9/14/12 – KHSAA Annual Meeting – Your Chance to be Involved!

September 14, 2012 Athletic Department Blog Updates

This is a great time of year. In all areas of the state, school has started. The Friday night lights are lit, the fields and courts are in use every night (and seems like 24 hours in some areas and schools). And this year, we have just completed a circuit around the state holding regional meetings about KHSAA operations, online data management and Title IX.

But then reality sets in, and its time to deal with some of the “business issues” surrounding the KHSAA. And a lot of that business is accomplished through the Annual Meeting. Truth be told, other than the championship final events and recognition ceremonies, this event continues to be one of my favorites. Our staff gets to sit down and meet with those people in the trenches at the local schools, and talk about issues facing both groups. Our philosophies and perspectives are different, so too naturally are our opinions.

I wanted to take some time with this particular blog, to talk about the proposals that will be voted on by the membership. This two-part article will attempt to first lay the groundwork for the last few years, and then secondarily, it will discuss in a little more detail, each of the twelve proposals to be considered at the KHSAA Annual Meeting on Thursday. The Board of Control is required, per Section 3 of 702 KAR 7:065, to review the rules of the KHSAA and recommend any changes to the membership. As Commissioner, many of these initiatives come from me based on year round input and study, and are thoroughly reviewed by the Board over a series of about six months worth of meetings and discussions. While it would be nice to have the luxury of leaving the rules alone for a length of time, such is simply not possible. And certainly this is not the time for us to fight long and hard to maintain the 1985 status quo. That would certainly not be in everyone’s best interest.

 It is very difficult in one or two lines of rationale, to fully describe the hours and days of thought and discussion that goes on among the membership, among the Board of Control and among the staff, before a proposal actually makes it to the agenda. And when we consider each proposal, we must always be mindful that these proposals must be approved by our membership but then have a long way to  go to be implemented, including final approval by the legislature in Frankfort.

The vast majority of the legislature, I am sure, would rather deal with the more serious issues they fight every day in Frankfort than to get involve with athletics. Success and achievement in the General Assembly many times turns on compromise, while most in athletics feel there has to be a winner and a loser. These two diverse schools of thought mean that sometimes, everyone won’t agree. Such was the case in the mid-2000s, when the membership of the KHSAA discussed various proposals which would have either 1) segregsated its championships based on school types, or 2) controlled the eligibility of high school students based on the type of middle school the student attended. To say that neither of these options were looked upon favorably by the General Assembly members would be a tremendous understatement. While those troubled waters have calmed for now, this started the Association and its member schools down a path wherein everything about the daily operations (including the eligibility rules) continue to be subject to increased scrutiny.

In the next segment, I will share with you background on the specific proposals on this year’s agenda.