CHSAA/Feeding Colorado Joining Forces to Dunk Hunger in the State

***Press Release Courtesy of CHSAA***

CU Events Center, Colorado Mines, Budweiser Event Center and CSU-Pueblo Are Collection Sites

Aurora, Colo. -- Colorado’s high school basketball teams will use the final week of the state playoffs March 12-14, to help collect food for the thousands of hungry and food insecure in the state, the Colorado High School Activities Association has announced. Feeding Colorado is a collection of the state’s largest five food banks’ and include Food Bank of the Rockies, Care and Share Food Bank for Southern Colorado, Community Food Share, Food Bank for Larimer County and Weld Food Bank. All four championship sites - CU Events Center, Colorado Mines, Budweiser Event Center and CSU-Pueblo -have opened their doors to help, as well.

“The numbers of Coloradoans that are food insecure and in need of food assistance in any given week is staggering. Our CHSAA schools have long been the support system for their communities and this gives them yet another chance to help out people in need right in their own communities,” Commissioner Paul Angelico noted. “The food raised by the program will be distributed across Colorado.”

Here are some pertinent stats around hunger in Colorado:

1.       There are slightly more than 750,000 Coloradoans that are food insecure and in need of food assistance on any given week;

2.       The five Feeding America Food Banks in Colorado provide and distribute over 100 million pounds annually to nearly 1600 food assistance programs in Colorado;

3.       Feeding Colorado touches each of Colorado’s 64 counties at least once each month;

4.       Nearly 1 in 4 children in Colorado are food insecure and;

5.       Combined, Feeding Colorado has over 33 trucks delivering and/or picking up food on any given day and in any given part of Colorado.

In order to facilitate the food drive, the CHSAA has developed two approaches to the activities during Championship Week. One, food raised by the school will remain in their community, and the second is to drive donations from those attending the games each day of the championship tournaments.

Each school that qualifies for the state tournament will be challenged to see which school can raise the most food over the first three days of that week. It will be weighed and the team that raises the most, will win $1,000 from the Foundation for Colorado High School Student Activities to donate in that school’s name to Feeding Colorado. The winners will be announced during one of the state championship games on March 14. Any food raised by the schools will remain in those communities to help fill their local pantries’ shelves.

The second part of the Food Drive revolves around those attending the games. Collection bins will be placed at the front doors of the facility for fans to drop off food items as they enter the facility. To entice donations, each person who donates will receive a raffle ticket for a chance to win a prize during that session of the tournament. Prizes to be given away include items from the Broncos, Rockies, Nuggets, Avalanche and Rapids, along with the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame and Mile High Sports Magazine.

Additional information will be forwarded as the playoffs progress.

CHSAA Legislative Council Meets January 29

***Press Release***

Annual Hall of fame Banquet Slated for January 30

Aurora, Colo. – The first of two Colorado High Activities Association Legislative Council Meetings is slated for Thursday, January 29, at the Radisson Hotel in Aurora, located at I-225 and Parker Road. The Meeting will be at 8:30 a.m. and will be aired lived as part of the NFHS Network.

        The CHSAA Hall of Fame’s Class of 2014 includes four-time champion Jonathan Archuleta (Alamosa) and the legendary undefeated Manual High School Boys’ Team from 1966, along with Bernie Goss, a wrestling official and all-sports officials assignor from Grand Junction. Joining those three entries into the hall are girls’ athletics pioneer and Colorado Coaches of Girls Sports founder Helen McCall, former media maven Marcia Neville and Dr. Darwin Strickland, who for 50 years has been the physician for high school athletes in Adams County District 12. The Hall of Fame will be aired lived as part of the NFHS Network/Colorado. 

To access all Colorado NFHS Network Broadcasts, CHSAANow.com has a direct link to the site; select Colorado and then the event that is desired.

Prior to the CHSAA Hall of Fame dinner, the CHSAA Board of Directors will be meeting at the hotel, starting at 8:00 a.m.

The CHSAA Legislative Council is the body that determines the rules for the student participants in the state of Colorado and its 75 members represent all the individual athletic conferences, along with representatives from the Colorado Association of School Boards, Colorado Athletic Directors Association and Colorado Association of Secondary School Administrators. They will be voting on two constitutional proposals, 10 administrative proposals and one sports/activities proposals, along with four administrative committee reports, one activities committee report and 10 sport committee reports. In addition, the Legislative Council will hear nominations to replace members on the Board of Directors and nominations for Board President.

All Proposals and Committee reports that will be voted on can be found on the CHSAA website (www.CHSAANow.com) under School Info. The following are brief descriptions of the agenda items:

Constitutional Proposals (requires 2/3 majority vote to pass)

C-1 – Member Schools – This proposal provides for a firm definition of what a school is for membership purposes. This proposal comes from the CHSAA Board of Directors

C-2 – Board of Directors – This proposal from the CHSAA Board of Directors calls for the addition of two members to the CHSAA Board of Directors. One of the at-large members must be female, while the second must be a minority, who may also be female. The proposal sets ups the parameters from which district these members will be selected and the rotation of terms.

       

Administrative Proposals – (Requires majority vote to pass, unless otherwise noted)

ADM-1 – Classification of Schools – This by-law proposal from the Western Slope revises the rules by which schools may elect to play down in classification. The major changes include requiring a school wishing to play down for a second competitive cycle, it must have a a winning percentage of 50% or below. Additionally, regardless of year, any school electing to play down will be ineligible for the playoffs in that sport.

ADM-2 – Coaches Required to Attend Rules Meetings – Submitted by the CHSAA Board of Directors, this proposal would require all coaches to attend a rules clinic sponsored jointly by the CHSAA and coaches’ association prior to the start of the first interscholastic contest. The rule will be mandatory and non-compliance carries restriction penalty on the coach.

ADM-3 – General Eligibility Requirements – From the Colorado Springs Metro 4A League, this proposal would change the fall academic eligibility regain date from the sixth Thursday after Labor Day to a mandatory participation consequence for boys’ golf and tennis, along with girls’ softball.  In essence for the sports that have shorter seasons than the other fall sports, it would require that the academically ineligible student miss the first 50% of that sports contests. If the student is academically eligible at that point, the student could begin play.

ADM-4 – General Eligibility Requirements – The CS Metro 4A has also submitted this by-law proposal which would make the language from the previous proposal with that of the language in a different by-law.

Editor’s Note: Proposals ADM-5, ADM-6 and ADM-7 all address the CHSAA transfer rule. In the event that more than one of these rules passes, the last one passed will be one implemented in the 2015-16 school year.

ADM-5 – Transfer – This proposal from the Denver Prep League would create a consistent 50% penalty on all transfers, regardless of type of transfer. There would be no appeal granted for any transfer, nor would there be any transfer that would result in 100% ineligibility.

ADM-6 – Summer Transfer – This proposal from the CHSAA Board of Directors moves the current consequence from the first 50% of the season to the last 50% of the season and inclusive of the playoffs, so any non-bona fide family move transfer over the summer would result in the player having sub-varsity eligibility for the first 50% of the season, but then having varsity eligibility for the last half of the season and playoffs. All athletic transfer rules and hardship waivers would be remain in place.

ADM-7 – Summer Transfer – From the CHSAA Board of Directors, any transfer from one school to another would result in sub-varsity eligibility only. The CHSAA hardship rules would remain in place.

ADM-8 – Sunday Contact – The CHSAA Board of Directors has submitted a clarification of what schools and coaches can do with social media on Sundays. Under this clarification, contact through social media (such as Twitter and Facebook) would be permitted as long as no call to action is included in the missive. A call to action is a message that contains a request for the recipient to follow through on a request on a Sunday. Additionally, group texts to teams on Sunday which include administrators are permitted, but individual messages are not. NOTE: All of the above remains subject to school district policies which would supersede the CHSAA clarification.

ADM-9 – Registered Officials List – This proposal submitted by the CHSAA Board of Directors is a clarification of the current CHSAA policy in use currently when registering officials.

ADM-10 – Officials Conduct – The CHSAA Board of Directors is submitting a second clarifying proposal which notes that any registered official may be suspended and/or banned from the CHSAA list of registered officials by a recommendation from the officials’ governing board.

Sports/Activities Proposals

S-1 – Maximum Quarters Individual – This proposal from the Pikes Peak Athletic Conference changes the number of quarters allowed in football for individual players.  Based on safety needs established through research provided by nationwide surveys, this proposal establishes limits on player participation quarters in the sport.

There are no Activities proposals.

Administrative Committees

Budget/Property Administration Committee (First reading) – The Budget Committee is recommending a continued gradual increase in the service and participation fees for 2015-17, with the increases equating to 1.5% next year and 1.02% the year following. With continually rising costs of facilities and post-season ticket sales remaining stagnate, there is a need to maintain a minor increase in dues and fees.

Classification and League Organization Committee – The CLOC is recommending classification enrollment ranges for the 2016-18 competition cycle, but notes these may be amended at the committee’s November 2015 meeting. The ranges are based on a balancing of the numbers in each classification based on Boys’ Basketball enrollment numbers. Additionally, the committee is recommending that seven new schools be admitted and confirmed the full membership status of five schools that have served their three-year probationary period. The committee also recommends DSST-Green Valley Ranch and Venture Prep membership in the Confluence League.

Coaching Education & Registration Committee – The committee strengthened two policies regarding reporting of Coaches Test Report Results and Coaching Professional Development Program lists to the CHSAA office. Failure to meet the established dates will result in late fees being applied and the inability of schools to register new coaches.

Officials Fees Committee – The committee is recommending clarification in the fee structure for dual wrestling tournaments that exceed 8 hours in length and clarified the fees for tournaments with 1-4 mats and those with 5-7 mats, noting that in the first, the tournament shall hire one more official than the number of mats and in the second, two more officials than the number of mats. Finally, the committee has noted that all varsity cross country meets shall have at least one registered official at the meet.

Student Leadership – No major changes proposed. The CHSAA Student Leadership Camp is slated for July 27-30 at Colorado State University (Fort Collins), while the CHSAA Student Leadership Conference is slated for Discovery Canyon High School on October 16-17.

Sports Committees

Baseball – The Baseball Committee is recommending a change in pitching regulations, going from innings limits to a pitch count limit.  Additionally, in all classes utilizing Wild Card points, the final cutoff date for MaxPreps information will be May 5 at noon MDT. No changes or appeals will be heard following that date. The rationale for the changes in pitching are related to player health and safety, based on research provided by the NFHS Sports Medicine Committee and other baseball resources which indicate that greater care needs to be given to pitch counts. The change in Wild Card reporting is to ensure that questions related to reported games are addressed prior to that point.

Cross Country – There are no major changes. The committee did note that the State Cross Country Site will be available for a walk/run through on the Friday before the state meet. The State Meet will remain at the Norris Penrose Center for the next four years.

Field Hockey – The committee has recommended a change in the overtime procedures at the state tournament.

Football – The committee has provided its support of the quarters recommendation coming from the Pikes Peak Athletic Conference, The committee forwarded recommendations in the wild card defeat points tables in all classifications, established a media zone five yards outside each side of the coaching box and in 5A, added language to help that when two like seeds meet in a contest and have equal home contests to that point, a coin flip will determine which team is the host. Other recommendations made by the committee include adding clarifying language for seeding purposes in 2A and 3A and then noted that when an A6 team forfeits a contest it will receive zero defeat points for that game, but its opponent will receive appropriate victory points for the win.

Golf – The committee has recommended making the use of iWannamaker Golf Scoring System mandatory for all regular season and post season events. The committee also recommended that the USGA Modified Stableford Modified Scoring System be employed in as many regular season events as possible to help with pace of play.  The committee re-aligned the 3A boys’ gold regionals for in terms of members and strength of golf schools. The committee also clarified the seeding of the 5A Boys and Girls regions and the availability of a private course if it will be used for a post season event, noting that at least two practice rounds must be provided for teams in those tournaments held at the private course.

Gymnastics – The committee is recommending that the 7^th and 8^th place finishers at the state meet be awarded medals instead of ribbons.

Soccer – The committee is recommending that the 7-1-5 Mercy Rule in the NFHS Rule book be mandatory and must follow the steps listed in the CHSAA Soccer Bulletin. This change will be effective immediately.

Softball – The committee is recommending that 18 teams qualify for the state tournament, with 5 being the regular season district champions, 5 being the runners-up in each of those districts and 8 will be at-large teams. In 4A and 5A, the committee is recommending a change in the way sites are determined by the host teams for those events, establishing a priority list for approved sites. Host schools that cannot meet those requirements shall relinquish their ability to host.

Tennis – The committee is recommending corrective action for those teams that have two or more complaints filed against their teams’ lineups during the season.  A committee will evaluate the players in question during a match and if a team is found to be stacking its lineup, sanctions could be applied. The committee also provided its support for three classifications in the sport for the sport in the next cycle.

Volleyball – The committee’s sole major change is a recommendation to make all matches at the state tournament best 3 of 5, allowing the teams that qualify  to play full matches at state regardless if those matches will have an impact on pool play.

The Legislative Council will start at 8:30 a.m. with its traditional Speak Out session where members of the public may ask to speak to the Legislative Council on pertinent issues. Speakers are limited to five minutes and may gain access to the podium by contacting CHSAA’s Bethany Brookens (303) 344-5050 by Friday, January 23 at 4:00 p.m.

CHSAA Begins 93rd Year of Sports

***Press Release Courtesy of CHSAA***

Official Practice Begins August 4 for Boys’ Golf, August 11 for All Others

Aurora, Colo. – The Colorado High School Activities Association and its 346 member schools open the 94^th school year with Boys’ Golf official practice on August 4. All other sports start officially on August 11. Student athletes in Cross Country, Field Hockey, Boys’ Golf, Football, Girls’ Gymnastics, Boys’ Soccer, Softball, Boys’ Tennis, Volleyball and Spirit anxiously await that starting date.

Prior to the start of practice, though, the CHSAA will conduct several meetings for school administrators, including the annual New AD/Principal’s and League Presidents/District Athletic Directors meetings, held in conjunction with CHSAA’s All-School Summit on July 31-August 1. The New AD/Principal meeting starts at 8:00 a.m. on July 31, as does the District Athletic Directors Meeting. The League Presidents’ Meeting starts at 10:00 a.m. The All-School Summit itself, begins at noon on July 31 and concludes at noon on August 1. All the meetings will be held at the Denver Marriott South at Park Meadows (I-25 and Lincoln Avenue).

        “The start of the new school year, which includes the beginning of the fall sports season, is one of the most exciting times in a student’s life. Certainly the start of fall practice is a bit more special because it starts the entire school year. The community-based feeling that high school sports bring to high schools remind each of us of our own roots. Schools have always been the hub of activities for neighborhoods and communities and that status remains unchallenged year in and year out,” CHSAA Commissioner Paul Angelico said.

        Teams may start scrimmages on August 7 for Boys’ Golf, August 11 for Softball and August 16 for all other sports, except football which starts scrimmage August 21. August 21 also marks the first day of competition for all fall sports except Boys’ Golf (August 7), Boys’ Tennis (August 14) and Girls’ Softball (August 15).

A major change in CHSAA by-laws allows for football (and all sports) to utilize what has commonly been known as “Zero Week” as a regular competition week. This allows for more flexibility in scheduling, especially in football.

In May, 1921, a group of superintendents and principals met in Boulder and organized the Colorado High School Athletic Conference. The purpose of this organization was to better regulate and develop the interscholastic school athletic program.

There were nine leagues by the time the first constitution was published, including the Northern, North Central, Western Slope, Suburban, Southeastern, Arkansas Valley, South Central and San Juan Basin leagues.

The first champions crowned that school year were Colorado Springs in football, Greeley in basketball, and Fort Collins in track and field.

In 1924, the Colorado High School Athletic Conference joined the National Federation of State High School Associations and has remained an active member of that organization ever since.

Loveland’s R.W. Truscott was the Association’s first president and Eaton’s J.C. Casey its first secretary (commissioner). Truscott replaced Casey as secretary in December, 1926 and held that post until July, 1948 when Glenn T. Wilson became commissioner. Ray C. Ball took over the commissioner’s post in 1966 and remained in the office until August, 1986 when Ray Plutko assumed the duties. Bob Ottewill became the Association’s sixth commissioner in July, 1990, followed by Bill Reader who served as Commissioner from 2002 until 2010. Angelico assumed the position on July 1, 2010

The CHSAA has had 58 presidents dating back to 1921. Its current president, Centauri Schools Superintendent Curt Wilson, is in the first year of a two-year term as president.

The Association enters the year with few changes on staff. Paul Angelico, in his 25^th year at CHSAA, is Commissioner. Assistant Commissioners Bert Borgmann and Tom Robinson are in their 27^thand 14^th years on the staff, respectively. Meanwhile, Bethany Brookens and Harry Waterman are in their seventh years with the Association. Bud Ozzello enters is in his fifth year on the staff, while Jenn Roberts-Uhlig is in her third year, and Ryan Casey is in his second year with CHSAA as Director of Digital Media.

Donna Coonts serves as administrative assistant to Commissioner Angelico, while Whitney Webermeier (Borgmann), Rocky Railey (Brookens), Theresa Muniz (Waterman), Audra Cathy (Ozzello), Jane Boudreau (Roberts-Uhlig) and Monica Tillman (Robinson) assist the other administrators. Bookkeeper Kenzie Hewson and mail room coordinator Sharon Garcia round out the Association staff.

CHSAA Administrative Staff and Major Assignments

Paul Angelico, Commissioner (Classification and League Organization Committee, Board of Directors, Legislative Council, Budget, Hardship Waivers, Handbook, Personnel)

Bert Borgmann, Assistant Commissioner (Baseball, Basketball, Gymnastics, Hall of Fame, Media Relations, Cooperative Programs, Legislative Relations, Programs, State Records/Championship Results, Trophies & Awards, Foreign Waivers)

Tom Robinson, Assistant Commissioner (Golf, Officials, Officials’ Fees Committee, Sportsmanship, Sportsmanship Seminars, Officials’ Organizations)

Bethany Brookens, Assistant Commissioner (Field Hockey, Tennis, Music, Skiing, Swimming, Volleyball, Title IX, Equity, New Schools, Participation Survey)

Harry Waterman, Assistant Commissioner (Football, Wrestling, Lacrosse, Student Council, NFHS Section 6, Coaching Registration, Playoff Sites, Tournament Playoff & Finance, CADA Liaison)

Bud Ozzello, Assistant Commissioner (Softball, Soccer, Speech, Ice Hockey, Sanctioned Events, Office Manager)

Jenn Roberts-Uhlig, Assistant Commissioner (Cross Country, Spirit, Track & Field, Corporate Relations, Recognition Programs, Academic Team/All-State, Sports Medicine, Junior High/Middle Schools, New Athletic Directors Meeting, T-Shirts/Merchandise)

Ryan Casey, Director of Digital Media (CHSAANow.com; Technology Advancement, CHSAA.org)

CHSAA Board of Directors (Leagues Represented) [term expires]:

CHSAA President (Serving second of two-year term): Curt Wilson, Superintendent (Centauri Schools( [2015]

District 1 (San Juan Basin, Western Slope, Southwestern): Paul Cain, District Athletic Director (Grand Junction Schools) [2018]

District 2 (Centennial, Northern, Frontier, Tri-Valley): Mike Schmidt, Principal (Platte Canyon School District) [2016]

District 3 (High Plains, Lower Platte, Mile High, North Central, Patriot, Union Pacific, YWKC): Kathleen Leiding, Athletic Director (Lyons High School) [2015]

District 4 (Jefferson County, East Metro, Colorado 7): Jim Thyfault, District Athletic Director (Jefferson County Schools) [2017]

District 5 (Denver, Metropolitan, Confluence): Loren Larrabee, Athletic Director (Lutheran High School) [2018]

District 6 (Continental, Front Range, 5280): Ed Hartnett, Director of District Activities/Athletics (Adams Five Star School District) [2016]

District 7 (CS Metro 4A, CS Metro 5A, Pikes Peak, Tri-Peaks, West Central): Sandi Weece, Athletic Director (South Park High School) [2015]

District 8 (Black Forest, Fisher’s Peak, Intermountain, Southern Peaks): Joe Garcia, Athletic Director (Antonito High School) [2018]

District 9 (Arkansas Valley, Santa Fe, South Central, Southeastern): Richard Macias, District Athletic Director (Pueblo City Schools 60) [2017]

Colorado Association of School Boards: Jim Engelker (Platte Valley Re-3) [2016]

Colorado Association of School Executives: Jim Lucas, Assistant Principal (Pine Creek High School) [2015]

Colorado Association of School Executives: Rick Mondt, Superintendent (Briggsdale Schools) [2017]

Colorado Department of Education: Wendy Dunaway, Colorado Department of Education [2015]

Colorado State Assembly: Jim Wilson, Salida (State Representative, Salida) [2017]

CHSAA Legislative Council Meets April 17

***Press Release***

CHSAA Board of Directors to meet April 16

Aurora, Colo. – The final of two Colorado High School Activities Association Legislative Council Meetings is slated forThursday, April 17, at the Radisson Hotel/Red Lion Inn in Aurora, located at I-225 and Parker Road. The Meeting will be at 8:30 a.m. and will be aired live on CHSAA.tv. The CHSAA Board of Directors will meet Wednesday, April 16 in advance of the meeting.

The CHSAA Legislative Council is the body that determines the rules for the student participants in the state of Colorado and its 73 members represent all the individual athletic conferences, along with representatives from the Colorado Association of School Boards, Colorado Athletic Directors Association and Colorado Association of Secondary School Administrators. They will be voting on three administrative proposals, three sports and one activities proposals, along with four administrative committee reports, two activities committee reports and eight sport committee reports. In addition, the Legislative Council will vote on nominations to replace members on the Board of Directors and for President of the Board of Directors.

All Proposals and Committee reports that will be voted on can be found on the CHSAA website (www.chsaanow.com) under School Info. The following are brief descriptions of the agenda items:

Constitutional Proposals (requires 2/3 majority vote to pass)

None Submitted

Administrative Proposals – (Requires majority vote to pass, unless otherwise noted)

ADM 1 - Classification of Schools – This proposal, submitted by the Western Slope League, will require 60% approval to pass. The proposal recommends creating a second classification of Ice Hockey. Under this provision, all schools with an enrollment of more than 1410 would be a 5A school and all others 4A. This would create approximately classifications of 14-15 per class.

ADM-2 – Transfer Rule – The CHSAA Board of Directors is recommending a change in wording in the Transfer Rule to say “when the definition of a hardship has been met” so that it requires the that all conditions of a hardship be met prior to a school submitting one for consideration by the Commissioner. The new wording clarifies the intent  of the by-law and emphasizes that a waiver may be submitted only when the criteria has met the definition of a hardship.

ADM-3 – Appeals Procedure – Submitted by the CHSAA Board of Directors, this proposal adds a sentence indicating that PER STATE LAW, arbitration can only take place after all the steps in the CHSAA appeals process have taken place. It is designed to clarify what already is require under state statute.

Sports Proposals

S-1 – Field Hockey Participation – Submitted by the Frontier and Metro Leagues, this proposal increases the number of halves a field hockey participant play may play  from 30 to 36 halves during the season. It is designed to maximize participation and strengthen sub-varsity participation.

S – 2 – Lacrosse Participation – Submitted by the Frontier and Metro Leagues, this proposal increases the individual participation for lacrosse players from 34 to 36 halves for girls and from 68 to 72 quarters for boys. It is another proposal that seeks to maximize and strengthen sub-varsity participation.

S – 3 – Soccer Participation – The Frontier and Metro Leagues are proposing increasing the number of halves for soccer participants from 30 to 36 in an effort to maximize participation and strengthen sub-varsity programs.

Activities Proposals

A–1 – Speech Awards – The Metropolitan League is proposing an amendment that, if passed, would allow speech tournaments to declare a team champion and present a team award.

Administrative Committees

Budget/Property Administration (Final Reading) – The committee has proposed freezing participation fees for 2015-16 school year at the 2014-15 level.

Classification and League Organization Committee (CLOC) – The Intermountain, Northern, CS Metro 4A and CS Metro 5A has submitted a proposal that would change the way wrestling was classified, but taking the total number of schools with wrestling programs, dividing by four to balance the number of schools in the classifications.

Equity – No major changes have been proposed. Schools are reminded that the proportionality and participation surveys information has been sent out.

Sportsmanship – The committee has recommended a continuation of the regional sportsmanship summits and is encouraging additional summits. The CHSAA has contracted with Positive Coaches Alliance and access to that program is available for leagues.

Tournament and Playoff Finance – The committee is proposing a raise of $1 in adult ticket prices at the district and regional levels to help offset the costs of running those tournaments for schools.

Activities Committees

        Music – No major changes have been proposed.

        Speech – A number of proposed changes have been made to specific events, along with several administrative items.

Sports Committees

Basketball – The committee made adjustments in all classifications to reflect changes in enrollments. The regional format in 2A was changed to reflect a desire by the membership to have boys’ and girls’ teams at the same regional sites. The 3A format was adjusted to reflect the addition of the Confluence League, while the 4A format was changed to from 48 qualifiers to 32. Also, Class 4A will play its Great 8 games at home sites. All changes reflect information gathered from school administrators in a survey last fall.

There is an amendment from the Jefferson County League to maintain the 4A qualifiers at 48 teams due to the large number of schools in the classification.

The Lower Platte League is amending the 2A regional portion of the report to create a regional format that would create three regions (northeast, southeast, western), putting three districts in the NE and SE and giving three state qualifiers to those regionals, while limiting the state qualifiers from the W region to two.

The Southwestern League is amending the 5A portion of the report to create a one-day seeding window for the selection/seeding committees, rather than two days. All other classifications seed over a one-day period, as well.

Football – The Colorado Springs Metro 5A, Continental and Jefferson County leagues have submitted a proposal to change the seeding process for 5A football. The proposal is a collaborative effort of 5A leagues to allow for more flexibility in seeding the 32 teams that qualify for the bracket through Wild Card Points. The bracket will be seeded in quadrants and each quadrant will have eight seeds.  Conference champions will be guaranteed of a first round home game by being seeded in the top 16. Additional seeding criteria will include an RPI ranking system developed by RockyPreps. The proposed seeding will provide flexibility in avoiding conference match-ups, yet maintaining appropriate seeding within the quadrants.

Ice Hockey:  The committee has recommended semifinal and championships dates of March 5 and 6, but the dates could change depending on rink availability.

Lacrosse – The major changes recommended by committee include changes in automatic qualifiers for the girls’ tournament. On the boys’ side, the committee made the necessary adjustments to 4A conferences to account for new programs. Additionally, the committee is recommending keeping the 4A quarterfinals and semifinals at home sites.

Skiing – No major changes were recommended.

Spirit – The lone major change deals with outdoor competitions where two varsity teams (co-ed, cheer, poms) are allowed to be on the sidelines if mutually agreed upon by both schools. During indoor competitions, one varsity team will be allowed on the sidelines/court if mutually agreed upon by both schools.

Swimming and Diving – The new state qualifying times were created in an attempt to create 4-5 heats in each event.  Additionally, because of housing issues in Fort Collins during the spring, the committee is recommending a three-day meet at Thornton’s VMAC to accommodate the two classifications.

The Pikes Peak League will attempt to amend the report to go back to a two-day meet for each classification. The Air Force Academy has agreed to be the second site for the championship meets and will host 5A.

Track and Field – No major changes were recommended by the committee.

The Frontier League has submitted an amendment to the track report that would free up the 12^th week of the season for a state qualifying meet. Currently the 12^th week is limed to league championship meets.

Wrestling – The committee made its recommendations for regional teams, assigning the top 16 (5A) and top 12 (4A0 teams to regions based on returning regional and state meet points. In Class 3A, the committee is recommending utilizing the 4A/5A models, but only using the top 8 teams. All others will be assigned geographically. In 2A, the committee assigned teams based on geography, moving teams only to balance the regions. Other items from the committee include the dates when information must be put into the TrackWrestling System.

The Legislative Council will start at 8:30 a.m. with its traditional Speak Out session where members of the public may ask to speak to the Legislative Council on pertinent issues. Speakers are limited to five minutes and may gain access to the podium by contacting CHSAA’s Bethany Brookens (303) 344-5050 by Friday, April 11 at 4:00 p.m.

CHSAA Legislative Council Meets January 30

***Press Release***

Annual Hall of fame Banquet Slated for January 29

Aurora, Colo. – The first of two Colorado High Activities Association Legislative Council Meetings is slated for Thursday, January 30, at the Red Lion Inn in Aurora, located at I-225 and Parker Road. The Meeting will be at 8:30 a.m. and will be aired lived on CHSAA.tv as part of the NFHS Network.

The CHSAA Hall of Fame will induct its 25^th class the night before at the same site, starting at 6:30 p.m. The CHSAA Silver Anniversary Hall of Fame Class includes student-participants Jerome Biffle (Denver East), Tonya Beaber (Deer Trail) and Mark Randall (Cherry Creek). They are joined by three coaches, including current Granada coach Manuel Gonzales, former Fairview coach Sam Pagano and former Cheyenne Mountain coach Mike Provenzano. Long-time Sterling-area administrator and official Bob Plank, Grand Junction schools music educator Gary Ambrosier, Canon City speech coach and student leadership advisor Pauline Carochi, and the 1979 Evergreen girls’ volleyball team round out the 10 inductees that make up the Class of 2013.

Prior to the CHSAA Hall of Fame dinner, the CHSAA Board of Directors will be meeting at the hotel, starting at 8:00 a.m.

The CHSAA Legislative Council is the body that determines the rules for the student participants in the state of Colorado and its 70 members represent all the individual athletic conferences, along with representatives from the Colorado Association of School Boards, Colorado Athletic Directors Association and Colorado Association of Secondary School Administrators. They will be voting on one constitutional proposal, five administrative proposals and four sports/activities proposals, along with three administrative committee reports, one activities committee report and 10 sport committee reports. In addition, the Legislative Council will hear nominations to replace members on the Board of Directors.

All Proposals and Committee reports that will be voted on can be found on the CHSAA website (www.CHSAANow.com) under School Info. The following are brief descriptions of the agenda items:

Constitutional Proposals (requires 2/3 majority vote to pass)

C-1 – Specialized Sports Training Schools – This proposal would not allow schools that offer any type of specialized sports training to be a member of the Association.  A second rule change would prohibit any student participant at a school of this sort from participation at any CHSAA member school. (Submitted by the Board of Directors)

Administrative Proposals – (Requires majority vote to pass, unless otherwise noted)

ADM-1 – 2014-2016 Classification of Schools – This by-law proposal impacts four sections of the Classification and League Organization rules. Language added to by-law 1500.grants the Legislative Council the authority to increase the number of base classifications based on the growth of the CHSAA membership. The change to 1500.11 would allow for classification to be increased based upon the number of schools participating in a given sport. Proposed changes to 1500.21 would allow the CLOC to consider mitigating factors for placing schools in classification once the classification figures are determined. Called Equity Consideration Factors, these include socio-economic status of the school, school demographics, geography, a school’s participation rate, a school’s enrollment trend and competitive history, along with the entry or selection process for the school’s student body. The CLOC could recommend that a school in the lower 10% of a larger classification be placed in the next lower class based on these factors. (Submitted by the Board of Directors)

ADM-2 – Classification of Schools – The proposal addresses by-law 1500.27 and adjusts the play down criteria needed to play in a classification smaller than what a school’s enrollment places them. The proposal eliminates one set of criteria and replaces that with a notation that says “the team playing down will not be eligible for post-season consideration in the classification in which they are playing down.” (Submitted by the Western Slope League)

ADM-3 – Hazing and Documentation – This proposal requires a signed documentation that a student and his/her parents affirm their responsibility in preventing and reporting hazing incidents. The signed documentation must on file with the school prior to the student’s participation. (Submitted by Board of Directors)

ADM-4 – Sunday Contact – An often-addressed by-law, this proposal would allow coaches to have contact with their players on Sunday outside the high school sports season for competition only (this would prohibit practice. (Submitted by the Frontier League)

ADM-5 – Scrimmages – This proposal would allow schools to schedule scrimmages after the fifth day of practice, but would maintain that football teams could not scrimmage until the 10^th day after the start of practice. (Submitted by Jeffco, Southwestern, Centennial, East Metro)

Sports/Activities Proposals

S-1 – Basketball Maximum Number of Contests – This proposal would drop the number of regular season contests that 4A schools can play from 23 to 19. It would allow the 5A schools to maintain their regular season limit of 23. It maintains the wording of the by-law that limits Classes 1A, 2A and 3A to 19 games. (Submitted by the Northern League)

Editor’s Note: The results from a survey of all CHSAA basketball schools are posted at www.CHSAANow.com and address the question of game limits by classification.

S-2 – Fall Sports Seasons Starting Dates – This proposal recommends starting the fall competitive season six days earlier. For those familiar with Zero Week, this would open that week to competition for all sports without the need for permission. The proposal allows for increased flexibility in scheduling. It impacts cross country, football, field hockey, gymnastics, boys’ soccer, spirit and volleyball. (Submitted by Jeffco, Southwestern Centennial, East Metro)

S-3 – Spirit Season of Sport – This proposal would not allow CHSAA schools to host official spirit team try-outs until after Memorial Day. (Submitted by the Colorado Springs Metro)

S-4 – Volleyball Maximum Matches Team – This proposal is recommending cutting the number of volleyball matches from 23 to 19.  (Submitted by the Northern League)

There are no Activities proposals.

Administrative Committees

Budget/Property Administration Committee (First reading) – The Budget committee is recommending a freeze on participation fees for the 2015-16 and reported that there would be no refund given to schools in May 2014 as a result of a Board of Directors decision. The CHSAA Board directed the $33,732 be used to assist the We Are CHSAA anti-hazing and inclusion program. The Committee reported that $34,510 was reimbursed to schools to cover 100% travel costs for those sports that could not be reimbursed and that there was a refund of $102,423 given in May 2013 as a result of the operating profit from 2011-12.

Classification and League Organization Committee – The committee made its recommendation for the classification numbers for the 2014-2016 competitive cycle. Recommendations were made for membership for Caprock Academy (Grand Junction), DSST-Green Valley Ranch (Denver) and Venture Preparatory School (Denver). The committee approved a number of play down requests and league changes, along with approving several programs for enrollment exemptions. The following schools were approved to play down in specific sports: Adams City (football), Alameda (football), Antonito (football), Aurora Central (football), Boulder (softball), Centaurus (volleyball), Central GJ (football), CIVA Charter (boys’ & girls’ basketball, volleyball), Denver North (football), Dolores Huerta (girls’ basketball), Greeley Central (softball), Greeley West )boys’ soccer), Miami Yoder (football), Mitchell (football), Montbello (girls’ soccer), Montezuma-Cortez (soccer, football), Nederland (football), Niwot (football), Rifle (boys’ & girls’ soccer), Roosevelt (boys’ soccer), Skyline (softball), South Park (football).

The request approved for schools moving leagues includes: Broomfield (Northern to Front Range), Conon City (South Central to Colorado Springs Metro), Classical Academy (Tri-Peaks to CSML), Ellicott (Tri-Peaks to Black Forest), Highland (Patriot to Mile High), Holy Family (Metro to Tri-Valley), Littleton (Continental to Jeffco), Lyons (Patriot to Mile High) Manzanola (Southeastern to High Plains), Northridge (Tri-Valley to Northern), Skyview Academy (Independent to Metro), South Baca (Southeastern to Arkansas Valley), Swallows Academy (Independent to Santa Fe), Twin Peaks Charter (Independent to Mile High), Valor Christian (Independent to 5A Jeffco), Vanguard (Black Forest to Tri-Peaks).  Clear Creek (Frontier), Heritage Christian (Mile High), Longmont Christian (Mile High), Sierra Grande (Southern Peaks) all changed in classification but have remained in the same league.

Officials Fees Committee – There are no major changes proposed.

Student Leadership – No major changes proposed.

Sports Committees

Baseball – The Baseball Committee is recommending a change in the Wild Card Points accrued by out-of-state schools, along with a reduction in the loss points for the Wild Card Points table. The committee is requesting that these changes be made effective immediately to help the 2014 season. The committee adjusted the playoff formats in all classes and established playoff qualification procedures for Liberty Common (3A), SkyView Academy (3A), Ponderosa (4A) and Valor Christian (4A).

Cross Country – The committee is recommending changing the 3A scoring to Run 7, Score 5, and in 2A to Run 6, Score 3.

Field Hockey – Recommendations from the committee include moving the finals date to the Saturday of the 9^th week of play, rather than the Monday of the 10^th week.

Football – The committee made recommendations for the football conferences and then made changes in playoff formats that include: A6 – Week 9 Crossover teams will be ranked 1-16 by Wild Card Points; A8 – Teams will play a 9-week schedule and begin playoffs on Week 10; 1A – The higher seed team will host the playoff game if both teams have an equal number of previous home games; 3A – A 3A team that plays a 5A school it will now receive 4A Wild Card Points, in addition to the state championship game being played at the highest seed; 5A – The top 32 qualifiers will be selected and seeded by a committee of administrators, one from each conference. In 5A, the higher seed will also host if both schools have already hosted a playoff game in a previous round.

Golf – The committee modified its coaching rule to have the coach 10 yards from the greens surface once a player reaches the green to putt. The spectator policy was amended to keep a minimum 10-yard distance from the players on the fairway. 5A league schools will secure regional sites and determine the host school 30 days prior to the regional tournament. Finally, only coaches with a handicap document/sticker or doctor’s note may have a cart during the state tournament.

Gymnastics – Class 4A will qualify the top all-around performer, not on a qualifying team, from each region and then the next nine regardless of region, according to recommendations from the committee. The regional meets will all be held on Saturday, October 24, and 7^th and 8^th place ribbons will be awarded at state.

Soccer – The committee established the format needed in Girls 2A which starts in 2015, and changed the 3A bracket from a 32-team to a 24-team event. The committee adjusted its seeding criteria to include League Finish, MaxPreps rankings, League Poll which will look at head-to-head competition and common opponents. The regular season finishes will be honored and geography will be considered when placing teams seeded 24-32.

Softball – The committee is recommending reducing 3A qualifiers from 24 to 18 and changes to all classes seeding. Class 3A seeding will guarantee that the 6 regional champions are seeded 1-6, while in 4A and 5A, the committee refined the seeding criteria.

Tennis – Hosts for 5A Boys’ and Girls’ will be determined by league finish and each league much secure two regional sites, according to recommendations from the committee. The committee also adjusted regional assignments and noted that only teams that qualify four or more players to state are eligible for the state team championship competition.

Volleyball – The major changes that came from the committee include altering the order of matches at the state tournament and changes in the seeding for 1A and 2A.

The Legislative Council will start at 8:30 a.m. with its traditional Speak Out session where members of the public may ask to speak to the Legislative Council on pertinent issues. Speakers are limited to five minutes and may gain access to the podium by contacting CHSAA’s Bethany Brookens (303) 344-5050 by Friday, January 17 at 4:00 p.m.