Administration

July 2008 Board Meeting Summary

Coaches To Be Held Responsible for Their Athletes' Individual Limit Compliance

BLOOMINGTON - Coaches in baseball, basketball, volleyball, wrestling, and track and field will be held responsible to insure athletes on their teams do not exceed the individual limitations established in those respective sports. The Illinois Elementary School Association (IESA) Board of Directors adopted a recommendation from the By-laws Committee at its regular quarterly meeting June 13 that mandates the head coach of the team in the sport where a violation occurs shall be ineligible to coach for the next two (2) contests at the level of competition where the violation happened, and at all other interscholastic contests at any level in the interim.

"Each member school has the responsibility to make sure athletes from the school comply with all the IESA by-laws," said Executive Director Steve Endsley. "The burden to insure athletes on each team meet the requirements of the individual limitations in each of these sports rests squarely on the shoulders of their coach. Administrators at each member school must monitor their coaches and athletes to be proactive in this regard."

Endsley said questions and answers that address situations in the different sports will be included in 2008-09 Handbook as well as periodic announcements on the IESA Web Site at www.iesa.org.

The report regarding the other By-law Committee recommendations is included in this article.

Here is a breakdown of the individual limitations in each of the involved sports:

Baseball - As soon as a pitcher delivers one pitch, the pitcher has pitched one inning. The starting pitcher can be withdrawn from the mound or the game and can return once in the game to the pitching position. A relief pitcher withdrawn from the mound cannot return to the pitching position. A pitcher may pitch a maximum of 16 innings in a calendar week (Sunday-Saturday). A pitcher may not pitch more than a total of seven (7) innings in any one day or nine (9) innings on two consecutive days. If more than four (4) innings are pitched on two consecutive days, two days of rest must follow. (Note: Softball does not have pitching limitations.)

Boys/Girls Basketball - Basketball players at the school are limited to a maximum of 88 quarters in the season, exclusive of the IESA state series.

In the regular season players are limited to four (4) quarters per day except in regular season tournaments where players are limited to no more than eight (8) quarters per day. If a player actually competes in the quarter, regardless of the length of time, it counts as one of the eligible quarters. Players may participate in either or both grade levels of the IESA state series for which they are qualified. Eighth graders are not eligible to participate on seventh grade teams. Students in fifth and sixth grade who participate on their school's seventh and eighth grade teams must abide by all IESA rules and regulations.

Wrestling - Exclusive of the IESA state series, wrestlers shall be limited to a maximum of five (5) bouts per day, with a minimum rest period of 45 minutes between each bout. Wrestlers are limited to a maximum of 37 bouts per season, exclusive of the IESA state series.

Girls Volleyball - Players are limited to three (3) games in dual contests in one day and four matches per day in tournaments. Players are limited to a maximum of 72 games in the season, exclusive of the IESA state series.

If a player actually competes in a game, regardless of the length of time, it counts as one of the eligible games. Players may participate in either or both grade levels of the IESA state series for which they are qualified. Eighth graders are not eligible to participate on seventh grade teams. Students in fifth and sixth grade who participate on their school's seventh and eighth grade teams must abide by all IESA rules and regulations.

Boys/Girls Track and Field - Athletes are permitted to compete in no more than four (4) events each meet. These athletes are limited within the four events to these options: a) two track, one field and one relay event; b) two field, one track and one relay event; c) two relays, one field and one track event; d) two field and two relay events. Athletes cannot compete in two individual running events and two relays. Athletes cannot compete in two individual running events and two field events. Athletes may only be listed in two (2) relays, and if an athlete is listed in two relays, one of the relays must be the 4x400. No athlete can compete in the 4x100 relay and the 4x200 relay in the same meet. Each athlete is limited to participation in only one track division (7th or 8th grade) per meet with the exception of relays. Relays: Athletes in grades 5-7 competing in the 7th grade level of competition may compete in: a) one relay at the 7th grade level and one relay at the 8th grade level, or b) two relays at the 7th grade level, or c) two relays at the 8th grade level. Athletes in grades 5-7 competing in the 8th grade level of competition may compete in: a) one relay at the 7th grade level and one relay at the 8th grade level, or b) two relays at the 7th grade level, or c) two relays at the 8th grade level. Athletes in 8th grade may compete only at the 8th grade level.

Board Officers Approved; Committee Assignments Made

The Board of Directors approved officers for the 2008-09 (upcoming) school term and reorganized Board committee assignments at the June 13 meeting.

Re-elected president is Joe Spiezio of Braidwood Reed-Custer. Re-elected vice president is Ron Graham of Virden. Re-elected treasurer was Jerry Birkey of Mt. Zion.

Board Committee assignments were approved as follows:

By-Laws Committee includes Scott Cameron of Assumption Central A & M, Chris Collins of Glendale Heights Glenside Chris Graham of St. Joseph and the new Board member from Division B to be appointed.

Finance Committee includes Jerry Birkey of Mt. Zion, James Bunting of Watseka Glenn Raymond; Ron Ervin of Auburn JHS at Divernon and Dana Isackson of Macomb. Staff Relations Committee includes Craig Carr of Montrose Grove, Scott Herrmann of Niles Gemini, Taunya Jenkins of Peoria Roosevelt Magnet, and Dan Vaughan of Forrest Prairie Central.

Board members also are appointed on an annual basis as a liaison to each of the advisory committees. Advisory committee assignments for 2008-09 will be: Baseball - Chris Graham, Basketball - Ron Ervin, Cheerleading - Dana Isackson, Cross Country - Division B representative, Music - Taunya Jenkins, Scholastic Bowl - Craig Carr, Softball - Chris Collins, Speech - James Bunting, Sportsmanship - Dan Vaughan, Volleyball - Scott Cameron, and Wrestling - Scott Herrmann.

Executive Director Steve Endsley presented retiring board member Jim Hochstatter of Galva with a plaque honoring his 14 years of service to the member schools and their students as a member of the Board.

Strategic Planning

Officials Action Team: The Board approved the recommended strategy to adopt a fee schedule for regular season contests that are postponed or suspended. The schedule already is in place for state series contests. If an official is notified before arriving at the site there is no compensation. If an official arrives at the site of the contest and it is suspended or cancelled before it begins the official will receive one half of the game fee. If a contest is started and then suspended until the next day, the official will receive a full fee for the started game and then a full fee for the completion of the contest the next (second) day.

Advisory Committee Action

The Board acted on advisory committee recommendations in Music, Scholastic Bowl and Track and Field, and on recommendations from the By-Laws and Finance board committees.

Advisory committees are composed of one IESA Board of Directors member and coaches, administrators and/or officials with expertise in the respective sport or activity. Each sport/activity has an advisory committee and it meets once a school year. The advisory committee reviews the Terms and Conditions, administrative procedures and all other aspects of the sport/activity and makes recommendation to the Board of Directors. The Board committees are composed of IESA Board members and meet once a year.

The Board took the following action regarding recommendations of these advisory committees:

Music

1. Approved an increase in judges' fees from $20 to $25 per hour in both solo/ensemble and organization.
2. Approved a change in the organization event requirement for Jazz Bands setting a minimum of nine performing members.
3. Approved a limit of student participation to a total of six solo and ensemble events. Students shall not participate as a soloist in more than one event with the same instrument or voice.
4. Approved a clarification in A Capella Chorus requirement that one of the selections be by memory in three voices with descant not counting as an independent voice.
5. Established a requirement that music purchased and printed from an online source must be accompanied by a receipt.
6. Approved a change in the school entry deadlines for the Organization Contest beginning in 2009-10 school term. The initial entry deadline remains Monday of Week 32 in the Standardized Calendar. The final entry deadline will be Wednesday of Week 36 in the Standardized Calendar.
7. Approved a change in the contestant entry deadline to be four weeks plus the weekend prior to the contest.

Scholastic Bowl

1. Did not support a recommendation to authorize the Strategic Planning State Series Action Team to review classification in the activity. A total of 348 schools participated in the two-class series in 2007-08.
2. Approved a process to assign schools to correlated regionals on a geographic basis following the sectional seeding. Wherein possible, the top four seeds in each sectional will be separated.
3. Adopted a playing format for a seven-team round-robin regional.
4. Approved a sportsmanship requirement and a card to be signed by the head coach prior to the beginning of play at each state series level of competition verifying the school team will fulfill the requirements.
5. Adopted a series of changes to the IESA Rule Book for Scholastic Bowl.
6. Accepted the blind draw of the pairings for the 2009 Class A and Class AA state finals. See the IESA Web Page at www.iesa.org for details.

Track and Field

1. Adopted a change in the Class A state final time schedule for pole vault with the seventh grade girls followed by the seventh grade boys on Friday and the eighth grade boys followed by the eighth grade girls on Saturday. The change makes the time schedule for the Class A and Class AA state finals the same.
2. Approved a requirement that athletes who post qualifying times for the state meet in the 100-meter dash or the hurdles during the preliminaries or semifinals in the sectional meets must participate in the sectional final in the respective event. Should injury or illness affect an athlete' s ability to participate in the sectional final the athlete's qualifying time will stand.
3. Pole vault competitors at the state final will be assigned in their flight in order of their sectional qualification, with the person having the best mark being last in order. During the competition, the bar will be raised three inches at a time until one (1) competitor remains.
4. High jump competitors at the state final will be assigned in their flight in order of their sectional qualification, with the person having the best mark being last in order. During the competition, the bar will be raised two (2) inches at a time until three (3) competitors remain. Then the bar will be raised one (1) inch at a time.
5. At the sectionals, the order of events for the running events will be for the girls to compete in all running events (hurdles through 4x400 relay) first followed by the boys in all running events (hurdles through 4x400 relay).
6. Discussed the pros and cons of having pole vault as a scoring or non-scoring event in the state series, but took no action.
7. Approved the purchase of a supply of one-quarter inch pyramid style spikes to be sent to each sectional site and distributed by all sectional managers to the coaches of the teams assigned to each sectional. That spike is the only legal spike for the track in Corwin Class Stadium at the EastSide Centre in East Peoria, site of the Class A and Class AA State Final Meets. The coaches will retain the sample legal spike and can use it back at school to measure the spikes in their athletes' shoes, or purchase a supply of the legal spike for use by the athletes at the school. Competitors at the state finals who have illegal spikes in their shoes are not permitted to compete on the track.
8. Tabled a recommendation of mandatory attendance by the school's head coach (or another school representative) at the sectional seeding meeting. The recommendation provides that if a school is not represented at the sectional seeding meeting, the sectional manager will seed students from the school not in attendance and is required to notify the IESA Office the morning after the sectional seeding meeting.
9. Approved procedures for conducting pole vault at the sectional. Schools who plan to enter athletes in pole vault must notify the sectional manager prior to the seeding meeting. It is preferred that the event be conducted on the same day as the sectional at the sectional site. If the site of the sectional does not have facilities to conduct pole vault, it may be conducted at a different location preferably Friday. If the event is conducted at a site other than the sectional site: the sectional manager must notify the schools with pole vaulters of the new location and time of the event at the seeding meeting; the event must be conducted at a time that would not prohibit from competing in any other event in the sectional; the sectional manager must assign a qualified individual to conduct the event; and all competitors must be accompanied by a coach.
10. Discussed a recommendation to authorize the Strategic Planning State Series Action Team to review classification in the activity. A total of 5,113 athletes from 460 member schools participated in the two-class series in 2007-08.
11. Approved changes in the administrative procedures for conducting the state series. See the Track and Field page on the IESA Web Site at www.iesa.org for details regarding the changes in the event qualifying standards and the state final starting heights in the pole vault and high jump.

Board Committee Action

The Board committees are composed of IESA Board members and meet once a year. Following is the report of action taken regarding recommendations from of two Board Committees:

By-Laws Committee

1. Adopted a policy for advancement in all bracketed team sports state series when a school is required to forfeit a contest or contests. If a violation involves only one round of competition in the series, the opponent in that round will be advanced. If a violation involves more than one round of competition in the series, no opponent from the preceding rounds of competition shall be advanced. The IESA Office shall determine advancement of opponents.
2. Approved adding provisions for out-of-season student participation and coaching contact (By-law 3.170). After the official ending date of a sport season students from the same school may play together in a sport provided their school has no affiliation with it. A coach from the school may coach these students provided the coach is not coaching the students as an official representative of the school and is not receiving compensation from the school to coach.
3. Moved by-law 3.041 to section 2 (By-law 2.072), renumbering the by-laws in section 3 accordingly.
4. Added a question and answer to the Scholastic Standing section of the handbook clarifying that a student who is determined ineligible on the date of the weekly eligibility check remains ineligible for the succeeding week. A student who makes up work or does work for extra credit cannot regain eligibility until the week has passed.
5. Adopted a change in the Appeals Panel procedures of by-law 5.059 to provide that the school causing the appeals panel to convene will be charged $100 plus the actual expenses of the appeals panel.
6. Approved the addition of a statement to by-law 2.092 that stipulates it is recommended that in addition to the tournament manager, an administrator or other school representative from the host school be in attendance at all times for state tournament series contests.
7. Clarified that amateur rule (by-law 3.070) applies only to awards received as a result of winning or placing in an IESA event, and that events outside of IESA are not affected by the amateur rule. In addition, the maximum value of rewards for participation was increased from $20 to $100.
8. Eliminated provisions in the Constitution giving administrators authority to accept entries in given activities after the entry deadline and added the following to by-law 5.021: "No entry will be accepted after the final entry deadline and no appeal will be heard to accept a school entry after the final entry deadline."
9. Changed the requirement in the seeding procedure section of the handbook to require that schools must have "scheduled" three contests before the seeding meeting rather than having to have "participated" in three contests.

Finance Committee

1. If a sectional track and field host school must rent a facility in a school district other than the host school's district, the host school can list no more than $500 on the sectional financial report for reimbursement.
2. Two of the Association-owned automobiles will be replaced. One will be replaced with an outright purchase and one will be replaced by securing a note for payment.
3. Adopted changes in the one-day ticket prices at the State Wrestling Tournament beginning with the 2008-09 (next) school term. One-day ticket prices will be $10 for adults and $5 for students and seniors.
4. Tabled proposed commissions paid to member schools that sell official apparel at the state series events they host using their staff, and to host schools where staff from CubbyHole, the official IESA vendor, provides the sales staff.

Other Business

2009 Scholar Attitude Luncheon - The date for the 2009 Scholar Attitude Award presented by State Farm Luncheon will be Tuesday, April 28. It will be held at the DoubleTree Hotel and Conference Center in Bloomington.

Track Timing System - The Board approved upgrading the automatic timing system used to conduct the state final track and field meets. The new system will be digital and will allow the video of the races to be saved on laptop computers. The system's software is compatible with the meet scoring software.

Basketball Coop - The Board approved a request from Stewardson-Strasburg and Shelbyville Moulton to disband their cooperative team in girls basketball effective with the 2008-09 (upcoming) school term.

Annual Golf Classic - The Board heard a report that a total of 19 foursomes registered to participate in the 20th annual IESA Golf Classic Monday June 9 at The Den at Fox Creek in Bloomington. That was a decrease of six foursomes over the previous year. The event is a year-end "thank you" golf outing open to foursomes from member schools, businesses serving IESA or its schools, and/or organizations that provide services to IESA or its schools.

State Final Sites - The Board finalized state final sites for the 2008-09 school term. Site changes this upcoming school term are: Clinton JHS in eighth grade girls basketball Class 2A; Normal Parkside in eighth grade girls basketball Class 4A; Riverton in seventh grade boys basketball Class 2A; TBA in eighth grade boys basketball Class 4A; Mt. Pulaski in eighth grade girls volleyball Class 2A; and Riverton in eighth grade girls volleyball Class 3A. Saunemin Elementary School will host the seventh grade boys basketball Class 1A tournament at the Shirk Center on the campus of Illinois Wesleyan University. The complete lineup of state final sites can be found on the IESA Web Site www.iesa.org. Click on State Hosts and Dates under Activities.

Special Projects - The Board heard a status report of sponsorships and state final programs.

State Series Finances - The Board received financial reports for the 2007-08 boys basketball state series, the 2007-08 girls state volleyball series, the 2007-08 state wrestling series, the 2007-08 speech and art workshop composite, and the 2007-08 music solo & ensemble and organization state series.

Treasurer's Report - The Board accepted the treasurer's report.

Division Reports

At each meeting of the Board of Directors time is devoted for each board member to report on communication with and requests from the member schools in the member's division. In addition, Board members also may make observations regarding the operation of the Association. Following is a report of those from the June 13 meeting:

Division G - The Board heard a report from Mr. Bunting regarding discussion he had with parents concerning the use of parents as timers and judges at the finish line at the sectional track and field meet. Who host schools should use as meet personnel at the sectional track and field meets will be a Point of Emphasis next year.