08/13/12 – Hype Student Conferences Set For Next Week, Start of Fall Sports, Press Conference Set

August 13, 2012 2012-2013 News Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: AUGUST 13, 2012

HYPE STUDENT LEADERSHIP CONFERENCES SET FOR LEXINGTON, BOWLING GREEN

For the second consecutive year the HYPE KHSAA Student Leadership Conference will educate students in the eastern and western portions of the Commonwealth. The first installment of the conference will take place on Monday, Aug. 20, at Heritage Hall in the Lexington Center. The second day of the conference will take place on Tuesday, Aug. 21 at the Sloan Convention Center in Bowling Green.

 This marks the 11th year the Association has provided the free conference for student-athletes to learn teamwork exercises, sportsmanship initiatives and discuss current issues. Scheduled seminars this year include hazing (Elliott Hopkins, NFHS), Respect (Cameron Mills), Challenge Course (Kara Mattingly, Asbury University) and a segment with J.C. Newton from the Kentucky National Guard. The conference is primarily funded with the receipts from the Association’s corporate sponsor program.

 More than 600 student-athletes attended the two-day session last year.

 “The expansion to two locations last year allowed us to expand the program’s reach. We received tremendous feedback from administrators and student-athletes who had never attended the program before,” said KHSAA Assistant Commissioner Butch Cope. “We hope to reach even more student-athletes this year. It’s one of the most enjoyable experiences we have each year. You can really see the light come on as these students learn to become better leaders and teammates.”

SOCCER SEASON BEGINS TODAY, FOOTBALL BEGINS FRIDAY
Soccer season kicks off Monday as 48 girls’ contests and 20 boys’ contests will be played throughout the state. The teams will play an eight week regular season until district tournaments begin the week of October 7. The state level has undergone a significant change this year. The sectional round of the tournament at home sites has been replaced by a quarterfinal round, set for Saturday, October 27 at Henry Clay High School and Paul Laurence Dunbar High Schools in Lexington. The semifinal round will be played on Wednesday, Oct. 31, and Thursday, Nov. 1, with the boys’ and girls’ championship games scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 3.  St. Xavier is the defending boys’ state champion while Notre Dame is the defending girls’ champion.

 Football season also begins this week as 81 games will take place on Friday night, Aug. 17.

 Full schedules for both soccer and football are available on the Riherds/KHSAA Scoreboard at www.khsaa.org.

FOOTBALL SIDELINE ADVISORY TO MEDIA
With the first regular season football games scheduled for Friday night, Aug. 17, this is a reminder to all media members who cover football games on the sidelines. Officials have been directed to enforce areas of the field that are off limits to working media, due to potential safety hazards. Media members are not allowed in the ‘team box’ area between the 25-yard lines. Media members who work on the field outside of this area must remain at least two yards (six feet) off the field. As always, be alert at all times to plays and action near the sidelines.

PRESS CONFERENCE SCHEDULED FOR AUGUST 23
A press conference has been scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 23, at 10 a.m. at the KHSAA office in Lexington. Representatives from the KHSAA, the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, the National Archery in Schools Program (NASP) and the KY chapter of NASP will be in attendance to discuss the latest KHSAA sanctioned sport-activity offering. The press conference will be broadcast live on www.KHSAA.tv.

 — KHSAA —

For more information contact Elden May at 859-299-5472.

KHSAA PERSONNEL ADVISORY
It has been my pleasure to serve as the Sports Information Director for the KHSAA since January of 2009. In the coming days, you will see an announcement on the KHSAA web site advertising for a new Communications/Sports Information Director as I have decided to open a new chapter in my personal and professional life and the Association will seek a replacement. I wanted to tell each of you before you saw the notice and assure you that this is 100 percent my own initiative. I would like to thank each of you for your kindness, professionalism and patience as I could not have done this job without each of you. As a former member of the media for nearly a decade, I appreciate the trials and tribulations you face daily in this ever changing media climate, and wish each of you only the best.