(Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com)

Luke DeWolfe, athletic director at Steamboat Springs High School, has been elected to serve as the next president of the CHSAA’s Board of Directors.

For the next two years, DeWolfe will lead the Board, which represents member schools, leagues, districts and associations with the collective goal of fostering the health and development of high school activities in Colorado. With his term set to cover the 2021-22 and 2022-23 school years, DeWolfe said he is ready to help guide the CHSAA and its membership towards a shared vision of the future.

“First and foremost, I’m just honored and humbled to have the opportunity to be a part of the organization in this role,” DeWolfe said. “I have such respect for the membership, the CHSAA staff and for our schools and families that to be able to step into this role is just an honor for me. It’s really about rebuilding and reinforcing trust and relationships, and fostering communication throughout the membership.

“It’s really important to have strong relationships between the CHSAA staff, the membership and the board, and to make sure we have a unified voice.”

DeWolfe added that his specific goals are to support CHSAA member schools, the CHSAA staff and the CHSAA Board as he takes over to help guide the Association into the post-pandemic era.

“I will continue to strive to find new and creative ways to meet the needs of an ever-changing and diverse membership,” DeWolfe said. “I will work hard to build bridges and strive to build communication and trust.”

DeWolfe has served as athletic director at Steamboat Springs since 2009 and was the Sailors’ head boys basketball coach for seven years. He still coaches junior varsity hoops and prior to his tenure at Steamboat Springs, he was a teacher and a coach at Highland High School dating back to 2001.

Finishing up his third year on the Board, DeWolfe has also been on the CHSAA handbook committee since its inception and is currently the chair of the ski committee. He has served as league president for the Western Slope League, has been a CHSAA Legislative Council member, and has been on the committees for boys lacrosse, basketball and football, as well as several seeding and appeals committees.

“As a valued and engaged Board member, Luke has been a vocal advisory member that has ensured that the mission, decisions and fiduciary responsibilities made on behalf of the Association and our stakeholders have been in the forefront of the duties and operations of the CHSAA staff,” CHSAA commissioner Rhonda Blanford-Green said. “We are looking forward to working for and with him as he leads the Association, the Board and our staff through the recovery and reset after this unprecedented year where the pandemic has disrupted our traditional norms.

“His credentials, credibility and forward thinking transcends the myopic vision of ‘what best for me or mine.’ In this role, Luke will bring impactful discussions to the table to address increased communication and relationships while challenging archaic operations and advising leadership in successfully enhancing service to education-based and equitable participation for all Colorado students, members, school communities and programs.”

(CHSAANow.com)

During a meeting on Wednesday night, the CHSAA Board of Directors voted to approve variances from the Governor’s COVID Response Team which will provide member schools with the local option to play field hockey, football and sideline spirit during the fall (Season A) season.

Schools will continue to have the option to play these sports in Season C, as previously upheld by the Board, if they elect not to play during Season A. The seasons will be treated equitably. Schools may not play in both seasons. This will allow local schools and districts to make the determination.

“I want to thank my colleagues on the Board,” Troy Baker, the president of the Board of Directors, and the athletic director at Buena Vista High School. “The CHSAA Board is charged to make the best decision for all kids in our state. We are a diverse state and many of our schools are faced with unique challenges that can elevate the complexity in making a decision that supports all schools and students.

“We are in a pandemic,” Baker said. “It’s not normal times. We’re all trying to find a way to navigate through it, with the hope of trying to find some normalcy in our lives. There isn’t a guide of how to do this.”

The Board met on Wednesday night to discuss the playing variances approved by the COVID-19 Response Team from the office of Gov. Jared Polis. The vote was 12-3 in favor of moving forward with those seasons.

According to the Governor’s public announcement, the CHSAA Board of Directors has empowered its member schools and school districts to determine if their teams are able to proceed with a fall (Season A) schedule in field hockey, football and sideline spirit safely under the guidelines set by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.

“I would like to thank the CHSAA Board of Directors and the CHSAA staff for their commitment to reconsidering the options once the variances were provided to the CHSAA office. I would also like to thank our membership, who has been in this whirlwind as we sought a resolution,” said CHSAA Commissioner Rhonda Blanford-Green. “We look forward to continuing to work collaboratively with the Governor’s office to obtain variances for wrestling, swimming and other sports in Seasons B, C and D.”

A major factor in the Board’s decision was the approval of the variances, and the COVID Response Team’s approval that these sports could move forward in a safe manner, with all the recommended guidelines.

Specifically, these variances allow for 50 players, per sideline, to be on the field during a football game. In field hockey, the variance allows for 25 players per sideline, per game. Previously, these guidelines were 25 players, total.

Spirit roster size is based upon CHSAA classification maximums.

There are other restrictions that must be followed, per the variance:

• All participants, including athletes, coaches, match officials, staff, and others, must wear masks while not actively playing, even outdoors. They must also be six feet apart from non-household members on the sidelines, or while not in active play. They may not go into the spectator area.
• Spirit participants must perform off the field of play, and must be at least 25 feet away from participants and spectators at all times.

These sports have been conditionally approved. If a community falls out of compliance and enters Level 3 in the Safer at Home Public Health Order 20-35, the Colorado Department of Health has said the approval will be re-evaluated and may be rescinded.

Requested variances for the remaining fall sports — gymnastics, boys soccer, spirit, girls volleyball, and unified bowling — remain under consideration by the COVID Response Team.

Specifics about each season will be communicated to CHSAA member schools in a timely manner. The CHSAA staff will be working closely with our administrators and school districts to assist with implementing Season A changes in an expedited manner.

At a meeting on Tuesday night, the Board of Directors of the Colorado High School Activities Association, addressed a potential change to the 2020-21 sports and activities calendar. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has presented many challenges. Specific to CHSAA activities, this has included trying to resume a traditional fall season for moderate- to high-risk contact sports. It has forced inequities when making statewide decisions for the 180,000 student-participants, 363 voluntary members schools, and 178 school districts across the state.

In a resolution Tuesday, the Board of Directors unanimously voted to not reconsider any adjustment to the 2020-21 sports calendar, which was approved on Aug. 4.

“We understand that our school communities would like to return to all levels of normalcy,” said Troy Baker, the President of CHSAA’s Board of Directors, and who is the athletic director at Buena Vista High School. “We listened to all parties and the voices of our membership resonated strongly to support the plan as approved in August. The plan aligns with the CHSAA mission. All students have an opportunity to play a season during the 2020-21 school year.”

Said Richard Hargrove, the superintendent of Springfield Schools, and a member of the Board of Directors: “We are focused on getting school started and running smoothly, as well as handling all the issues of running a school district and trying to have that be as normal as possible. We do not want to travel. The biggest thing for me in the end is that we have continued to move the goalposts, and every time we turned around, we had something else we had to adjust to.

“The discussion last night amplified that there was another potential goalpost movement,” Hargrove continued. “We have already developed a calendar that addresses the concerns of health officials, and gives all students a season and a chance to participate. We need to move forward with that plan.”

During the discussion, the Board as a whole noted that:

• The safety, physical and emotional well-being of Colorado student’s participants must be at the forefront of every decision.
• Diverse educational return-to-learn models exist throughout the state, and they must not be undermined.
• Students have already integrated into non-traditional participation opportunities in the rural and metro areas.
• There are Title IX and gender representation issues around any reconsideration of the approved calendar.

“Our state has seen new golf, tennis, softball, and cross country teams formed statewide,” said Terita Walker, an assistant principal at Denver East High School, and a member of the Board of Directors. “Once this plan was rolled out, school administrators and families began to reshape their lives around the calendar. We are moving forward knowing all of our students will have the chance to participate in 2021.”

The Board remains committed to being responsive to our community members and appreciate their feedback, outreach, and input throughout this process. CHSAA will continue to meet regularly with the Governor’s staff, COVID-19 Response Team, and educational and health officials to implement the 2020-21 Activities Calendar.

(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

AURORA — This week is a busy one for CHSAA member schools and their athletic directors.

This week, the CHSAA office will be holding three major meetings.

First, on Tuesday, is a meeting for nearly 80 athletic directors who are either in their first or second year. The annual meeting, facilitated by assistant commissioner Jenn Roberts-Uhlig and the Colorado Athletic Directors Association, will help orient the new administrators on all things CHSAA. Topics covered include things like bylaws and forms, but also important things like networking within the AD community.

Then, on Wednesday, is CHSAA’s annual All-School Summit, which gathers athletic directors from all 363 member schools around the state for important updates and information from the state office.

Finally, Thursday is the first meeting of the year for CHSAA’s 2020-21 Board of Directors. This meeting typically includes orientation for new Board members, as well as goal setting and big-picture topics.

The CHSAA Legislative Council met virtually for the first time in its 99-year history on Friday.

They voted on more than 50 items, and made a number of changes to the Association’s bylaws, which impacted things from alignment to the transfer rule. We have rounded up most of those changes here.

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Two classes of hockey

(PaulDiSalvoPhotography.com)

Hockey will split into two classifications, beginning with the 2020-21 season.

The two-class split, which was recommended by the hockey committee during its meeting in February, places 20 teams into Class 5A, and 17 in 4A. The committee used a variety of factors to place teams from bylaw 1500.21, including enrollment, geography, competitive history, competitive balance, participation rate, and the entry or selection process that places an athlete at a program.

The committee recognized the need for two classes because there isn’t much, if any, parity in the sport. Over the past four years, only 14 different schools have advanced to the quarterfinals of the state tournament. Hockey currently has 37 teams.

The alignments for the sport can be found in this story from February.

Hockey will use the CHSAA Seeding Index to seed its two state tournaments: RPI, MaxPreps, and the CHSAANow coaches poll.

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New seeding criteria for 5A basketball

(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

An amendment during the meeting changed the seeding criteria that 4A and 5A basketball will use for their state tournaments: The two classes will now use a combination of the RPI standings, MaxPreps rankings and the CHSAANow coaches pool — bringing them in line with what a number of other sports are now using.

1A will also use the same criteria, but will also use the Packard Ratings.

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2A baseball changes postseason

(Lisa Hayes/StillOfTheMomentPhotography.com)

The 2A baseball postseason will now mirror what is done in 3A, 4A and 5A, with a 32-team regional bracket. All teams will qualify for the bracket via the RPI standings, and seeded by RPI. The top eight seeds will host regionals, and seeds Nos. 20-32 can be moved for geographic reasons.

The state tournament also got an overhaul, and will move to an eight-team single-elimination bracket. Previously, 2A had a 16-team bracket.

With this change, 2A schools can now schedule 23 games.

Baseball also created a game minimum to be able to qualify for the postseason: 12 games in 1A, 17 in 2A and 3A, 19 in 4A and 5A.

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New field hockey tournament

(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

In an effort to help the growth of the sport, the state field hockey tournament will expand from eight teams to 12.

The top six seeds will receive a bye while the next six will compete in a play-in bracket.

In one of those brackets, No. 9 and No. 12 will play, with the winner playing No. 8. The winner of that game will face No. 1.

In the other bracket, No. 10 and No. 11 will play, with the winner facing No. 7. The winner of that game will face the No. 2 overall seed.

During that same round, the No. 4 and No. 5 seed will play, with No. 3 and No. 6 also playing.

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The transfer rule

A number of proposals involved the transfer rule. Among the changes which passed:

• An adjustment to clarify that a student doesn’t have to transfer from a member school, in or out of state, in order for the rule to apply.
• A proposal better explained the transfer consequence for transferring to another school, and a return to the original school — also known as an A-B-A transfer. Specifically, a student who transfers from School A, transfers to School B and plays at School B, and the returns to School A, will only be eligible for sub-varsity competition at School A in the sports they participated in at School B for 365 days.
• A new bylaw passed allowing for students to participate with “restricted varsity eligibility during the regular season” if their high school does not offer a JV team, or if their school doesn’t allow seniors to play on sub-varsity teams.
• The definition of a hardship was rewritten to read: “‘Hardship’ means a situation, condition or event which must impost a severe non-athletic burden upon the student or his/her family and require a transfer of schools. This does not include the personal or initial choice of enrollment and/or participation.”

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Notables:

• The alignments for sports were finalized with the approval of each sports report. Those new alignments will be posted in the near future.
• The season of sport was changed in boys swimming, allowing for those championships to be moved up a week and have their own spotlight.
• 6-man and 8-man football will use the same four data points of seeding that was used in 1A-5A this season.
• In 5A football, all playoff games will be hosted by the higher seed.
• 1A girls volleyball will move from districts to regionals. The sport will also require that all teams play a minimum of 18 matches against member schools and varsity opponents in order to qualify for the postseason.
• Boys volleyball will have one classification during its inaugural season in spring 2021.
• Girls wrestling will use the same weight classes that were used in the pilot season.
• The 4A and 5A boys lacrosse state tournaments will each grow from 16 to 24 teams starting in spring 2021.
• The new format that will be used for a two-classification setup in girls lacrosse was approved. Find the structure for that format here.
• 2A soccer will increase its state tournament field from 12 teams to 16.
• The regional field in 3A softball will grow to 32 teams, bringing it in line with 4A and 5A.
• The requirements for qualifying for the state skiing championships were made more strict, to make the state field slightly smaller.
• The state spirit championships will move to a three-day format beginning this year. Schools will only be able to participate in one cheer category and one dance category at the state championships. Cheer and dance are now considered separate sports.
• Schools will be eligible to join CHSAA as activity-only schools, and not offer sports.
• The process for classifying programs was clarified with an amendment to bylaw 1510, which deals with the Classification, Appeals and League Organizing Committee (CLOC). Now, the CHSAA staff can offer adjustments “in extraordinary circumstances” that are based upon bylaw 1500.21 (the bylaw allowing for classification based upon factors other than enrollment) in even years. These adjustments will need to be voted on by CLOC. Typically in even years, the classifications are already set and ready to go for the following cycle, so there would be very few adjustments, if any.
• The amateur status bylaw was reworked, and now reads that student-athletes “must maintain his/her amateur status” and notes that they “may not sign a professional athletic contract.” A new note defines a professional as “being paid in any form for playing in an athletic contest, or if you sign a contract or verbally commit with an agent or professional sports organization.” Notably, student-athletes will be allowed to play with or against professionals in certain situations, such as in the Olympics or a World Cup.
• The coach ejection bylaw was updated to give it a more consistent level of suspension across all sports. Now, the first ejection is penalized by a suspension equal to 10% of that sports season, and a second ejection is 20%.
• All-Star games were added to bylaw 2300, allowing for “up to two All-Star Games after the completion of the state championship in that sport.” No all-star games are permitted in football.
• Middle schoolers from “feeder” schools will be permitted to practice with high school teams in volleyball, basketball, soccer and football “when they cannot field enough high school athletes to hold an intra-squad practice in game-type conditions.” There are a number of limitations guiding this new bylaw.
• The number of practices required for students to participate in prior to competition in contact sports was reduced from five to three in all sports but football, which will still require nine.
• Schools can now form a team with only one participant, if they choose to.
• Adding a new sport or activity will now require approval from the Budget Committee in addition to CLOC, Sports Medicine, Equity and the Board of Directors.
• The full membership of the following schools is now official: DSST – Byers, KIPP Northeast, Loveland Classical, Strive Prep – Rise, Strive Prep – Smart, and Thomas MacLaren. KIPP Northeast and Strive Prep – Rise play together are a co-op: Regis Groff.
• Officials’ fees increased with a 2% cost of living adjustment across the board, for all levels.
• The alignment of State Festival and State Tournament will now be permanent in speech.
• Student Leadership’s fall conference will move to a regional model beginning this year.

In May 1921, 99 years ago this month, the first ever Board meeting of the organization of what became the Colorado High School Activities Association was held.

That organization, the Colorado High School Athletic League, was founded on April 2, 1921. They held a “meeting of the Central Board of Control” at the University of Colorado in Boulder the following month, and conducted two items of business:

They set a date for “filing applications … for League membership to the State Athletic Association.” That date was June 1, 1921. This date later became a source of controversy during the first sanctioned football season, as Canon City had one of the best teams in the state, but was shut out of a chance at a state title because it missed that deadline. Here’s the whole story of that first season.

And the Board divided the state up into four regions:

• The San Luis Division. It consisted of “all schools south of Colorado Springs.”
• The Central Division. This stretched far-and-wide, and is pretty unimaginable today, including Denver, Colorado Springs, “towns of Denver suburban league, and all towns east of Denver to the state line and all mountain towns to the west.”
• The Northern Division. It included “Boulder and north and east to the state line.”
• The Western Division. Schools included “those … in the Western division of the State Teachers’ Association.”

The first president of the original organization was R.W. Truscott, who officiated the first state football championship game. Truscott later served for 21 years as the Association’s commissioner, from 1926 to 1948.

John C. Casey, of Eaton, was named the first “president” of the association. This title was later changed to commissioner during Truscott’s tenure in 1930. Casey served for five years. (Note: The Board minutes say that Casey is from Longmont, but he actually was from Eaton.)

The Board minutes from that meeting were found by assistant commissioner Bert Borgmann in CHSAA’s archives:

(CHSAA archives)

(Kevin Keyser/KeyserImages.com)

In a major step aimed at improving mental health of students across Colorado high schools, the CHSAA Board of Directors has approved as a requirement that all coaches take a course on student mental health.

It is among the major topics facing high school students today. According to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, 31% of high school students reported symptoms of depression in 2017, and 17% reported they seriously considered attempting suicide.

So, starting this fall, all coaches must take a course “Student Mental Health and Suicide Prevention” on the NFHS Learning Center, or a district-led mental health training. The NFHS Learn course is free.

In order to be a registered coach, this requirement must be satisfied. Unregistered coaches are not permitted to coach, per CHSAA bylaws. Other required courses or training are based around concussion, first aid, mandatory reporting, and the CHSAA coaches course.

“CHSAA’s vision is to deconstruct the stereotypes around mental health and help start the conversations that need to happen around our kids,” said CHSAA commissioner Rhonda Blanford-Green. “The mental and physical well-being of our student participants is our priority.”

The decision was made with the full support of the Sports Medicine Advisory Committee (SMAC), which discussed the topic at length during its meeting last school year.

“The committee was focused on finding great tools that we can give to our schools and coaches to help provide awareness around mental health, which is among the most important issues our students face,” said Jenn Roberts-Uhlig, the CHSAA staff liaison to SMAC. “We believe it is important for coaches to not be afraid to look for the signs and symptoms of a student who is struggling with their mental health, and this training will provide valuable instruction in how to do that.”

(David Harvey/ImageProPhotography.com)

The Class 4A football playoffs are expanding a bit.

Starting in the 2020 season, the field will grow from a 16-team bracket to 24 teams, mirroring how the 5A postseason operates. This means there will be a first round which includes the top eight seeds receiving a bye, and seeds Nos. 9-24 playing.

As a result, there will be no bye weeks during the 2020 regular season, and 4A teams must play each week in order to play a full 10-game schedule — the exact setup currently in place for 5A teams.

The change was approved by CHSAA’s Board of Directors during their meeting earlier this month, along with new alignment for the 2020 and 2021 seasons. The Board took the vote in order to ensure teams had proper time to schedule, as they will no longer have a bye week to work with.

Additionally, the Technology Committee will be examining the potential for two exemptions to the classification modifier for the RPI formula. Further information on this will be communicated at a later date.

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* – End of regular season for 1A, 2A, 4A, and 5A.
** – End of regular season for 3A and first round playoffs for 4A and 5A.

(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

DENVER — CHSAA’s Board of Directors on Tuesday gave their support for the three sports currently in the pilot process, meaning all three now head for a final vote by the Association’s Legislative Council on Wednesday.

In a unanimous vote, the Board supported presentations from boys volleyball, unified bowling and girls wrestling. All three have been in a pilot status for at least one year.

This was the second-to-last step for the sports, which are seeking to become officially sanctioned by CHSAA. Already, they have gained support from the Classification, League Organization and Appeals Committee, the Equity Committee, and the Sports Medicine Committee.

CHSAA has not added a new sport since field hockey, girls lacrosse and boys lacrosse were added in 1997, 1998 and 1999.

Each sport now heads for an individual vote of the Legislative Council on Wednesday, and will require a majority for approval. If approved, all three sports would begin play in 2020-21.

The boys volleyball proposal is sponsored by the Centennial and Denver Prep leagues; unified bowling is sponsored by the Denver Prep League; and girls wrestling is sponsored by the Centennial and Continental leagues.

CHSAANow will have complete coverage of the Legislative Council meeting on Wednesday. Here’s a preview of that meeting, including a wide range of agenda items.

Currently, there is one other pilot activity: esports was approved to begin its pilot season this fall.

AURORA — Troy Baker, athletic director at Buena Vista High School, has been elected as the next president of CHSAA’s Board of Directors.

Baker will be introduced to the Legislative Council as president during the meeting in April. He will be the Association’s 62nd president, succeeding Pine Creek’s Jim Lucas.

Baker’s two-year term will cover the 2019-20 and 2020-21 school years, which includes the year that Colorado will be hosting the NFHS Summer Meeting. He will begin his role as president in July 2019.

“It’s hard to put into words what it means to me, especially in my short career, how great of an opportunity it is to be a part of the CHSAA, and the staff, and the Board,” Baker said. “I learn so much from everybody I get to work with and value the relationships made statewide. It makes me a better person and I value it as one of the avenues of my on-going professional growth.”

Among his goals as president is to “continue to have relationships evolve, and to meet people and engage in conversation about how we can continue to best serve our membership, and our students.”

“I’m just honored to still be a part of the team,” Baker added. “I’ve got an appreciation and excitement to continue to be able to serve.”

Asked about continuing to work on the state-wide level, Baker said: “There is so much to our unique state — geography, school size. Our schools and communities may be uniquely different in ways and facing different challenges, but ultimately we all have the same purpose. We must continue to see the big picture.

“As a member of the Board, you hear of the statewide challenges. It, too, is the multiple CHSAA committees and staff that engage in listening and working together to bring equity to the association’s activities.”

Baker mentioned that he also would like to continue to support the joint efforts of the CHSAA and CADA in minimizing the turnover of athletic directors around the state.

“It is a demanding job, but one that can be very fulfilling,” Baker said. “It is important to build relationships, lean on others at times, ask questions, and get involved in our state association. We are all in this together.”

Baker currently represents District 7 on the Board, and has since 2015. He will be CHSAA’s first president from Buena Vista.

He started his career in athletics and education as a middle school coach at Mountain Valley in the 1990s. While there, he also served on the school board. He became a representative on the Board of Control (now known as the Legislative Council) in 2003.

Baker and his family moved to Buena Vista in 2005, where he immediately began coaching freshman basketball.

“I always loved being at the freshman level. It’s a great honor to be in a position like that that I think sometimes doesn’t get enough credit,” Baker said. “You’re really instrumental in teaching them the fundamentals, and preparing them for the next level.”

Baker eventually became the school’s JV golf coach, and later the varsity coach. In 2014, he was hired as Buena Vista’s athletic director.

“I really miss coaching, but have gained a bigger appreciation and respect for the great work our coaches do,” Baker said. “I am also grateful for the important role that our game officials play.”

He joined the CHSAA Board of Directors in 2015. Baker is also an active member of the Colorado Athletic Directors Association (CADA) and the NIAAA.

“I greatly value the CADA and what they provide for professional development and support of the state athletic directors, and really the NIAAA, too, in having taken several of their classes that have been very valuable,” Baker said.

Baker is currently a member of CHSAA’s football committee, and he has also served as co-clinic director for the Colorado High School Coaches Association, and also as that association’s golf president.

CHSAA’s Board of Directors, formerly known as the Executive Committee, has been around in some form since the Association was created in 1921.