volleyball, basketball, golfFine Arts: Band, choir, speechCommunity Service: Sunday School teacher, Farm Safety Awareness

volunteer, Adopt-A-Senior volunteer, Kids Against Hunger volunteer,mission trip volunteer, youth sports coach, county fair volunteer, horseriding assistant

Hannah DavidsonVirginia High School

School Activities: Key Club, Iron Range Youth in Action, exchangestudent host

Athletics: Swimming and diving managerFine Arts: BandCommunity Service: Church volunteer and Sunday School teacher,

National Youth Gathering fundraising, Early Childhood FamilyEducation teacher’s aide, YMCA camp counselor

Special Mention: Hannah began the youth group in her church,organizing activities for students in grades 3-7. With other teens, shehas organized events such as movie nights, an international day and abeach party complete with truckloads of sand.

Amy ErlandsonNorth (St. Paul) High School

School Activities: Link Crew, National Honor Society, Fellowship ofChristian Athletes, peer tutoring, theater

Athletics: Basketball, track and fieldFine Arts: Band, choirCommunity Service: Multicultural Youth Leadership volunteer and

committee chair, church musician and volunteer, youth sports coach,Martin Luther King Day of Leadership volunteer, Healing Haitivolunteer, medical supply packaging volunteer

Frank FairchildGibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop High School

School Activities: Student Council, marching band, theater,Knowledge Bowl

Athletics: Football, basketball, track and fieldFine Arts: One act play, bandCommunity Service: Camp counselor, youth sports coach, church

volunteer, Kids Against Hunger volunteer, school maintenancevolunteer

John FrancoSt. Paul Humboldt High School

School Activities: Yearbook, newspaper, Student CouncilAthletics: Football, baseball, track and fieldCommunity Service: Recreation center volunteer mentor, youth

sports coach, community booster group volunteer

Macy HartmanWadena-Deer Creek High School

School Activities: National Honor Society, yearbook, BusinessProfessionals of America

Athletics: Tennis, basketball, boys’ tennis managerFine Arts: BandCommunity Service: Youth sports coach and tournament volunteer,

musical group accompanist, church musician and volunteer, blooddrive volunteer, tornado clean-up volunteer

Ellie HeidornOrono High School

School Activities: Peer tutoring, Spanish Club, Student Council,newspaper, leadership conference representative

Athletics: Basketball, track and fieldFine Arts: Choir, debateCommunity Service: Youth in Action volunteer, church volunteer,

mission trips volunteer, Minneapolis Crisis Nursery volunteer, Feed MyStarving Children volunteer, camp volunteer, adapted sports aide

Madalyn HelgetSleepy Eye St. Mary’s High School

School Activities: National Honor Society, Student Council, yearbook,math contest

Athletics: Volleyball, basketball, softballFine Arts: BandCommunity Service: Church volunteer, Muscular Dystrophy

Association camp counselor, youth sports coach, office aide, VacationBible School volunteer

Kristian KirschtBertha-Hewitt High School

School Activities: Business Professionals of America, StudentCouncil, marching band, theater, teacher’s aide, foreign exchangestudent host

Athletics: Volleyball, basketball, softball, cheerleadingFine Arts: Band, choir, one act play, speechCommunity Service: Church volunteer, youth sports coach, tutoring,

Vacation Bible School teacher, cancer patient caregiver, senior citizengift program volunteer

Special Mention: Kristian was a caregiver 10 hours a week for fivemonths to a patient with a terminal and rare type of brain cancer,helping with motor skills, verbal skills, and everyday tasks.

Joshua LoomisWatertown-Mayer High School

School Activities: Theater, National Honor Society, BusinessProfessionals of America, Student Council, Knowledge Bowl

Athletics: Soccer, track and fieldFine Arts: Band, choirCommunity Service: Church volunteer, Vacation Bible School

volunteer, Feed My Starving Children volunteer, nursing homevolunteer, mission trip volunteer

Eric MadsonHutchinson High School

School Activities: Robotics, Math League, Student Council, LinkCrew, Key Club, School Board student representative, LeadershipConference representative, peer math tutor

Athletics: Football, wrestling, tennis, girls’ tennis managerFine Arts: Band, choirCommunity Service: Church volunteer, blood drive organizer, youth

sports coach and referee, Kiwanis member, Habitat for Humanityvolunteer, senior citizens home maintenance volunteer, Adopt-a-Highway volunteer, Meals on Wheels volunteer

Grant ManleyMora High School

School Activities: Theater, Student Council, Math League, NationalHonor Society, Leadership Conference representative

Athletics: Football, golf, track and fieldFine Arts: Band, choirCommunity Service: Boy Scouts volunteer, Memorial Day ceremony

volunteer, community food drive volunteer, church volunteer, VacationBible School assistant, art show volunteer, Harbor House Sheltervolunteer

Randi MehusSpring Grove High School

School Activities: Student Council, Pep Club, Knowledge Bowl,yearbook, theater, marching band

Athletics: Volleyball, basketball, track and fieldFine Arts: Choir, bandCommunity Service: 4-H officer and volunteer, church volunteer,

church camp volunteer, Adopt-a-Highway volunteer, Meals on Wheelsvolunteer, nursing home volunteer, Relay for Life participant, ECFEevent volunteer

Special Mention: Randi is the third person in her family to win theExCEL Award.

See ExCELExCELExCELExCELExCEL on Page 11


News & FeaturesExCEL ................................................................................. continued from Page 10

Christina MonsonAlbert Lea

School Activities: Business Professionals of America, Youth AdvisoryCommittee, Link Crew

Athletics: Cross country running, basketball, track and fieldFine Arts: Choir, one act playCommunity Service: 4-H ambassador and volunteer, cancer

fundraising event organizer, camp counselor, Salvation Army bellringer, church volunteer, mission trip volunteer, food drive volunteer

Special Mention: Christina organized a fundraising benefit for theAlbert Lea Cancer Center and for a teacher who was diagnosed withbreast cancer. The event featured top musical talents of the school andcommunity and allowed attendees to vote on their favorite acts withfinancial donations.

Jessica MooberryBenson High School

School Activities: Student Council, National Honor Society, theater,Business Professionals of America, yearbook

Athletics: Cross country running, basketball, track and fieldFine Arts: Choir, band, marching band flaglineCommunity Service: Dairy farm volunteer, Salvation Army bell

ringer, church volunteer and Sunday School teacher, blood drivevolunteer, community theater, Adopt-a-Highway volunteer, fluvaccination aide, community dance teacher

Lyle NybergAitkin High School

School Activities: Theater, Student Council, Students AgainstDestructive Decisions, National HonorSociety, FFA, Peer Helpers, Spanish Club,Green Team

Athletics: Football, basketball, tennisFine Arts: Choir, band, speechCommunity Service: Church volunteer,

youth organization volunteer, youth sportscoach, Salvation Army bell ringer, Feed MyStarving Children volunteer, highwayclean-up volunteer

Joshua OlerudSpring Grove High School

School Activities: Student Council, FFA, Knowledge Bowl, theaterAthletics: Football, basketball, track and fieldFine Arts: Band, choir, one act playCommunity Service: 4-H volunteer, Meals on Wheels volunteer,

holiday event volunteer, Adopt-a-Highway volunteer, nursing homevolunteer, homeless shelter volunteer

Nicole PaulsonFosston High School

School Activities: Drumline, theater, Student Council, teacherassistant, National Honor Society, Leadership Conferencerepresentative

Athletics: Volleyball, basketball, softballFine Arts: Band, choirCommunity Service: Church musician and volunteer, mission trips

volunteer, Kids Against Hunger volunteer, Second Harvest volunteer,senior citizens service volunteer

Brandon RoigerSleepy Eye High School

School Activities: Knowledge Bowl, National Honor Society, StudentCouncil, theater, yearbook, History Club, FFA

Athletics: Cross country running, track and fieldFine Arts: One act play, speech, band, choirCommunity Service: Church volunteer, leadership service trips, farm

safety event volunteer, Adopt-a-Senior volunteer, Kids Against Hungervolunteer, FFA volunteer

Ethan RybergBOLD High School

School Activities: Student Council, National Honor Society, theaterpit band, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Math League

Athletics: Cross country running, basketball, golfFine Arts: BandCommunity Service: Church musician and volunteer, nursing home

volunteer, Lion’s Club volunteer, food shelf drive volunteer, blood drivevolunteer

Christian SchmidtChisago Lakes Area High School

School Activities: Knowledge Bowl, Math League, National HonorSociety, Students Against Destructive Decisions, BusinessProfessionals of America

Athletics: Football, track and fieldFine Arts: BandCommunity Service: Boy Scouts volunteer, community theater

volunteer, church volunteer, elementary after-school program volunteer

Caleb SchneiderNorthome High School

School Activities: Student Council, National Honor Society, ScienceClub, yearbook, newspaper

Athletics: Football, basketball, track and fieldFine Arts: Band, show choirCommunity Service: Church volunteer, 4-H officer and volunteer,

Vacation Bible School assistant, sled dog race volunteer, CysticFibrosis fundraising event volunteer

Abbey SchultzSwanville High School School Activities: National HonorSociety, Student Council, Theater,Knowledge Bowl, Letterman’s Club,teacher’s assistant, school food drive Athletics: Tennis, basketball, softball Fine Arts: Band Community Service: 4-H officer andvolunteer, church volunteer, youth sportscoach, cemetery clean-up volunteer, blood

drive volunteer, State Fair livestock educator

Aaron SchwabElk River High School

School Activities: Link Crew, National Honor Society, Volunteer Club,Spanish Club

Athletics: Swimming and divingFine Arts: Visual artsCommunity Service: Community musician, church volunteer, Feed

My Starving Children volunteer, youth sports coach, Parent’s Night Outvolunteer, summer meal program volunteer

Special Mention: During a summer meal program for families withfinancial hardships, Aaron led the planning and coordinating ofactivities for the children following their meals.

Alexandrea SosallaHibbing High School

School Activities: Knowledge Bowl, Student Council, Key Club,Spanish Club, yearbook

Athletics: Soccer, Nordic skiing, golfFine Arts: Visual artsCommunity Service: Church volunteer, Iron Range Youth in Action

volunteer, Salvation Army volunteer, youth sports volunteer, Adopt-a-Highway volunteer, Meals on Wheels volunteer, food shelf volunteer

See ExCELExCELExCELExCELExCEL on


News & Features

Joh

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eThirteen Minnesota FIRSTRobotics teams packed their bags— and their robots —inpreparation for competition at theFIRST World Championships April25-28 in St. Louis, Mo. Eleven ofthe Minnesota FIRST teams “wontheir way” to the event; however,FIRST also reserves a smallnumber of slots for veteran teamsthat have never experiencedcompeting at the WorldChampionships event and twoMinnesota teams were awardedthose spots.

About 400 FIRST RoboticsCompetition (FRC) teams willcompete at the FIRST WorldChampionships (www.usfirst.org)at the Edward Jones Dome in St.Louis.

“We embrace and applaud allof these Minnesota FIRST teamsfor inspiring us with theircreativity, ingenuity, engineeringand team spirit,” said AmyDoherty, project specialist for theMinnesota State High SchoolLeague and tournament directorfor the inaugural Minnesota StateRobotics Tournament scheduledFriday, May 19, at Williams Arenaon the University of Minnesota’sMinneapolis campus.

FIRST means For Inspirationand Recognition of Science andTechnology.

Following are the Minnesotateams that qualified, their FRCidentifying number and teamnickname, and (how theyqualified):

● Albany High School, Team #4226 - Huskies (Regional Winner,North Star Regional)

● Bloomington Kennedy HighSchool, Team #3081 -RoboEagles (Regional Winner,10,000 Lakes Regional)

● Breck School, Team #3630- The Stampede (Chairman’sAward Winner, 10,000 LakesRegional)

● Duluth East High School,Team #2512 - Daredevils(Regional Winner, North StarRegional)

Minnesota well represented at national robotics championships

Above: Rebound Rumble is the name of the challenge that robotics teams from across thecountry faced this year. Their machines are designed and engineered to shoot basketballs into

hoops of varying heights and positions in timed competition. Extra points can be earned bybalancing robots on the platforms at the center of the competition area. These photographs

were taken at the recent regional competition held at Mariucci Arena. Below: The MinneapolisPatrick Henry robot that will compete at the national champuionships was fine-tuned in the

pits at the regional event.“We embrace and applaud all ofthese Minnesota FIRST teams forinspiring us with their creativity,

ingenuity, engineering andteam spirit.”

● Eagan High School,Team #2220 - BlueTwilight (EngineeringInspiration, North StarRegional)

● Edina High School,Team # 1816 - The GreenMachine (Chairman’sAward Winner, North StarRegional)

● G-F-W High School and NewCountry School, Team #4228 -iRobotics (Rookie All-Star, LakeSuperior Regional)

● The International School ofMinnesota, Team #2705 - WEROBOT (FIRST invitation)

● Minneapolis Patrick HenryHigh School, Team #2500 -Herobotics (EngineeringInspiration, 10,000 LakesRegional)

● Prior Lake High School,#2169 - King Tec (Chairman’sAward Winner, Regional Winner,Lake Superior Regional)

● RiverBend Academy andLake Crystal-Wellcome Memorial,Team #3747 - Chaotech (RegionalWinner, 10,000 Lakes Regional)

● St. Anthony Village HighSchool, Team #2574 –RoboHuskies (FIRST invitation)

● St. Peter High School, Team#3018 - Nordic Storm (RegionalWinner, Lake Superior Regional).

Laptops and joysticks are used by students to control therobots during competition.


News & Features

ExCEL ................................................................................. continued from Page 11Daniel SpikaEastview High School

School Activities: National Honor Society, Spanish National HonorSociety, theater pit orchestra, Leadership Group

Athletics: Cross country running, basketball, tennisFine Arts: Band, choirCommunity Service: Nursing home volunteer, Salvation Army Adopt-

a-Family volunteer, Relay for Life participant, Adopt-a-Highwayvolunteer, road race volunteer, blood drive volunteer

Michael SwearingenBuffalo High School

School Activities: Mock Trial, Student Council, theater pit orchestra,Technology Advisory Council, newspaper, National Honor Society,Leadership Group

Athletics: Cross country running, track and field, Nordic skiingFine Arts: OrchestraCommunity Service: Church musician and volunteer, Feed My

Starving Children volunteer, Spanish tutor

Alisha StemperFoley High School

School Activities: FFA, National Honor Society, Spanish Club, retreatleader

Athletics: Swimming and diving, track and field

Fine Arts: Choir, speechCommunity Service: County Fair volunteer, youth sports assistant,

church volunteer, Kiwanis Club member, Adopt-a-Highway volunteer,nursing home volunteer

Steffan StrohUnderwood High School

School Activities: Knowledge Bowl, theater, National Honor Society,Student Council, Audio Visual Club

Athletics: Football, basketball, track and fieldFine Arts: Speech, one act play, band, choirCommunity Service: Boy Scouts volunteer, Diabetes Awareness

Walk, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation representative

Sylesh VollaEagan High School

School Activities: National Honor Society, table tennis player,International Mathematical Modeling Competition, Math Team, ScienceOlympiad, University of Minnesota Talented Youth Math Program,Business Professionals of America, French Club, peer tutor

Athletics: TennisFine Arts: Band, debateCommunity Service: Tax preparation volunteer, hospital volunteer,

Habitat for Humanity volunteer, middle school tutor, library volunteerSpecial Mention: Sylesh is a certified tax preparer for a community

center tax clinic helping low income families and individuals file theirtaxes.

Jacob Goldberg, an athlete at PineCrest School in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.,was selected the 2012 nationalrecipient of the National High SchoolSpirit of Sport Award by the NationalFederation of State High SchoolAssociations (NFHS).

A senior at Pine Crest School, whichis considered to be one of the topacademic schools in the state ofFlorida, Goldberg has taken 13advanced placement courses in highlychallenging subjects. Since 2009, hehas been a dual-enrolled student atFlorida Atlantic University. Despite thathighly challenging academic regimen,he maintains a glittering 4.56 grade-point average (on a 4.0-scale) at hishigh school.

He is a member of several clubs,including the Pine Crest Beta Club, the

Florida athlete National High SchoolFlorida athlete National High SchoolFlorida athlete National High SchoolFlorida athlete National High SchoolFlorida athlete National High SchoolSpirit of Sport ASpirit of Sport ASpirit of Sport ASpirit of Sport ASpirit of Sport Award recipientward recipientward recipientward recipientward recipient

Josh Ripley, a junior cross country runnerat Andover High School, has been selected asthe 2012 Section 5 recipient of the NationalHigh School Spirit of Sport Award by theNational Federation of State High SchoolAssociations (NFHS).

The National High School Spirit of SportAward was created by the NFHS to recognizethose individuals who exemplify the ideals ofthe spirit of sport that represent the coremission of education-based athletics.

Following is a portion of the League’snomination of Ripley for the national Spirit ofSport Award.

“We believe that Josh Ripley, a junior atAndover High School in Minnesota,exemplifies the Spirit of Sport through whathe minimizes as just an instinctual action, butwhat we believe as a truly selflessdemonstration of sportsmanship.

“While racing in his first mile of a juniorvarsity cross country meet on Sept. 16, 2011,Josh Ripley heard the screams of acompetitor. The screams came from LakevilleSouth freshman Mark Paulauskas, who washuddled near a fence bleeding profusely. Mark

had been accidentally “spiked” in the Achilles’heel by a competitor’s shoe during the race,and was looking for a cart to transport him tohelp.

“Did Josh continue to race, brieflysympathizing with the competitor and hopinghe would get help soon? Did Josh continue torun, yet interrupt his race by alerting theclosest coach or meet official of hiscompetitor in distress? Nope. ‘I knew I neededto stop and help him,’ Josh explained. Josh,who is 6-foot-5 and weighs 185 pounds,scooped up 100-pound Mark and ran with himuntil he could find help. Josh ran with Mark inhis arms for ¼ to ½ of a mile before handinghim off to a Lakeville coach.

“As Mark’s Andover coach Scott Clarkdescribed it, ‘I am waiting for all my kids to go

Andover’s Ripley named Section 5 recipient ofNational High School Spirit of Sport Award

See RipleyRipleyRipleyRipleyRipley on

See FloridaFloridaFloridaFloridaFlorida on Page 14

Josh, who is 6-foot-5 andweighs 185 pounds,scooped up 100-poundMark and ran with himuntil he could find help.Josh ran with Mark in hisarms for ¼ to ½ of a milebefore handing him off toa Lakeville coach.

After he said a littleprayer for Mark and was

confident that Mark was insafe hands, Josh sped off,continuing his race. Josh

finished 211 out of 261runners, but was greetedlike a race winner at the

finish line.


News & Features

10-Year Paid Attendance

460,000

470,000

480,000

490,000

500,000

510,000

520,000

530,000

540,000

550,000

2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12*

Paid attendance at 2011-12League state tournaments isexpected to reboundapproximately 3 percent over theprevious year following steadydeclines over the past threeyears. Paid attendance hasdeclined steadily from a high of540,000 people in the 2007-08school year to 492,000 people in

Paid attendance rebounds in 2011-12the 2010-11 school year. If thisspring’s weather cooperates,however, League staff anticipatespaid attendance to reach 507,000people for the current schoolyear.

Factors that have affectedattendance include weather, whoqualifies, and the obviousdownturn in the economy. The

accompanying graph makesapparent that attendancedecreased during the economicslow down between the fall of2008 and spring of 2011.

Tournaments that have seenan increase in attendance for thecurrent 2011-12 school year arefootball, boys’ hockey, and girls’basketball.

The League appreciates thesupport it receives from itsschool communities and thegeneral public. With this supportthe League is able to conduct 29quality state tournaments in avariety of athletic and fine artsactivities.

* Fall 2011 & Winter 2012 Only

Florida............................................................................ continued from Page 13Spanish Honor Society and the Math Club. He has been verydeservedly recognized with numerous awards, including thePowerful Kid Award, the Emory Book Award and the Florida LionsClub International Award.

Goldberg is also a standout distance runner, who in addition torunning on the Pine Crest track and cross country squads, hascompeted in nine half-marathons and four triathlons.

Not content to restrict himself to simply the basics, Goldbergdoes volunteer work at an Alzheimer’s Day Care center, studiesmacular degeneration and diabetes under the direction of a doctor,and in 2007 cofounded with his sister, Rachael, “Together We See,”a foundation that has raised more than $45,000 to help send blindand disabled youth to summer camp.

And while all of those accomplishments are extremely admirableand impressive, they are made truly incredible by the fact thatGoldberg is legally blind and has Tourette’s Syndrome.

But don’t ask him if he considers those to be disabilities or if hefeels that he has been dealt an unfair hand in life.

According to Pine Crest Associate Athletic Director Jim Foster,Goldberg will instead tell you that he doesn’t view those asobstacles, but rather as adjustments he must make to attain thegoals to which he aspires.

“This is a young man whose vocabulary does not include thewords ‘I can’t,’” Foster said. “Instead, he simply finds a way to

persevere without complaint. He has constantly used hismisfortunes as a platform to selflessly help others.

“Further, this remarkable young man is the epitome ofindependence. While attending class at Florida Atlantic University,he takes the bus to school. When walking about campus or runningin cross country races, he doesn’t use a guide dog.”

Goldberg has a very strong desire to give back to the community,especially to children who face similar challenges as he. Knowingthat he will be leaving for college next year, he wanted to make surethat he could help needy children not only in the present, but also inthe future.

With those thoughts in mind, he organized a 5K fundraiser onFeb. 18, 2012. While such an undertaking is generally done by acommittee and not an individual, Goldberg took on all of it himself.Among the many things he did, he researched and met withcompanies to find out how to stage such an event, and also securedall of the sponsorships and organizers himself. In the end, the racegenerated a very impressive $20,000, and in the process helpedmake the foundation’s funding even more secure for the future.

Jacob Goldberg was selected the national award recipient fromamong eight individuals chosen for NFHS section awards. Andover’sJosh Ripley was the NFHS Section 5 recipient.

See FloridaFloridaFloridaFloridaFlorida on Page 15


Ripley ................................................................................. continued from Page 13

Proud family members were on hand when Josh Ripley was presented his NFHS Section 5National High School Spirit of Sport Award at the April League Board of Directors meeting.Attending were (L-R): Brenda Ripley Reed, his aunt, Karen Ripley, his grandmother, Stacey

Ripley, his mother, Jordan Ripley, his younger brother, Josh, Jason Ripley, his father, AndoverHigh School Activities Director Eric Lehtola, and Robert Ripley, his grandfather. His act of

compassion and sportsmanship was profiled in the January 2012 issue of High School Todaypublished by the NFHS.

running by, and there is no Josh,no Josh. I was wondering, ‘Whatwas going on? Why was he so farback?” When someone told Clarkthat Josh was carrying anotherrunner, he thought he misheard.‘Then I see Josh … He’s got thekid in his arms, like you wouldcarry a youngster,’ Clarkdescribed.

“After he said a little prayer forMark and was confident that Markwas in safe hands, Josh sped off,continuing his race. At this pointhe was clearly last in the race,but he made up for lost timepassing 50 runners on the way tothe finish line. Josh finished 211out of 261 runners, but wasgreeted like a race winner at thefinish line.

“Meanwhile, Mark wastransported to the hospital wherehe received 20 stitches and awalking boot. He stated, ‘It’s thenicest thing anyone’s ever donefor me. I don’t know how long Iwould’ve waited there.’

“Josh has received muchfanfare and even nationalrecognition since his act ofsportsmanship but he neverunderstood what all the fuss was

“It wasn’tan act of

heroism. …I’m

nothingspecial; I

was just inthe rightplace atthe right

time.”

about. ‘I just knew I needed to help him. Ithink a lot of other runners would have too,had they realized the situation. But they werejust really focused on their race. I just couldn’tleave him there.’

“Josh represents the Spirit of Sport notonly through his actions on that Septemberday, but also through his shrug-it-off attitudethat sportsmanship is just a ‘given’ and issomething that should just be expected fromanyone. It is clear to anyone that Joshrepresents all that is good about high schoolsports and activities.

“Humbly, Josh stated, ‘It wasn’t an act ofheroism …I’m nothing special; I was just inthe right place at the right time.’

“While we hate to disagree with a student-athlete of such integrity, on this issue we begto differ; Josh truly is something special. Westrongly support Josh as the 2012representative of the Spirit of Sport award.”

Joh

n M

illea

/ M

inne

sota

Sta

te H

igh

Sch

ool L

eagu

e

Nominations for this award were generated through NFHSmember state associations and reviewed by the NFHS NationalHigh School Spirit of Sport Award Selection Committeecomposed of state association staff members. While thenational winner will be recognized July 8 at the NFHS SummerMeeting in Nashville, Tennessee, the section winners arerecognized within their respective states and will receiveawards before the end of the current school year.

Florida................. continued from Page 14

News & Features


Athletic Activities

Craig Perry

See EligibilityEligibilityEligibilityEligibilityEligibility on Page 17

By Dr. Craig PerryAssociate Director

Each spring I review the topicsof my incoming emails and phonecalls to identify eligibility hottopics — the topics about which Itend to spend most of my time.Issues involving transfereligibility, chemical eligibility, andgood standing — student code ofconduct — are always alsocrossing my desk.

This spring, the topics of opengym, non-school competition andtraining, and due process havebeen current issues. Thequestions and answers belowshould help you as you workthrough such eligibility situations.

Open GymQ. What constitutes an open

gym?A. Open gym refers to the use

of school facilities forrecreational activities. Thecharacteristics of an open gymare that:

● the school facilities areavailable for students toparticipate in a number ofactivities;

● the recreational activitiesare open to all students;

● there is no coaching of theskills and techniques of activitiesprovided in the schoolinterscholastic athletic program;

● there is no requirement forstudents to attend open gymactivities as a prerequisite formembership on a high schoolteam;

● high school coaches maynot participate in games, pickupgames, provide instruction in theskills of a sport or otherwiseinfluence a high school athlete’sparticipation in open gym.

Open gym conducted as statedabove is not a violation of Leaguebylaws. (Note: Coaches who havebeen approved for summerwaivers may supervise open gymand provide instruction toathletes.)

Q. How is open gym differentfrom open basketball or openvolleyball?

A. Open gym implies that anumber of activities are availablefor students to participate induring the time that the gym isopen and conducted as stated

above. Open volleyball or openbasketball implies that the facilityis open only for those who wantto participate in volleyball orbasketball and that otheractivities are excluded. Openbasketball, volleyball, wrestling,etc., constitutes a violation ofLeague bylaws if supervised by amember of the high schoolcoaching staff — B-squad, JV orVarsity.

Q. As a high school coach, mayI supervise open gym?

A. High school coaches maysupervise open gym, providedthat the coach has beendesignated by the school to do soand that all of the characteristicsof open gym are met. High schoolcoaches may not supervise opengym where only their sport isoffered for participants, i.e. openvolleyball, open basketball, openwrestling, etc. High schoolcoaches may not participate ingames or provide instruction,coaching or training to their highschool athletes in that sport.

Q. When may I conduct opengym during the year?

A. Because open gym is not aLeague-sanctioned activity, thereare no restrictions on when itmay be offered.

Q. May a coach receive pay forsupervising open gym?

A. A school may hire and paycoaches to supervise open gym.

Q. May we have open gym onSunday?

A. There are no restrictions asto when the school may allowopen gym, however, schooldistricts are responsible foridentifying the person responsiblefor open gym supervision.

Non-School Competitionand TrainingQ. When can athletes

participate on a non-school teamor in a non-school tournament?

A. Athletes are prohibitedfrom participating on a non-school team or in non-schoolcompetition while they are amember of their high school teamin that sport. Athletes mayparticipate in non-schoolcompetition and on non-schoolteams once their high school

team has been eliminated fromLeague tournament competition.(Baseball, softball, and skiing areexceptions to this rule: studentsmay participate on a non-schoolteam in these same sports duringthe high school season.)

Non-School TrainingException: Athletes may receivenon-school training during thehigh school season in sports inwhich competitors qualify as anindividual to the statetournament: (swimming, crosscountry running, tennis, skiing,gymnastics, wrestling,synchronized swimming, golf, andtrack and field).

Lessons/Training: During thehigh school season an athletemay take lessons from aprofessional or other non-schoolcoach without limit as to where,when or who may provide thetraining. However, athletes maynot miss a high school practice,game, or meet to take a lesson ortrain for a non-school event.Athletes may not take lessonsfrom or train with a non-schoolteam or club during the highschool season in the same sport.

Competition: Athletes maycompete in non-school events orcompetitions during the highschool season that do not matchthe events in which athletescurrently compete in high schoolcompetition.

Q. Is it OK and legal to coachmy own daughters year-round inthe sport of gymnastics?

A. Bylaw 208, Non-SchoolCoaching and Training, prohibitshigh school coaches fromproviding coaching or training tomembers of their high schoolteam outside of the high school

season or summer waiver period.However, the League recognizesthat coaches are also parentswith children who may participateon a high school team coached byone of their parents. To that endwe have, by interpretation, madeaccommodations in the bylaw toallow parents to coach their ownchildren anytime without being inviolation of bylaw 208.

Due ProcessQ. What is due process?A. Due process, or Fair

Hearing Procedure, is theprocedure by which a studentwho has been declared ineligibleby the school has the opportunityto request a hearing at the locallevel conducted by a neutralhearing panel to re-examine thefacts of the case and render adecision on the student’seligibility. If the student is still notconvinced that the eligibilitydecision was fair and impartial,the student has the right toappeal to the League for ahearing.

Q. Who qualifies for the FairHearing Procedure?

A. All students who have beendeclared ineligible under one ormore of the League’s bylaws areguaranteed the right to initiatethe Fair Hearing Procedure.

Q. Who is responsible to informthe student that the Fair HearingProcedure is available to them?

A. The administrator who hasresponsibility for studenteligibility should also beresponsible to notify the studentof the opportunity for due

EligibilityQ & A regarding open gym, non-school competition and training, due process


See ConcussionConcussionConcussionConcussionConcussion on

Athletic Activities

process. It would be advisable togive every student who commits aviolation of League bylaws a copyof the Fair Hearing Procedure atthe time that the student isnotified of the confirmed violationand the prescribed penalty isimposed.

Q. Under what conditions maya student appeal a school’sdetermination of ineligibility?

A. A student or parent mayappeal the school’s determinationof ineligibility as indicated in theFair Hearing Procedure policy.

Q. How do I set up a hearingunder the Fair Hearing Procedure?

A. Hearing Panel Membership:The Fair Hearing Procedurerecommends that a panel withrepresentation from the schoolboard, administration, and afaculty member-at-large beimpaneled to conduct the hearing.You should avoid placing anyoneon the panel who was involved inthe initial determination of

eligibility. The testimony must berecorded.

Conducting the Hearing: Onemember of the hearing panelshould serve as the facilitator. Itis the school’s responsibility topresent the evidence upon whichthe school determined thestudent’s ineligibility. Once theschool has presented itsevidence, the appealing party hasthe opportunity to present theirside, including witness testimony.Once all of the evidence fromboth sides has been entered intothe record, the panel may allowany closing statements by theschool and the appealing party.Following the closing arguments,the facilitator will conclude thehearing.

Rendering a Decision:Following the hearing, the panelhas four days in which to render adecision and notify the student oftheir decision.

Q. Can we hire a hearingofficer to hear the appeal?

A. Yes, a school may choose tohire a hearing officer to conductthe hearing. The cost of thehearing officer must be borne bythe school.

Q. How do athletes appeal tothe MSHSL?

A. The Fair Hearing Procedureoutlines the process by which astudent may appeal to theMSHSL. It states that the studentmust submit a request for ahearing at the MSHSL level inwriting not later than 10 daysfrom the date of receiving thelocal hearing panel’s decision.The League will review therequest and determine if ahearing will be held.

Q. Can the local hearing panelremove, waive or suspend apenalty?

A. No, the local hearing panelmay not waive, suspend orotherwise modify a penalty if the

panel determines that the studentviolated a League bylaw.

Q. Can we charge the studentfor the hearing?

A. No, all expenses for thehearing shall be the responsibilityof the school.

Q. Do we need to record thehearing and provide the audiotapeto the MSHSL?

A. Yes, you need to record thehearing. You only need to submitthe audiotape to the MSHSL if thestudent appeals to the MSHSL.

For additional informationabout due process, refer to theFair Hearing Procedure found onpages 44-49 in the 2011-2012MSHSL Official Handbook.

Additional questions andanswers to current issues can befound on the League website.From the home page(www.MSHSL.org), click on theResources tab, then selectPublications>Eligibility>EligibilityQuestions & Answers.

Eligibility ............................................................................. continued from Page 16

Father appreciated nod to adapted sports

The following note was sent to the League Board of Directors and staff by Executive DirectorDave Stead.

Good morning,As has been our custom, I was interviewed on Saturday night at halftime of the AAAA girls’

basketball game. The Adapted Floor Hockey tournament was also played last weekend, and Iwanted to be sure those athletes and schools were recognized, as well. Tory Holt, one of theinterviewers for KSTC-45, is an assistant coach for an adapted team, and he and I were talkingthroughout the day about how well they were doing. Tory’s job was to be at the basketballtournament, but his heart was with “his” team at the adapted tournament. So, I thought a goodthing to do was to invite him to be a part of my comments and to share the adapted program withthe TV audience. I introduced the topic and asked the interviewer to have Tory speak about theadapted program.

The comments below from Mr. Price reflect the support the League Board of Directors provides and the wonderful work of theLeague staff and our member schools to provide all athletes with a meaningful opportunity to compete as a member of a team. Ouroffice team and the board team have worked well together to provide fantastic programs for our member schools and the schoolcommunities.

Way to go, teams!

Dave

Dear Mr. Stead,I wanted to thank you for mentioning with enthusiasm the wonderful athletes of the adapted sports programs during the girls

AAAA basketball championship game interview you did on Channel 45. It was very exciting to hear our programs mentioned alongwith the “typical” kids.

We are very proud of the fact that Minnesota is the first state to have adapted sports high school tournaments. (We wish otherstates would follow).

I have had four children in adapted sports throughout the last 6 years. Because of their many accomplishments, we are fortunateto have over 25 medals from various state tournaments in adapted sports hanging throughout our home. We were fortunate to bringhome third place this year in the PI Division of the floor hockey tournament. I mention that as a way of saying how thankful I am thatthe League has given these kids the opportunity to have these phenomenal sporting experiences. The intensity and competitivespirit is rivaled by no other sport I’ve ever watched - amateur or professional.

From the bottom of my heart, a grateful dad,

Scott PriceAndover


Athletic Activities

The schedule of sites anddates for quarterfinal games ofthe 2012 State FootballTournament have beendetermined and are posted on theFootball activity page of theLeague website.

Due to the addition of ClassAAAAAA and its new format,some dates and sites are

2012 quarterfinal football sites, dates settentative and could be changedafter the qualifiers have beendetermined.

The format for the semifinalshas also been changed. In orderto have games at morereasonable times and in order toprovide more time betweengames, four games will now beplayed on Thursday, Nov. 15, and

five games will be played on bothNov. 16 and 17.

The 31st Annual Prep Bowlwill be played on Thanksgivingweekend. Championship gamesfor Classes 9-Man, AA, AAAA andAAAAAA will be played on Friday,Nov. 23. Classes A, AAA andAAAAA will play theirchampionship games on Saturday,Nov. 24.

1

7

2

11

3

8

4

Winner 13

15

Loser 11

Loser 8

Loser 14

Loser 1 if 1st Loss

5

Loser 2 12

Loser 7

Loser 3

6

Loser 4

14

9

10 13

For three years (including thecurrent season), baseball andsoftball have had to conductsingle-elimination tournaments atthe section level until the finalfour teams have beendetermined. A double-eliminationtournament is then conductedwith the final four teams in orderto determine the sectionchampion and who will advanceto the state tournament.

At its April meeting, theLeague Board of Directorsapproved proposals brought forthby both the Baseball and SoftballCoaches Advisory Committeeswhich requires that all sectionsconduct an eight-team double-elimination tournament beginningin 2013. Single elimination mustbe used to determine the finaleight teams.

Baseball, softball section tournamentsto return to 8-team double elimination

The new format cannot addmore than one additional day ofcompetition to the currenttournament format, and anyadditional day must be either aSaturday or Memorial Day so thatno additional school time ismissed.

Sections are also encouragedto play multiple games at one siteon the same day to save bothtime and travel. Thesetournaments could be arrangedgeographically to reduce travel.For example, four teams couldplay in a North subsection andthe four others play in a SouthSubsection. However, thetournament must be structuredso that once a team has twolosses that team is eliminated.

The National Federation ofState High School Associations(NFHS) has reached a milestonewith its online Coach EducationProgram. More than 500,000individuals have now registeredon the site atwww.nfhslearn.com. This markwas reachyed in slightly morethan five years since the start ofthe program. The 500,000th userwas officially recorded on Feb.28.

The Coach Education Programwas launched on Jan. 3, 2007,with The Fundamentals ofCoaching and First Aid for

Coaches. Since then, the programhas added 24 more courses on avariety of topics.

Tim Flannery, CMAA, NFHSDirector of Coach Education, saidthe 500,000 mark is importantbecause it signals that a majorityof interscholastic coaches aretaking advantage of theprogram’s resources.

“The whole purpose of theprogram is to educate coaches ontheir roles in an educational-based setting,” Flannery said.“We are making good progress atreaching all coaches. Once we areconnected with them, we can help

them become better at what theydo.”

Flannery estimates that thereare about one millioninterscholastic coaches acrossthe country. He said that goal-setting has been importantthroughout the program’sexistence.

“We’ve surpassed every goalwe have set annually, and we arewell on our way to consistentlyreaching 100,000 unique visitorsper year,” he said. “That growthwill be great for the student-athletes because there is a goodchance that each respective

coach is receiving the propertraining.”

The NFHS Coach EducationProgram was launched to keepcosts down and promote learningamong interscholastic coaches.There are currently 26 availablecourses, but Flannery estimatesthat there will be 35 or more bythe end of 2012. He says the nextstep is getting coaches who havealready taken the core courses tocome back and utilize the othereducational opportunities that theprogram has to offer.

NFHS Coach Education Program surpasses 500,000 users

See EducationEducationEducationEducationEducation on Page 19


Athletic Activities

Education ........................................................................... continued from Page 18“We don’t think it’s a one-and-

done situation,” he said. “It’s anongoing professionaldevelopment program. No onecourse will make a largedifference by itself, but over time,a combination of courses can.Now that we’ve connected to a

majority of coaches, we need toencourage them to stayconnected.”

In addition to the 500,000-user milestone, the freeConcussion in Sports – What youNeed to Know course has nowbeen accessed by 400,000 people,

making it the most-used courseon the site. In addition tocoaches, Flannery said parentsand officials also are among theusers of the free courses.

More than 220,000 peoplehave taken the Fundamentals ofCoaching course, one of two core

courses, along with First Aid forCoaches. The NFHS also offers 13sport-specific courses, eightelective courses and three freecourses.

All NFHS Coach Educationcourses are available atwww.nfhslearn.com.

Dr. William Roberts

SportsMedicine

By William O. Roberts M.D., M.S.

The recent news that the NewOrleans Saints paid players toinjure NFL opponents was,unfortunately, not unexpected. Iused the double negative in thestatement to emphasize that it isnot a behavior that should beexpected or condoned by players,coaches, and sportadministrators.

Contact and collision sportshave inherent injury risk andcareer-ending injuries can put anend to highly competitive sportsparticipation. Players do not need“extra” help getting hurt and truecompetition should pit the bestagainst the best, with the groupwho plays at its peak winning, notthe team who can most injure theother side.

Why was this news notunexpected? I was involved in astudy of youth ice hockey severalyears ago. We queried the

athletes about behaviors likehitting opponents to hurt them,injuring an opponent to win agame, and having been instructedby a coach to hurt an opposingplayer. The answers to all thesequestions should have been “no,”at least in my mind, but to mydismay there were many “yes”answers. The full data set did notpass muster with the institutionalreview board, so the data wasnever published.

In the interim, there have beenseveral sports safety programsproduced that emphasize injuryprevention and safe play. Safeplay starts with coaches who notonly teach safe play, but enforceit by benching players who breakthe rules, especially flagrantviolations with injury potential.

The next safety layer are thegame officials who apply the rulesto the game situation and makethe calls consistently with anemphasis on safety. Sports rules

Player respect and sport safety

are there to protect players, andmuch like traffic rule infractions,errant behavior results inaccidents and injury.

In the end it comes down toplayer respect. Respect for eachother as players and the honor ofplaying against another athletefor the right to be the best in thatcontest, not the player who caninjure the opposition to win.

Paying players to injure others,coaching players to injure others,

allowing players to injure others,all lead down a slippery slopeaway from fair contests and safeplay. The NFL finally got it right;what took them so long?

William O. Roberts, M.D., M.S.,is a professor of Family Medicineand Community Health, Division ofSports Medicine, University ofMinnesota Medical School, andalso is chair of the League’sSports Medicine AdvisoryCommittee.

Jablonski salute appreciated by Benilde-St. Margaret’s

The following note was sent to Marshall School of Duluth boys’ hockey coach Brendan Flahertyand shared with the League.

Dear Coach Flaherty,My name is Nicole. I live in Hermantown and I am an alum of Benilde-St. Margaret’s High

School.Last week I received a very kind voice mail message from Principal Sue Skinner of B-SM. She

asked that I pass on a BIG thank you to you, your coaching staff, your hockey team and the entireMarshall community.

Jack Jablonski and his family and the B-SM community are full of gratitude for all that Marshallhas done.

They loved that all of the Marshall students wore white to school on Thursday, January 5th tohonor Jack. They loved that all the students and fans from both Hermantown and Marshall wore white at the hockey game thatevening for “White Out.” And they especially have gratitude for the generous amount that Marshall contributed to Jack’s fund formedical costs from “Chuck A Puck” that evening.

If you could, please pass this message on to your principal, staff, team and students, it would be appreciated. I think when thehockey community comes together to help out — everyone needs to know how much they are appreciated and what a differencethey have made.

I wish you the very best!

Nicole P. AndersonHermantown


Athletic Activities

By Patrick M. Walker

Mason Pritcher hit the groundhard, his helmet banging into theturf. The sophomore at PantegoChristian Academy had just leaptinto the air to snatch the footballduring a game Oct. 14, only tohave a tackler take out his legsfrom below.

As he rose unsteadily to hisfeet, he knew that something waswrong.

“I didn’t feel right,” Pritchersaid. “I didn’t feel right at all.”

In a different time and place,the tall, lanky teen might havebeen expected to shake off thefog and go back to the huddle.But that era has passed. Frompeewee to the pros, the U.S.sports culture has becomehardheaded about concussions.

Getting your bell rung meansfacing the music — or at least themedical staff — and not sneakingback onto the field when thecoach isn’t looking.

In Pritcher’s case, the athletictrainer took his helmet. Hewouldn’t see game action againfor three weeks, and then onlywith the blessing of Dr. DamondBlueitt, a Fort Worth sportsmedicine specialist who is part ofa team at the University of Texasat Arlington that is studyingconcussions in area student-athletes.

This weekend, Blueitt and theother team members — JacobResch, an assistant professor ofkinesiology at UT Arlington, andC. Munro Cullum, director ofneuropsychology at UTSouthwestern Medical Center atDallas — will give presentationsat a concussion summit at UTA.

They’ll be joined by otherleading researchers from acrossthe nation at an event meant tofurther educate doctors, coaches,athletic trainers and parents onthe best protocols for ensuringthat concussed young athletesdon’t play again too soon.

Pioneering researchIn their study, which began in

January 2011, they conduct base-line cognitive, neuropsychologicaland balance tests for middle andhigh school athletes at PantegoChristian and in the DeSotoschool district — about 2,200 inall. After a concussion, theathletes are retested, andresearchers compare the results,

then share the data with theathletes’ physician to assist in thereturn-to-play decision.

The study will follow thestudent-athletes through highschool; if they enroll at UTArlington, they will continue to befollowed, Resch said. The study,which will allow researchers tocompare recovery times bydemographics, sport, positionand other factors, is believed tobe the first of its kind in thenation.

The researchers are trackingathletes as young as 9 as theymature. “This data doesn’tcurrently exist,” said Resch, thelead investigator.

U.S. emergency rooms treat anestimated 135,000 sports-relatedtraumatic brain injuries, includingconcussions, in children andteens each year, according to theCenters for Disease Control andPrevention. In 2010, theUniversity Interscholastic Leaguetightened its guidelines soathletes who have sufferedconcussions are barred from playfor 24 hours and must have amedical professional’s clearance.

Protocol changes in theNational Football League havereceived widespread mediacoverage.

Answering questionsJay Pritcher, headmaster at

Pantego Christian and Mason’sfather, said the school was happyto participate in the UT Arlington

concussions and what thecumulative effects are.

“We know that some athletesare more sensitive toconcussions, but we don’t knowwho they are, and we don’t knowwhy,” said Cullum, who conductsbase-line tests for the DallasCowboys and Dallas Stars andstudies aging, concussions anddementia in retired NFL players.

Blueitt, a physician at Texas

University of Texas-Arlington team studying concussions in student-athletes

Top: Dr. Jacob Resch puts concussed athlete Mason Pritcher throughsome testing. Above: Dr. Resch discusses with Mason and his father

and coach, Jay, the testing process and the concussion study he isconducting with colleagues at the University of Texas-Arlington.

study as another way toprotect its athletes.

But its importance hithome when his son wasinjured.

In the following days,Mason Pritcher hadheadaches and troublefocusing at school. He alsohad short-term-memoryproblems, Jay Pritchersaid.

“It was scary,” he said.“Being in the study gave uslots of comfort. Dr. Reschhas a way of takingcomplex information andbreaking it down to thelevel of you and me.”

Resch said other schooldistricts are welcome tocontact him about thestudy. Eventually,researchers hope to betterunderstand who issusceptible to more

Health BenHogan SportsMedicine in FortWorth,specializes intreatingconcussions inyoung athletes.

“The bestoption is to avoida concussion inthe first place,”he said. “But weknow that kidsare going to getthem, thatathletes aregoing to getthem, thateveryday peopleare going to getthem. So wewant to makesure we knowhow first of all tohelp themsurvive, thenrecover asquickly aspossible, and

then not have any long-termconsequences.”

Posted March 8, 2012, on theDallas-Fort Worth Star-Telegramwebsite (www.star-telegram.com).Reprinted with permission.


Fine Arts Activities

KSTC-TV, Channel 45 has launched a newSpotlight on the Arts campaign. Viewers maytune in Channel 45 every Thursday during 45Local News Mornings 7-9 a.m. and 45 LocalNews at 9 p.m. as the station highlightsvarious Spotlight on the Arts video vignettesin participation with the Minnesota State HighSchool League and Wells Fargo.

The Spotlight on the Arts video vignettesfeature the League’s five fine arts activitiesduring Channel 45’s morning and eveningnews broadcasts. The campaign is anextension of the Spotlight on the Artsawareness program that Wells Fargo createdback in 2003 when the bank first became theLeague’s premier corporate partner. Throughthat program, students are honored foroutstanding performances in speech, music,debate, one act play and visual artscompetitions. The program’s goal is toincrease awareness and visibility of the84,000 plus students who annually participatein fine arts activities.

Channel 45 will also highlight The WalkerArt Center Teen Arts Council, a group of 12high school students who work with theWalker to produce programming that connectsteenagers to contemporary arts and artists.Council members meet and work with world-renowned artists, performers, andfilmmakers, collaborate with other teenagersfrom a wide range of backgrounds and receivefree tickets to Walker exhibitions, events,performances, and films. Applications for thenext school year are being accepted now. Call612-375-7628 or visit teens.walkerart.org formore information. Admission to the WalkerArt Center is always free for teens ages 13-18,made possible by the commitment of WellsFargo.

Channel 45 is the official broadcast partnerfor the Minnesota State High School League.For more information about televised gameschedules and live-streaming events, visitPREP45.com.

KSTC-TV, Channel 45, Minneapolis-St. Paul,is locally owned and operated by HubbardBroadcasting, Inc. It is the only fullyindependent television station in the TwinCities market. Home to Channel 45 LocalNews, KSTC is also the exclusive broadcastpartner for the Emmy™ Award-winningMinnesota State High School LeagueTournaments. You can watch Channel 45 in HDover-the-air on 5-45 and on Comcast Channel812.

KSTC-TV, Channel 45, Wells Fargo and Leaguelaunch Spotlight on the Arts campaign

Video frame-grabs from two of the Spotlight on the Arts promotional vignettes thathave been produced by and are airing on KSTC-TV, Channel 45. The vignette below

spotlights the League’s One Act Play Festival.


Officials

Kevin Merkle

By Kevin MerkleAssociate Director

In 2007 a special committeemet to discuss ways to improvethe League’s officials program.Out of those meetings came theconcept of having promotionallevels. Officials would start at abasic level, but based onexperience, training and otherfactors could move to moreadvanced levels. While no onewould be forced to move beyondthe first level in order to workregular-season events, in order towork in the post-season officialswould have to advance to LevelsII and III.

The key component of thissystem will be training forofficials. The basis of the plan isthat all new officials would haveto complete a beginners-leveltraining clinic within the firstthree years of becoming anofficial. For officials to advancethey would have to eventuallycomplete an advanced-leveltraining clinic.

While some sports have beenable to move ahead with someaspects of the promotional levels,until the training clinics weredeveloped and in place, this newsystem could not beimplemented.

With training clinics nowavailable in almost all sports, andwith advanced clinics beingadded to most sports, broaderimplantation of this program isnow possible. There are stilldetails to be worked out andmore specific information will beshared with officials as we moveinto the 2012-13 school year, buthere are some of the basics.

Veteran officials will be“grandfathered” into Levels II orIII. Those who have worked in astate tournament will likely be

started at Level III, and thosewith enough experience but whohave not worked in a statetournament will be started atLevel II. Less experiencedofficials and new officials willbegin at Level I.

The basic requirements ofpaying the registration fee;completing a background checkand concussion training;completing the annual rulesmeeting; and passing the rulestest will not change. In addition,new officials will have tocomplete a new online coursefrom the National Federation ofState High School Associationstitled “Principles of Officiating.”They will also have to completethe Beginner’s Level Trainingclinic within their first three yearsof registration. This will qualifyofficials to work regular-seasonvarsity events.

In order to advance to Level IIand be eligible to work at thesection tournament level, Level Iofficials must pass the writtentest at 90 percent or better, plusreceive a minimal number ofcoaches ratings with a minimumaverage score. The reason for thisis to verify experience and toverify minimal competency.Observation scores can also beused to improve an official’srating. In order to maintain thislevel, officials will have to attendan advanced level training courseat least once every three years.

After reaching Level II,officials may then work towardthe third level which will qualifythem to be considered for a statetournament assignment. In orderto reach this level, a level IIofficial will have to score 95percent or better on the annualrules test, and will have to attaina higher average score with agreater number of coaches

Promotional levels for officials moving forward

We know that better trained officials willhave more success and are more likely tostay in the “business” for a longer period

of time. Most importantly, well trainedofficials make for better games/events

and more positive experiences forathletes, coaches and fans.

ratings. To maintain this level,officials will have to attend anadvanced level training clinic atleast once every three years.

There are more specifics tothis program, and as mentioned,some of the details are still beingworked out. However, those arethe basics. Initial implementationwill begin next school year (2012-13), with 2012-14 being the firstyear that state tournamentofficials will be required to be aLevel III official.

This program will not have amajor effect on veteran officials,other than to require attendanceat training clinics at least onceevery three years. For lessexperienced officials, thisprogram will provide basictraining requirements and also

provide incentives forimprovement in order to advanceto a higher level. This will help toraise the level of officiatingthroughout the state and will alsoassist in the retention of newofficials.

We know that better trainedofficials will have more successand are more likely to stay in the“business” for a longer period oftime. Most importantly, welltrained officials make for bettergames/events and more positiveexperiences for athletes, coachesand fans.

More specific information, aswell as answers to frequentlyasked questions will be availableto officials as the registrationprocess for 2012-13 begins andthe Fall 2012 season approaches.

Registration for 2012-13 opening in early May

Officials registration for 2012-13 will open in early May.Registration information will be mailed to currently registeredofficials the first week in May. If you do not receive information byMay 15, contact the League office.

The deadline for registration renewals without a late fee is July 1.

Adapted sports moving to online meetings

Beginning with the 2012-13 school year, online rules meetingsfor adapted sports will be added. This will provide an opportunity to

make these meetings much more convenient for both coaches andofficials, while allowing the opportunity to better train both coachesand officials on the rules for the adapted sports programs.


Officials

League contest officials and their associations were recognized with awards on-court during the 2012 State Boys’ BasketballTournament. Accepting awards were (L-R): Arnie Mavis, Doug Goodmund, Buzz Olson, Dennis Roach, Rod Frost, Dave Halek on

behalf of Citation Award winner Minneapolis Officials Association, Elaine Taggatz, Jennifer Smith on behalf of Award ofExcellence winner Minnesota Girls’ Gymnastics Officials Association, and Steve Vekich. Gary Parker was unable to attend.

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Game officials play an extremely importantrole in high school sports. Without them therewould be no games – it would only be“recess.” For two years now the MinnesotaState High School League has implemented anextensive awards program, and at the 2012State Boys’ Basketball Tournament twoofficials associations and eight individualswere recognized for their special efforts andaccomplishments.

The most prestigious association award isthe Association Award of Excellence. Thisaward recognizes and rewards oneassociation for its overall quality and theservice provided to League member schools.The recipient of the 2012 Association Awardof Excellence was the Minnesota GirlsGymnastics Officials Association.

With more than 50 members, the MGGOAhas served member schools since 1977. Thisorganization has extensive and well organizedprograms in recruiting, training andmentoring officials. The eight-memberassociation board meets three to four timesper year. The association holds both an annualpre-season meeting and mid-season meetingwith required attendance, at which extensivetraining is provided.

“In-home” training sessions are provide byassociation members for new and currentmembers. New officials must shadow aveteran official for a month during thecompetitive season and then must practiceofficiate for five varsity meets before beingassigned to a varsity competition.

The association works diligently to createrelations with senior competitors,encouraging them to become judges as theyattend college, and provides opportunities forthat to happen. The association is known for

maintaining positive relations with highschool activities directors and coaches, andhas consistently provided top quality officialsduring both regular and post-seasoncompetition.

The association is also active incommunity events. Members have volunteeredat Special Olympic and cancer fundraisingcompetitions, and for the past three yearshave provided leadership in fundraisingefforts for a needy family within theirgymnastics community.

The Citation Award is given annually torecognize and reward an association for aspecific program that has made a significantimpact on the association or the schools andathletes that it serves. The winner of the 2012Citation Award is the Minneapolis OfficialsAssociation for its football officials mentoringprogram.

This program is designed to help train andretain new officials by providing intentionalconnections with veteran officials. A newofficial works with a mentor and his crew.They attend varsity games to observe andwork with the chain gang, and submit a reportdescribing the experience. They must attendtwo in-season association meetings wherethere is training on rules, mechanics andinterpersonal skills. New officials work withtheir mentor and members of his crew atgames below the varsity level and receivesdirect feedback.

This program allows the MinneapolisOfficials Association to provide more highlyqualified officials for both lower level andvarsity contests. As a result of the trainingand mentorship, an increased number of newofficials are advancing to the varsity level andcontinuing to officiate.

The award presented to individuals iscalled the Distinguished Service Award.This award recognizes individuals who go“above and beyond” in their service to theirlocal officials association. The individualsreceiving this award have made an impact ontheir association, League member schools,and the student athletes of Minnesota throughtheir leadership, long-term service andcommitment.

The 2012 recipients are (with quotes fromletters of recommendation filed with eachindividual’s application):

Rod Frost , Farmington — Gold CountryWrestling Officials Association. Frost, anofficial for more than 20 years, has been onthe board of directors for 12 years, head ofthe mentoring program for 10 years, charterclinician for eight years and also assists withassigning. He has also created a basic leveltraining video for wrestling officials. “Rod hasa real passion for making wrestling officiatinga professional position . . . he trains mentorson what is required to develop the skills ofnew officials . . . when asked to help delivertraining, the answer is always, Yes!”

Doug Goodmund, Marshall — MarshallOfficials Association. An official for nearly 40years, Goodmund has been a member of theassociation for 35 years and in a leadershipposition for the past 25 years. His serviceincludes recruiting, training, head rulesinterpreter, mentor and observer in fivesports; football, volleyball, basketball,baseball and softball. “Doug’s commitment tohigh school activities is second to none . . . heis a man of trust and always acceptsresponsibilities and executes them promptly

Officials awards presented at State Boys’ Basketball Tournament

See AAAAAwardswardswardswardswards on


Officials

Doug Goodmund

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By Matt Dahlseid

Doug Goodmund has seen thehigh school sports landscapechange dramatically in his 39years as a registered official withthe Minnesota State High SchoolLeague.

He saw the addition of girls’basketball to the MSHSL in 1974,and a little more than a decadelater, the three-point line wasintroduced to high schoolbasketball. The rules havechanged, the schools havechanged, even the physicalcapabilities of the athletes havechanged. Goodmund says today’shigh school student-athletes arebigger, faster, stronger and moreskilled than when he first startedofficiating football as a student atSouthwest Minnesota StateUniversity (then known asSouthwest Minnesota StateCollege) in 1973 with two friendsfrom his hometown of Russell.

What hasn’t changed sincethen, Goodmund said, is the needfor officials at every level of everysport.

“If we didn’t have officials, itwould only be recess,” Goodmundsaid. “You need officials.”

Over a span of nearly fourdecades, Goodmund, 56, hasdedicated himself to the cause.He has officiated football,basketball and volleyball, with alittle baseball and softball thrownin the mix. He and his wife,Robbie, are known not only astwo of the top volleyball officialsin the region, but two of the bestin the state.

At halftime of Saturday’s ClassA boys’ basketball final at TargetCenter in Minneapolis, Goodmundand a handful of other individualswill be awarded a DistinguishedService Award by the MSHSL. Theaward is designed to recognizethose individuals who go “aboveand beyond” in their service fortheir association and the student-athletes who participate withinthe MSHSL.

Goodmund’s long tenure as anofficial is just part of the reasonhe is being recognized by theMSHSL. A lot of the work he hasdone has gone on behind thescenes, but has no doubt had amajor impact on the quality of thearea’s high school athletic events.

He has served on the MSHSLOfficials Advisory Committee andcurrently serves as an MSHSLofficials observer in volleyball,basketball, baseball and softball.He is also a charter clinician forthe Marshall OfficialsAssociation, a MSHSL mechanicsclinician, and a Section 3A/AAsite host for baseball and softballwhen tournaments come toMarshall.

A big man with a bigpersonality, Goodmund has usedhis gregarious nature to build thepool of officials in southwestMinnesota through recruiting,while also serving as a mentor toreferees in the area to help themfine-tune their skills and keeppushing to become better.

“He’s been a big part ingetting a lot of people involvedone way or another, whether it’sofficiating or umping or coachingor playing, you name it,” saidBryce Pack, who officiatedfootball with Goodmund for morethan 30 years and has workedwith Goodmund in other aspectsthrough his role as athleticdirector at Red Rock Central.

“I know when my sons went tocollege at (SMSU), he always gotthem involved with reffing JVgames, and that’s how you getyoung kids started is getting theirfeet wet through JV games thataren’t quite as pressure-packedas varsity contests. Throughworking games like that they getmore comfortable with that andeventually become varsityofficials.”

Being an official isn’t easy.There’s the continual pressure tomake the right call and the risk ofbeing ridiculed by the fans. ButGoodmund said it isn’t so muchthe jeers from the crowd thatweigh on an official’s mind afterblowing a call as it is therealization that he/she may havecost a team a possession, itsmomentum or a game.

There’s also the need to findthe right balance of officiating,spending time with family, andconcentrating on a full-timeoccupation, among other things.The father of twin daughters,Ashley and Cassie, both now outof school, and the assistantdirector for Marshall CommunityServices, Goodmund has found

Bringing the ‘goods’For his 39 years of officiating service in southwest Minnesota, DougGoodmund received the Distinguished Service award from the MSHSL

that balance over the years andsaid he has had far more positiveexperiences in officiating thannegative ones. Along withbuilding relationships with thearea’s coaches, athletic directors,officials, media members, etc., hehas also enjoyed being around acompetitive athletic environmentand following the success of areateams and athletes.

“The great thing about highschool sports is it’s still genuinesports. It’s played for no money,just the desire to win,”Goodmund said. “You can go tothat next level of college and prosand it’s just different. Not that

March Madness and NCAAbasketball isn’t great basketball,but there’s different motivationalfactors.

“It’s the pure fun of playing,coaches coaching their sons ordaughters, the community pride.When Ellsworth was at state,winning state championships, thetown was empty. Minneota, thesame thing. Southwest Minnesotahas had tremendous success atthe state level.”

When he’s working a volleyballmatch, Goodmund is able tomerge his family time with his

See GoodmundGoodmundGoodmundGoodmundGoodmund on Page 25


OfficialsAwards ............................................................................... continued from Page 23and completely . . . he has had a tremendousimpact on the development of officials insouthwestern Minnesota . . . I would not be atthe officiating level that I am at today withoutthe mentorship and support that I havereceived from Goody.”

Arnie Mavis, Brooklyn Center — GopherState Officials Association. Mavis officiatedfor more than 30 years and has been amember of the association for 46 years. Hewas known as the “recruiting department” forthe association and still assists by referring,encouraging and hiring new officials. Mavisnot only helped new officials get started andhow to be a good official, but also how to be agood person as an official, just has hedemonstrated throughout his career. “It wasalways a treat to have Arnie work our games .. .I loved to see him walk through the doorbecause I knew it was a game where theofficial understood my work as a coach . . .hewas always smiling and doing his best for thegame of basketball . . . if all officials wereclones of Arnie Mavis there would be nodisagreements between a coach and anofficial!”

Buzz Olson, East Grand Forks —Northwest Hockey Officials Association. Olsonhas been a registered hockey official for morethan 35 years and continues to serve as aLeague regional coordinator. He has served aspresident of the association for 15 years, andduring that time has assisted in thedevelopment of every official in theassociation. Olson has also been veryinstrumental in the development of youthhockey officials for more than 30 years. “TheNWOA is a recognized and respected officials’organization statewide and without Buzz, itwouldn’t have happened . . . the biggestcontribution he provides is creatingopportunities for officials to succeed . . . all of

the officials I have spoken to from this area ofthe state owe their success to the guidanceMr. Olson provided.”

Gary Parker, Fridley — MinnesotaGymnastics Judges Association. Parker hasbeen a registered official for more than 40years and as the president of the associationfor more than 35 years he pioneered andimplemented many of the bylaws, policies andoperational procedures. He has been a leaderin recruiting, training and mentoring officialsduring his entire career and has been a leaderin the use of video to train gymnasticsofficials. Parker has also served as a rulesclinician for the League for many years. “Garyhas had a tremendous impact on the growthand success of gymnastics in Minnesota . . .the positive impact that Gary has had oncountless numbers of student-athletes,parents and colleagues with whom he has sosuccessfully worked with over these manyyears is remarkable.”

Dennis Roach, Mendota Heights — St.Paul Hockey Officials Association. As anofficial and association member for the past38 years, Roach has served as a member ofthe board of directors, as treasurer, as anevaluator of officials, and as an associatescheduler for more than 20 years. He has alsobeen the charter clinician for the associationand his contributions have had a majorimpact on the structure, vision, direction andsuccess of the St. Paul Hockey OfficialsAssociation. “He never focused attention onhimself and always put the game of hockeyand the safety of student-athletes at the top ofhis list . . .Dennis does more evaluations thananyone else by a large margin . . . he does thisfor the love of the game . . . without him, thegame of hockey would not be the same.”

Elaine Taggatz, Bloomington —Minnesota Girls Gymnastics Association.

Taggatz just completed her 40th year as agymnastics judge. She was one of thefounders of the association in 1977 and washeavily involved in the development of thebylaws and policies while being the lead rulesinterpreter. She has also served as the headrules clinician for the League and as the StateMeet Referee since 1978. “Elaine not onlywatched as the sport grew and the ruleschanged, but she also was a catalyst for thatchange . . . she is respectful, acts withintegrity, and is empathetic . . . the sport ofgymnastics would look very different inMinnesota if Elaine had not invested her time,energy and expertise helping the sport todevelop.”

Steve Vekich, Duluth — Lake SuperiorBasketball Association. Steve has served asan official and member of the association formore than 50 years. From 1960 through 2010,Steve served as the association treasurer andassigner. He has also been a leader in therecruitment and training of new officials, andcontinues to serve college conferences andthe League as an observer and evaluator ofbasketball officials. “Whenever observing meor another official he always told me thepositives and items that I could work on . . . Iwould call Steve the glue that has held thisassociation together over the years . . . Isimply would not be at the level I am at todaywithout his help . . he gave me the opportunityto stay part of a game that I love.”

Congratulations to all of those whoreceived awards and thank you for your manyyears of dedication to high school athleticsand your service to the student athletes ofMinnesota.

All charter associations are encouraged toapply for these awards. Applications will beavailable in November and will be due in mid-January of 2013.

time as an official. He andRobbie, who have been married32 years, have officiated matchestogether for 27 years and workedabout eight state tournamentstogether. Goodmund said theMSHSL told him that he andRobbie were the first husband-wife pair to officiate at the statetournament. The two both lookforward to the fall whenvolleyball season kicks off andthey get to work matchestogether.

“We both love sports,” saidRobbie, who played two years ofvolleyball at SMSU and currentlyserves as a volleyball rulesclinician. “It kind of gives ussome time to go out and dosomething we both love to do,make a little extra money, and weget to do something for the kidsand the coaches.

“Hopefully we can do a goodjob and keep everything fair andequal, and that’s all we really tryto do. We want to go out and havefun, just like the kids go out andtry to have fun.”

Goodmund has tried to get asmany other people as possible tojoin in on the fun and become anofficial. When he first got intoofficiating, he said some of theveteran officials took him undertheir wing and shared the advicethey had gathered during theirtime serving on the field of play.Once Goodmund began to havesuccess as an official, earning theright to officiate importantsection finals and statetournament games, he began togive a helping hand to youngofficials who were just startingout.

“If you can mentor them, help

them get better, get them statetournament games, it alwaysmakes you feel good if they areachieving that success,”Goodmund said.

Jeff Gladis is one of many areaofficials Goodmund has had animpact on. A registeredbasketball official with theMSHSL for 28 years, Gladis saidit was Goodmund whoencouraged him to startofficiating more games when hewas younger, and later on, it wasGoodmund who urged him toapply to officiate statetournament games.

“He’s the one, when we get abigger assignment, once I talk toCraig (Norland) and whoever elseI’m reffing with for the bigassignment, I usually make a callto Goody and say, ‘Hey, we gotthis state game,’ or ‘We got this

Goodmund ......................................................................... continued from Page 24

See GoodmundGoodmundGoodmundGoodmundGoodmund on Page 26

Section 2AAA championshipgame,’” said Gladis, whoofficiated a Class A boys statetournament game on Thursday atWilliams Arena in Minneapolis.“He’s always the first one I callafter I talk to two guys that I refwith the most.”

Gladis and other area officialsalso consider Goodmund the “go-to-guy” for rules clarificationsand for addressing what to do incertain situations where there aregray areas in the rule book.

Gladis said Goodmundstresses to officials that theyalways have to try to hustle to putthemselves in the right positionto make the right call, so even ifthey don’t make the right call,being out of position won’t be anexcuse.


Officials

Goodmund ......................................................................... continued from Page 24

“Your goal is to be as perfectas you can,” Goodmund said.“Being a perfectionist in terms ofwhat you do, how you holdyourself out on the floor, how youcommunicate, yeah, I’d say youwant to be as perfect as you canbe knowing that your next call oryour last call could have beenwrong and you might have blownit. Sometimes the only way out ofthat is to say, ‘I blew it.’”

Goodmund has cut back onofficiating basketball and football,but still goes to games to serveas an observer to view andcritique officials on theirperformance. The first person tocritique Goodmund when he

officiated football was JerrySeeman, who went on to becomethe senior director of officiatingfor the NFL.

Along with his role as anobserver, Goodmund also helpsselect officials to work sectiontournaments and statetournaments, and he serves as asite manager for Section 3A/AAbaseball and softballtournaments. James Lasley, theRegion 3A executive secretary,has worked with Goodmund formore than 10 years and saidGoodmund’s desire for perfectionas an official carries over to hisduties as a tournament host.

“He just does an outstanding

job. He’s very well organized,”Lasley said. “He wants to make ita class event for our student-athletes of Region 3A, and hedoes it. Instead of making surethe event goes on, he makes surethe event goes on with class andthat every detail is down to a ‘T’.”

The MSHSL is celebrating 100years of state basketballtournaments at this week’s boys’state tournament. Goodmund wasa witness to and a part of someof that history, and he hopes toget more people involved inofficiating basketball and othersports so they can have a part inMinnesota high school sportshistory, too.

“Everybody should try it,”Goodmund said. “I don’t thinkeverybody can do it or wants todo it, but if you sat up in thestands and screamed at anofficial, think if you were down onthe floor and how you would havereacted in that quick amount oftime.

“I’d like to encourage anyonewho has a feel for the game andwould like to try it to give it achance.”

Matt Dahlseid is a staff writerfor the Marshall Independent.Reprinted with permission from itsMarch 23, 2012, edition.

Forest Lakealumnusproud ofcurrent stateof hockey

The followingnote sent toMichael Butchkowas shared withthe League.

Michael,Thanks for the kind words. We are very proud of

(boys’ hockey head coach) Aaron (Forsythe) andthe work he has done. If all of our coaches couldmodel him we would consider ourselves a success.

Joel Olson, Activities DirectorForest Lake High School

Good Afternoon Mr. Olson,

I am writing in regards to a game that Iofficiated between the boys’ hockey team andWoodbury on December 10. I was able to officiateboth the JV and V and was extremely impressedwith both their sportsmanship and the way theycarried themselves on and off the ice.

I am an alumnus of both Forest Lake and theboys’ hockey team and was proud to see that theprogram is developing such mature players with ahard work ethic and great sportsmanship. I havebeen hearing great things about this program eversince Aaron, his father and the other coaching stafftook over, but was pleased to witness it firsthand.

Please feel free to pass along this email toAaron, the coaching staff and the players. I knowthat as an athletic director, you receive someemails at times filled with negativity, but I wantedto write to you and let you know that as an alum, Iam proud of the work that is being done on and offthe ice at Forest Lake.

Have a wonderful holiday season!

Michael S. Butchko, M.A., Registered OfficialSt. Paul

Official impressed with gameat Mounds View

The following note was sent to MoundsView Activities Director Bob Madison andshared with the League.

Mr. Madison,I was one of the basketball officials for

yesterday’s (Feb. 2) game between MoundsView and Roseville. I am writing to tell youhow impressed I was with your school.From the scorekeepers, to the event staff,coaches and fans, it was a truly first classexperience.

Even after a heartbreaking loss, as my partner and I were walking out ofthe school a number of Mounds View parents came up to us and thanked usfor officiating.

I wish your school and the girls’ basketball program continued success.

Brian Peters, Registered OfficialWhite Bear Lake

Basketball coaches laudedfor decorum

The following note was sent to Morris AreaActivities Director Mark Ekren and YellowMedicine East Activities Director TimKnapper. It was shared with LeagueAssociate Director Kevin Merkle.

Kevin:Just a quick note to give compliments to

the Morris Area and Yellow Medicine Eastboys’ basketball coaches and players for thegreat sportsmanship shown in their gameplayed at Granite Falls this past Tuesday (Feb. 21).

After the game, my partner Rick McLain and I both commented on how thecoaches respectfully asked questions (on calls made or not made) andaccepted our responses.

Unless there is an exemplary performance, I typically do not post many 5s for(coach) ratings. However, this game set the bar for proper coaching decorum.

Randy Czarnetzki, Registered OfficialWillmar


Summary of the Minutes of the December 1, 2011, Board of Directors Meeting

Board of Directors Meeting Minutes

Baseball umps did‘awesome job’

The following note was sentto Associate Director KevinMerkle and Darrell “Bozo”Wincek, assigner for theGopher State OfficialsAssociation.

Kevin - Bozo,Just wanted to forward this

on from Troy at St. Anthony.He lost 2-1 to Irondale in agreat early season game. He had a couple close calls go againsthim on the bases and never said a word.

Troy is a classy guy and runs a great program at STA, but thisshows how much sportsmanship and value he has for the gameof baseball.

As an umpire who works amateur, Legion, high school andcollege baseball, you do not see this much from a coach thatloses a close game and has calls go against him.

I just wanted the High School League and Gopher StateOfficials to know about his sportsmanship representation. Thankyou.

Pete Larkin, Registered OfficialCoon Rapids

Hey Pete and Brent (Kuphal),I did not get a chance to say good game last night – but you

two did an awesome job. Especially considering how early in theyear it was . . . it was a fabulously umpired game.

Hopefully we get to see you guys again this year.Thanks again,

Troy Urdahl, CMAA, Baseball Coach and Activities DirectorSt. Anthony Village High School

Reflection, Pledge of Allegiance

Board Actions1. Approved the Agenda with

the following additions:Action Item #9G - FootballFormat; and Discussion Item#10F – Policy ManualReview.

2. Approved Minutes of theOctober 6, 2011 Board ofDirectors meeting.

3. Individuals or Delegations onAgenda Issues:Tom Critchley, Boy’sBasketball Association,spoke in support of seeding1-8 in all classes of boys’and girls’ basketball.Pat Barrett, Girls’ BasketballAssociation, spoke insupport of seeding 1-8 inClass AAAA and Class AAA ofgirls’ basketball.Ryan Weinzierl, Moorhead,spoke in support of eightsection sites (for Class AAAAbasketball only) beingidentified by RegionSecretaries and appointing abasketball committee thatwill assign and seed teamsto each site based ongeographic and competitivebalance.Hillary Hanson, HeadSoftball Coach, BurnsvilleHigh School, spoke insupport of an eight (8) teamdouble elimination sectiontournament in softball.Paul Twenge, ActivitiesCoordinator, MinnetonkaHigh School, spoke insupport of an eight (8) teamdouble eliminationtournament in baseball.D.J. Brynteson, DebateCoaches Association,Robbinsdale Armstrong/Cooper High School spoke insupport of adding “PublicForum” debate to the StateDebate Tournament.

4. Received lobbyist’s reportincluding Dave Stead andMindy Sparby testified at theViking Stadium Hearing onTuesday, November 29,2011. The Vikings StadiumFinancing/Funding meetingwill be held Tuesday,December 6, 2011; and theNovember Forecast will bereleased soon.

5. Received legal counsel’sreport including currentlyworking on contracts,wheelchair events; and

eligibility hearings.6. Received Executive Directors

report including:A thank you to all BoardMembers who attended andpresented awards during thestate tournaments;Staff members gave a briefsummary of the falltournaments for which theyare responsible;Walt Hautala is the PresidentElect of the MSBA;The MSHSL Foundationawarded $375,000 to 223member schools whosubmitted applications forFORM A by November 1,2011;John Schumacher, ParkRapids High School,Activities Director, andformer member of theMSHSL Board of Directorsreceived the MN State Awardof Merit at the State AD’smeeting in March, 2011;Dan Johnson, Hopkins HighSchool, Activities Directors,

has been selected to receivethe NIAA DistinguishedService Award at theNational Athletic DirectorsConference, Indianapolis.The Board of DirectorsAugust Workshop date hasbeen changed from August12-14, 2012 to August5-7, 2012; andZach Gabbard, Perham HighSchool, who collapsed fromcardiac arrest during abasketball gamelast winter, has been clearedto return to practice.

7. Received ExecutiveCommittee Report including:Board of Directors’ PolicyManual Review;MSHSL Centennial Book andVideo;Golf – allowing range findersto increase pace of play;Girls’ Hockey co-op approvalbetween Richfield & HolyAngels

8. Accepted the independenthearing officer’s report

upholding the ConferencePlacement Committee’srecommendation to placeMelrose into the WestCentral Conference effectivewith the 2012-2013winter sports season.

9. Approved moving thelacrosse tournament datesfrom June 12-15, 2012 backto June 5-8, 2012. The dateswere originally movedbecause of yearly graduationconflicts but because manyschedules were already inplace for the 2012 season, arequest was made to waituntil 2012 to move the statetournament dates. Theprojected lacrossetournament dates are: June11-14, 2013 and June 10-13,2014.

10. Approved making PublicForum an event offered atthe section and state leveldebate competition aspresented beginning with the2012-2013 school year.

11. Approved adding thefollowing Wheelchair Trackand Field events: the 100meter dash, the 3200 meterrun, and discus beginningwith the 2011-2012 schoolyear.

12. Approved the seedingprocess for the State TennisTournament (individuals) aspresented.

13. Approved seeding processfor the State TennisTournament (team) aspresented.

14. Approved Blaine High Schoolas the State SpeechTournament Site for the2012-2013 and 2013-2014school years.

15. Approved the 2012 footballschedule/format aspresented.

16. Approved the EligibilityCommittee minutes aspresented.

17. Approved the September2011 and October 2011financial statements aspresented.

18. Approved the Year End July31, 2011 Audit. The AnnualFinancial Report is on file atthe MSHSL Office.

19. Approved Rich Matter,Assistant Director,authorization to invest fundsfor the MSHSL with RBC

See December 1December 1December 1December 1December 1 on

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:

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

Teddy, a student at Wayzata High School, is a Sudden Cardiac Arrest Survivor. He collapsed on the football fi eld during a summer conditioning program and was revived by a coach administering CPR and using an AED.

Anyone Can Save a Life is an emergency response program for after-school practices andevents designed to save lives from sudden cardiac arrest (SCA). This program is available

What Can You Do?

www.anyonecansavealife.org

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:

• Call 911

• Start CPR:

• Push hard and fast in the center of the chest

• Get an AED

• Turn it on and follow the voice prompts

1

2

3

The key to survival is

A C T I O N !If SCA goes untreated, the person will die.

StepByStep_BW_ad.indd 1 11/2/11 2:02 PM


Board of Directors Meeting MinutesSummary of the Minutes of the February 2, 2012, Board of Directors Meeting

December 1 ....................................................................... continued from Page 27

Wealth Management inaccordance with the MSHSLInvestment Policy Statement.

20. Approved the Region 4A

request for operating fundsof $18,000.

Discussion ItemsA. Advisory Committee

Recommendations

B. Tournament Format(s)and Tournament Sites

C. TST Media PartnershipD. Seasons for Fine ArtsE. QRF System for Seeding

The complete, official Minutes maybe obtained from the League officeby the designated schoolrepresentative of member schools.

Reflection, Pledge of Allegiance

Board Actions1. Approved the Agenda with

the following additions:Action Item #9E – CoachesEducation Requirement(CER) and Discussion Item#10G – JV Level Games.

2. Approved Minutes of theDecember 1, 2011 Board ofDirectors meeting.

3. President Mindy Sparbyrecognized former Board ofDirectors’ member JohnSchumacher, Park RapidsHigh School ActivitiesDirector, who had receivedthe Minnesota State Awardof Merit at the State AD’smeeting in March, 2011.Dave Stead indicated thathad spoken with John priorto the Board meeting. He isdoing well and sent greetingsto the Board and staff.

4. Kevin Merkle introduced andcongratulated Dan Johnson,Hopkins High SchoolActivities Director, who waspresented the NIAAADistinguished Service Awardat the NationalInterscholastic AthleticAdministrators Associationmeeting in Indianapolis, INon December 13, 2011. Thisaward is the mostprestigious one awarded bythe NIAAA.

5. Tom Critchley, Boy’sBasketball Association,spoke in support of seedingClass A and Class AA boys’basketball tournament.

6. Received lobbyist’s reportthat the session started onTuesday, January 24, 2012. Alegislative bill has beenintroduced in the House thatwould reduce the 180-daygood faith effort to join a

conference to 90 day; andwatching the Vikings StadiumBill for MSHSL provision toinclude time for the soccerand football tournaments.

7. Received legal counsel’sreport including an updateon current legal cases.

8. Received Executive Directorsreport including:Walt Hautala is thePresident-Elect for theMSBA;Thank you to Mindy Sparby,Mark Fredericksen, andLuanne Wagner for attendingthe Staff RecognitionLuncheon in December;Dave Stead attended theNFHS Winter Meeting; one ofthe main topics discussedwas football preseasonconditioning;MSHSL “School BoardOlympics” and staffpresentation at the MSBAConference in January;A Classification Committeemeeting was held on January23, 2012; the committeereviewed the currentclassification policy and maybe meeting again for furtherreview;Complimented the Leaguestaff for a great job handlingthe hockey issue and thepress conference held onJanuary 16, 2012;Thanked David LaVaque, StarTribune; and Tim Leighton,St. Paul Pioneer Press fordoing a good job reportingMSHSL information.

9. Received ExecutiveCommittee’s Reportincluding:Approved a one-year onlyboys’ and girls’ lacrosse co-op for Elk River/Rogers/Zimmerman.

Approved a one-year onlylacrosse co-op (2011-12) anda one-year only girls’ hockeyco-op (2012-13) forChanhassen/Chaska.Approved a late adaptedfloor hockey dissolution anda new adapted floor hockeyapplication for St.

· Paul schools. St. PaulHighland Park will have theirown team and the balance ofthe St. Paul schools will havea cooperatively sponsoredteam.The Classification Committeewill reconvene in Februaryand/or March and a report,from that meeting, will bepresented to the Board ofDirectors at their Aprilmeeting.Approved a resolution tosubmit a MSHSL Foundationgrant application on behalf ofthe Board of Directors insupport of the 100 YearCelebration of MinnesotaState High School League.Approved the cost of havingplans drawn for a potentialoffice expansion for thelower level of theMSHSL office building. TheBoard will review the plansand the cost before movingforward with theexpansion.Lisa Lissimore and KevinMerkle presented a draftpolicy for completingbaseball and softballchampionship round games.The NFHS Rule Book allowsfor state associations tomake thismodification.

10. Approved a MSHSLFoundation grant applicationsubmission on behalf of theMSHSL Board of

Directors.11. Approved the cost of

architectural drawings for apotential office expansion.

12. Approved seeding (1-4) ClassA and Class AA Boys’Basketball Tournament. Thepolicy will be effective forthe current school year(2011-2012).

13. Approved a Board ofDirectors Policy Changeregarding review of Board ofDirectors Policies. The firstreading of the policy washeld at the December 1,2011 Board of Directorsmeeting.

14. Approved 8 sections for bothboys’ and girls’ lacrossebeginning with the 2012-2013 school year.

15. Approved therecommendations forWheelchair Division Trackand Field as presented.

16. Approved the CoachesEducation Requirement(CER) Policy as presented.

17. Approved the EligibilityCommittee minutes aspresented.

18. Approved the November2011 and December 2011financial statements aspresented.

Discussion ItemsA. Advisory Committee

RecommendationsB. Tournament Format(s)

and Tournament SitesC. TST Media PartnershipD. Future Meeting DatesE. Future Tournament DatesF. Cooperative Sponsorship:

Counting Enrollment

The complete, official Minutes maybe obtained from the League officeby the designated schoolrepresentative of member schools.

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Spring 2012 Calendar of State Events

Fall 2011 & Winter 2012 State Team Champions

Calendars

Girls’ Tennis ............................................................ A – THE BLAKE SCHOOL, MinneapolisAA – EDINA

Boys’ Soccer .............................................. A – BENILDE-ST. MARGARET’S, St. Louis ParkAA – EDEN PRAIRIE

Girls’ Soccer ........................................................... A – THE BLAKE SCHOOL, MinneapolisAA – WAYZATA

Boys’ Cross Country Running .................................................. A – ST. CLOUD CATHEDRALAA – STILLWATER AREA

Girls’ Cross Country Running .................................................. A – ST. CLOUD CATHEDRALAA – MONTICELLO

Girls’ Volleyball ........................................................ A – BETHLEHEM ACADEMY, FaribaultAA – MARSHALL

AAA – EDEN PRAIRIEAdapted Soccer ............................................................................. CI – ANOKA-HENNEPIN

PI – ROBBINSDALE/HOPKINS/MOUND-WESTONKAGirls’ Swimming & Diving ........................................................ A – SARTELL-ST. STEPHEN

AA – EDINAFootball ........................................................................ 9-Man – *EDGERTON/ELLSWORTH

A – DAWSON-BOYDAA –CALEDONIA

AAA – ST. CROIX LUTHERAN, West St. PaulAAAA – ROCORI, Cold Spring

AAAAA – EDEN PRAIRIEDebate ............................................................................ Policy Debate Champion – EDINAOne Act Play – Starred Performances A – BELLE PLAINE; ST. CHARLES;

EAST CENTRAL, Sandstone/Askov; AA –MINNETONKA; EAGAN;EASTVIEW, Apple Valley; MOORHEAD

Boys’ Alpine Skiing ........................................................................................ MINNETONKAGirls’ Alpine Skiing ..................................................................................... HERMANTOWN

Boys’ Nordic Skiing .................................................................................. ROSEVILLE AREAGirls’ Nordic Skiing ....................................................................................... DULUTH EASTGirls’ Hockey ................................................................ A – BRECK SCHOOL, Golden Valley

AA – MINNETONKAGirls’ Dance Team .................................................................................... Jazz – A – AITKIN

AA – CHASKAAAA – WAYZATA

High Kick – A – AITKINAA – CHASKA

AAA – EASTVIEW, Apple ValleyWrestling A – JACKSON COUNTY CENTRAL

AA – SIMLEY, Inver Grove HeightsAAA – APPLE VALLEY

Girls’ Gymnastics ............................................................................... A – MELROSE AREAAA – ROSEVILLE AREA

Boys’ Hockey ............................................ A – ST. THOMAS ACADEMY, Mendota HeightsAA – BENILDE-ST. MARGARET’S, St. Louis Park

Boys’ Swimming & Diving ........................ A – ST. THOMAS ACADEMY, Mendota HeightsAA – EDEN PRAIRIE

Girls’ Basketball ......................... A – MARANATHA CHRISTIAN ACADEMY, Brooklyn ParkAA – PROVIDENCE ACADEMY, Plymouth

AAA – DELASALLE, MinneapolisAAAA – HOPKINS

Boys’ Basketball .......................................................... A – BELGRADE-BROOTEN-ELROSAAA – PLAINVIEW-ELGIN-MILLVILLE

AAA – DELASALLEAAAA – OSSEO

Adapted Floor Hockey ................................................ C I DIVISION – *ANOKA-HENNEPINP I DIVISION – *ROBBINSDALE/HOPKINS/MOUND-WESTONKA

TBD by each Region ................................................. VISUAL ARTS - TBD by each RegionTBD by each Region ...................... SECTION / STATE MUSIC CONTESTS/FESTIVALS –

various Minnesota sites, dates TBD by each RegionApril 20-21 .................................................................... STATE SPEECH TOURNAMENT –

Class A (20) & Class AA (21), Chanhassen High SchoolMay 18 .................................................... STATE ADAPTED BOWLING TOURNAMENT –

Brunswick Zone, Eden PrairieMay 19 ..................................................................... STATE ROBOTICS TOURNAMENT –

Williams Arena, U of M, MinneapolisMay 19 ............................................................. Final date of GIRLS’ BADMINTON seasonJune 1-2 ................................................. STATE ADAPTED SOFTBALL TOURNAMENT –

Coon Rapids High SchoolJune 5-8 ........................................................... STATE BOYS’ TENNIS TOURNAMENT –

Class A @ Reed-Sweatt Family Tennis Center, MinneapolisClass AA @ Baseline Tennis Center, U of M;

June 5-8 ...................................... STATE BOYS’ & GIRLS’ LACROSSE TOURNAMENT –Chanhassen High School

June 7-8 ...... STATE GIRLS’ SOFTBALL TOURNAMENT – Caswell Park, North MankatoJune 8-9 ............................. STATE TRACK & FIELD MEET – Hamline University, St. PaulJune 9 ............................................ Final date of GIRLS’ SYNCHRONIZED SWIM seasonJune 12-13 ....................................................................... STATE GOLF TOURNAMENT –

Class A @ Pebble Creek Golf Club, BeckerClass AA @ Ridges at Sand Creek, Jordan;

Class AAA @ Bunker Hills Golf Course, Coon Rapids;June 14-15 & 18 ...................................................... STATE BASEBALL TOURNAMENT –

(14-15 -- quarterfinals, semifinals, consolation rounds & third place)Class A @ Athletic Park, Chaska & Mini Met, Jordan

Class AA @ Dick Putz Field, St. Cloud & Joe Faber Field, St. Cloud;Class AAA @ Midway Stadium, St. Paul & Dunning Field, St. Paul;

(18 -- Prep Championship Series - championship games @ Target Field, Minneapolis)

Spring 2012 Calendar of Meetings

April 24 .................... Area Meeting, Best Western Garden Inn, North Mankato, 9:30 a.m.April 25 .............................................. Speech Advisory Committee, League Office, 9 a.m.April 25 .................................. Area Meeting, The Marshall Golf Club, Marshall, 9:30 a.m.April 27 ................................................... Area Meeting, Clarion Inn, Rochester, 9:30 a.m.April 30 ........................................... Area Meeting, Best Western, Fergus Falls, 9:30 a.m.May 1 ........................................ Area Meeting, Best Western, Thief River Falls, 9:30 a.m.May 2 ........................................................ Area Meeting, Valentini’s, Chisholm, 9:30 a.m.May 2 .......................................... Minnesota Adapted Athletics, League Office, 3:30 p.m.May 2 ................................. Adapted Softball Officials Selection, League Office, 3:30 p.m.

May 3 ........................................... Lacrosse Officials Selection, League Office, 11:30 a.m.May 5 ...................................................... SAT National Test Date (www.collegeboard.org)May 8 ............................ Area Meeting, The Lodge at Brainerd Lakes, Brainerd, 9:30 a.m.May 9 ................................ Baseball & Softball Officials Selection, League Office, 10 a.m.May 10 ....................................... Area Meeting, Edinburgh USA, Brooklyn Park, 9:30 a.m.May 22 ......................... Athletic Directors Advisory Committee, League Office, 9:30 a.m.June 2 ..................................................... SAT National Test Date (www.collegeboard.org)June 9 ........................................................ ACT National Test Date (www.actstudent.org)June 11 .................................... League Board of Directors Mtg., League Office, 9:30 a.m.

The MSHSL Board of Directors now requires every head coach in MN to complete a ContinuingEducation Requirement (CER) beginning in the fall of 2011. Coaches who meet the StateStatute requirement must complete the online training every three years.

Steps to Completion:

1. Create a Coaches Clipboard page on the MSHSLWebsite Home Page under the Coaches Tab and select Coaches Clipboard.

2. Answer a number of questions including how youmeet the State Statute requirement to be a headcoach in Minnesota. Once this information is complete, you will be directed to theappropriate tabbed page on the Coaches Clipboard.

3. Upon confirmation that you meet theState Statute requirement you willcomplete chapters 1-4 of the CER.

a. Chapter 1 – How’d Ya Do: The HighFive to Effective Coaching

b. Chapter 2 – Concussion Education

c. Chapter 3 – Emergency ResponsePlanning

d. Chapter 4 – Bylaw Review

4. Upon the completion of Chapters 1 - 4you will then gain access to the requiredsport specific Rules InterpretationMeeting

5. Completion of the CER and the Rules Interpretation Meeting must be completed two weeks after the official start date of the sport season.

6. There is no fee to complete the CER.

7. Coaches who do not complete the CER will be ineligibility to coach at the varsity leveluntil completion is verified.

If you do not currently meet the State Statute requirement to be a head coach in Minnesota,you will be directed to the Coaches Education Program tab on the Coaches Clipboard pageto register for the Minnesota Coaches Education Program. This is a 6-hour in-person coursethat costs $170.

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Minnesota State High School League2100 Freeway Boulevard Brooklyn Center MN 55430-1735 PHONE: 763/560-2262 FAX: 763/569-0499World Wide Web: www.MSHSL.org

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Nonprofit Org.U.S. POSTAGE

P A I DTWIN CITIES MNPermit No. 31890

Mission StatementThe 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 non-

negotiable.◆ Student participants who choose to be chemically

free must be supported.◆ Collaborative relationships with parents enhance a

school’s opportunity to positively impact studentsuccess.

◆ Academic priorities must come before participationin athletic or fine arts activities.

◆ Positive role models and an active involvement in astudent’s life by parents and others are critical tostudent success.

◆ High school activity programs are designed forstudent participants, and adults must serve in asupportive role.

◆ The success of the team is more important thanindividual honors.

◆ Compliance with school, community and Leaguerules is essential for all activity participants.

◆ Participation in school-sponsored activities must beinclusive, not exclusive.

◆ Ethical behavior, fairness, and embracing diversitybest serve students and school communities.

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mshsl spring 2012 bulletin

Documents

assistant ellen rajkowski

director of information

mshsl bulletin

spring andis

mshsl logo

office manager kristi

media specialist john

oronosteve eklund