IHSA

IHSA Advisory Committee Meeting Minutes - 2007-08

athletic officials Advisory Committee

September 12 , 2007

The IHSA Officials Advisory Committee met at the IHSA Office, Bloomington, Illinois, on Wednesday, September 12, 2007, beginning at 10:00 a.m. Committee members present were: Phil Dawkins, Caledonia (SW); Gary Gustafson, Troy (BK); Octavio Herrera, Jr., Naperville (FB); Mickey Klement, Joliet (Competitive Cheerleading); William Lamkey, Riverton (Principal); David Mathews, Crown Point, IN (WR); Vicki Munch, Arlington Hts. (GY); Roger Nichols, Normal (SB); Greg Pavloff, DuQuoin (BA); John Polka, Oak Park (TR); Tony Skrocki, Arlington Hts. (VB) and Pamela Young, Chicago (Senn) (Athletic Director). IHSA Assistant Executive Director Dave Gannaway and IESA Assistant Executive Director Nicole Schaefbauer were also in attendance. Committee member Jim Hayes, Peoria (SO) was unable to attend.

1. Recommendation: All promotion of officials to be conducted online starting in 2008-09.
Officials can be given a two-hour window to take the Part Two exam once they log on. Each exam should be scrambled so that any one official will be looking at a different order to the questions asked. Use the following criteria for promotion: to move from Registered to Recognized, officials must score 85% on the Part One exam and score 85% on the Part Two exam. To move from Recognized to Certified, the official must score 90% on the Part One exam and 85% on the Part Two exam. Each official going for promotion must provide three recommendations, with at least one being from a school personnel and at least one being from a certified official. The Committee would like for the recommendations to be done online.

Rationale: This would create a promotion process that an official can do from home and not travel to some test site. The testing online can make the opportunity to promote easier for officials that have time problems and other commitments that would not allow them to go for promotion that year. The Committee still felt it was important to keep a recommendation process for promotion, but this process should be put online.

Approved

2. Recommendation: Delete the requirement that football officials must take the 5-person mechanics exam for promotion.

Rationale: No other sport requires officials to take a mechanics exam for promotion. If we keep the one in football, then we should require one in all the other sports for promotion.

Tabled

3. Recommendation: The following grant money was recommended by the Advisory Committee:

                        AOA                $500                             Blackhawk                    500
                        Capital              500                             CCU                            250
                        ECFB                    0                            GCC                             250
                        IACAO            500                             Joliet BK Assoc.           250
                        Little Egypt So.   350                             MOA                           500
                        NISOA             500                             PASOA                        500
                        SISOA             250                             SAOA                          250
                        Stateline Umpire 300                             WBOA                            0
                        White Pines      250

Plus purchase two Dartfish editing software packages to provide to associations to help edit videos.

Approved

ITEMS OF GENERAL DISCUSSION:

1. Reviewed the 2007 Officials Conference and identified the dates for the 2008 Officials Conference as July 18 and 19, 2008 at Peoria, Illinois.

2. Discussion occurred on weather warning for outdoor activities. Information should be shared with schools and officials on what is meant by a warning versus a watch when bad weather approaches. Guidelines should be developed to help in this area.

3. With the criteria requirement of Level Two clinics being five (5) points, it was stated that free clinics will be conducted as Level One and Level Two as much as possible this year.

4. The Committee thought it would be a good idea to bring back the Hosting of Officials brochure that was published a few years ago by the IHSA.

5. Information was sought on liability coverage of the Observers Program. The IHSA will review with the insurance company the requirement and see if it falls under the education requirement and create coverage for the officials.

The meeting adjourned at 1:30 p.m.