Announcements

The Illinois High School Association (IHSA) Board of Directors promoted IHSA Assistant Executive Director Kurt Gibson to the position of Associate Executive Director at their regularly scheduled meeting on Tuesday, April 20.

Gibson becomes the fourth individual in the Association’s history to earn that title, joining current Executive Director Marty Hickman, David Fry and Don Robinson as the latest to hold that rank. Hickman became the Associate Executive Director in 1991 and followed Fry as Executive Director in 2002.

“Kurt has exhibited a natural ability to lead since joining our staff,” said Hickman. “His personality, intellect and demeanor have helped him ascend to a leadership position among our staff and Association. He has continually taken on greater responsibility during his time here and has stepped outside his background in education and athletics to successfully implement initiatives like our Performance-Enhancing Drug Testing Program. I believe this appointment is a fitting reward and I look forward to working more closely with Kurt on meeting the needs of our member schools.”

Gibson is currently the administrator for boys basketball, boys golf and boys & girls gymnastics. He is also charged with coordinating coop teams, the Sports Medicine Advisory Committee, foreign exchange student eligibility, corporate sponsorships and the all-school mailing.

“I am humbled, honored and very appreciative of the Board’s support,” said Gibson. “I look forward to taking on any additional responsibilities that may accompany my new position and will continue to do my best to serve our member schools.”

Gibson began his current role with the IHSA in July of 2002, following two years as the Principal at Erie High School. The Belvidere native began his teaching and coaching career in the Iroquois West school district before assuming similar roles at Coal City High School, Hinckley-Big Rock High School and Manteno High School. He moved into administration at Manteno in 1998, serving as the Dean of Students and Athletic Director and was named the middle school Principal the next year, before assuming the same role at Erie High School in 2000.

The Belvidere High School graduate earned a Bachelor's Degree in Radio/TV and Speech from Bradley University in 1988 and a Master’s Degree in Education from Governor's State University in 1999.

Action Items

1. The Board approved a recommendation to include the new rule interpretations for the 2010-11 IHSA Constitution and By-laws in the IHSA Handbook.
2. The Board approved a recommendation on the Classification Waiver presented by Lisle High School Principal Ron Logeman. Logeman chaired the Classification Waiver Committee that met at the IHSA Office on March 8, 2010 to formulate the guidelines for the new waiver process that will be used beginning with the 2010-11 school term after the membership voted to enact a waiver process in December.
   
   The Waiver Application Process guidelines are as follows:
   1. A school must apply on an annual basis by June 1 each year.
   2. The waiver is good for one calendar year.
   3. Each conference the school belongs to must acknowledge that a school is applying for a waiver.
   4. To be eligible, a school must have four years of history of IHSA state series participation.
   5. A school is not eligible for a waiver if it has achieved any of the following during the IHSA state series competition:
      • The school has played in two or more IHSA regional championship games within the last five years.
      • The school has placed 1st, 2nd or 3rd in any IHSA sectional within the last five years.
      • The school has qualified for the IHSA football playoffs more than once within the last five years.
      • The school has won an IHSA football playoff game within the last five years.
      All member schools will be provided official info and access to waiver forms prior to the 2010-11 school term.
3. The Board approved a recommendation to extend the contracts of the following administrative staff members: Kurt Gibson, Scott Johnson, Susie Knoblauch, Ron McGraw, Beth Sauser and Matt Troha.
4. The Board approved a recommendation to accept the Girls Golf State Final hosting proposal from the Decatur Park District and Decatur Convention & Visitors Bureau. The new contract calls for the Class A & AA Girls Golf State Finals to be held at Red Tail Run Golf Course in Decatur and Hickory Point Golf Course in Forsyth. Both courses will hold the state finals from 2010-11 through 2014-15.
   
   IHSA Executive Director Marty Hickman:
   
   “This vote is not a reflection on anything that our previous hosts in Carbondale and Carterville have done wrong and is actually quite the opposite. Crab Orchard Golf Course, Hickory Ridge Golf Course and all the individuals that have helped administer these tournaments have been tremendous and we sincerely thank them for all of their efforts. This decision came down to a matter of the Board wanting to find a location that was more centrally located in the state and that more equally distributed travel costs for our state final qualifiers. Our previous hosts did a tremendous job and Decatur has shown that they have the resources to carry on that tradition.
5. The Board approved a recommendation to extend the state final hosting contract for girls softball at the Eastside Centre in East Peoria. The current contract was set to end at the conclusion of the 2009-10 school term. The five-year extension covers 2010-11 through 2014-15.
6. The Board approved a recommendation to extend the state final hosting contract for chess and speech individual events at the Peoria Civic Center in Peoria. The current contract was set to end at the conclusion of the 2009-10 school term. The five-year extension covers 2010-11 through 2014-15.
7. The Board approved a recommendation to extend the state final hosting contract for boys golf at three courses in the Bloomington-Normal area. Prairie Vista Golf Course in Bloomington, Illinois State University’s Wiebring Golf Course in Normal and The Den at Fox Creek Golf Course in Bloomington will continue to host the Class 1A, 2A and 3A boys golf state finals, respectively. The current contract was set to end at the conclusion of the 2009-10 school term. The five-year extension covers 2010-11 through 2014-15.
8. The Board approved a recommendation to revise the Policy for adding and deleting state series programs.

The guideline will now read:

15. Guidelines for Adding and Deleting State Series Programs

1. The Board will entertain proposals to add a new state series when ten percent of the member schools engage in regularly scheduled competition in the sport or activity.
2. When the minimum required participation level is demonstrated and proposals to add a new state series are considered, the Board shall (a) consider the growth potential of the sport or activity, and (b) consider the equity criteria included in the classification policy in determining whether to add the proposed new series.
3. The Board will entertain recommendations from staff to consider deletion of an existing state series when no less than ten percent of the member schools participate in the series and/or engage in regularly scheduled competition in the sport of activity.

IHSA Executive Director Marty Hickman:

“There has been a great deal of outreach from the state’s gymnastics community to our office and Board members since it was announced that this item would appear on today’s (April 20) Board agenda. I want to reiterate that there are currently no plans in the works to eliminate any sports or activities. We have not eliminated a program in the 19 years that I have been at the IHSA and there is currently no intention to change that. We feel that the current policy can trap our Board and Association, especially when adding new sports and activities in the current economic climate. What this policy is intended to do is to protect against starting a new sport or activity with numbers that are just above the required threshold and then experiencing a massive withdrawal due to budget or other unforeseen circumstances, which leaves us with an event that this significantly underrepresented by our member schools. Again, this change does not trigger any changes to any current sports or activities.”

Eligibility Rulings

1. The Board sustained the Executive Director’s ruling on a student from New Lenox (Providence). The student was ruled ineligible for non-compliance with IHSA By-law 3.043 and its sub-sections.
2. The Board overturned the Executive Director’s ruling on a student from Riverside (R.-Brookfield). The student was ruled ineligible for non-compliance with IHSA By-law 3.043 and its sub-sections. The student is eligible immediately.
3. The Board modified the Executive Director’s ruling on a student from Polo. The student was ruled ineligible for non-compliance with IHSA By-law 3.046 and its sub-sections. The student is eligible immediately.

Discussion Items

At each meeting of the Board of Directors, there are certain items the Board discusses, but upon which no action is taken. The following is a report of those items from the April 20, 2010, agenda:

1. The Executive Director provided the Board with an update on the NFHS Summer Meeting, which will be held in San Diego, California from July 6-10, 2010.
2. The Executive Director provided the Board with an update on lacrosse. The Board approved the formation of a State Series in Boys Lacrosse and Girls Lacrosse beginning with the 2010-11 school term if the minimum of 65 schools fielding boys teams and 40 schools fielding girls teams were met.
3. Barrington High School golf coach Jodi Schoeck and girls tennis coach Tracy Waters Miller were both present at the meeting to accept their 2009 NFHS National Coach of the Year Awards.
4. IHSA Assistant Executive Director Kurt Gibson provided the Board with an update on the IHSA Performance-Enhancing Drug Testing Program and the results of the testing during the winter.
   
   The IHSA conducted 48 tests in the sport of boys wrestling during the winter. All 48 student-athletes were tested for anabolic steroids and stimulants. The testing resulted in one positive test. The student was granted an exemption by the Medical Review Officer and will not be subject to any disciplinary measures. For the school year, 189 tests have been conducted in four different sports. Of the 189 tests, only one student has tested positive.
5. The Board discussed a proposal from the Cahokia Conference to change State Series Grouping & Seeding Policies in four-class sports and football.
6. The Board heard a report from Assistant Executive Director Dave Gannaway on the possibility of incorporating wheelchair events into the IHSA Track & Field State Finals.