Month: April 2018

Colorado teams and individuals will now be allowed to represent their schools at recognized national competitions, so long as they get permission to do so.

CHSAA’s Legislative Council voted to pass a proposal that permits teams and individuals to do so at these types of competitions “outside of the competitive sports season,” so long as they have “written permission from the school’s principal and the CHSAA office.”

“The deletion of restrictive language now allows our schools and their administrations to determine that representation,” said CHSAA commissioner Rhonda Blanford-Green. “It’s up to the schools.”

Previously, teams and individuals could not be affiliated with their school at national competitions. Often times, these teams formed a club, but brought the same rosters and coaches.

For example, last month, players and coaches from Monarch, Regis Jesuit and Valor Christian each took part in the USA Hockey nationals, but represented club teams. There is also an annual national cross country competition which is well-attended by Colorado athletes, as well as national competitions in other sports, such as spirit, wrestling, baseball and basketball.

So long as their involvement is approved by the school and the CHSAA office, these teams and individuals would now be permitted to represent their school.

It was just one of many changes during a packed agenda at the Legislative Council meeting. Included were changes to the transfer rule, classification creation, and a long discussion about the 800 medley relay in girls track.

“Today, and every Legislative Council meeting, allows the Association to define our course, address our concerns, enhance our policies, and lead on behalf of Colorado’s activities,” Blanford-Green said as she addressed the gathered body.

“To be sure, we will benchmark our path today,” Blanford-Green added. “If nothing else, this agenda exemplifies our renewed focus on service, educational leadership, training and coach support, safety, and respect for the memberships voices.”

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Budget decreases

In Blanford-Green’s first year, CHSAA has decreased its expenses 5-8 percent, and she also has implemented a new portion of the Legislative Council meeting with graphs explaining the Association’s finances.

“It was important to me in my first year to do the budget report and speak to the decrease in spending that has occurred,” Blanford-Green said.

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Sprint medley resonates with membership

Even with such hot-button topics as the transfer rule on the agenda, the longest-discussed proposal was one that surrounded the elimination of the 800 medley relay in girls track and field state championship meet. The event has two 100-meter legs, one 200, and one 400.

The track committee sought to get rid of the event at the state meet because it is an extra event that only the girls participate in; there is no boys 800 medley relay. Colorado is one of just two states that currently hold the event during its championships, with Iowa being the other.

Both sides of the issue spoke to pros and cons of its elimination. Ultimately, the Legislative Council voted to keep the event with a 47-18 margin.

“In terms of equity, this is an entrance point for female athletes,” said Overland athletic director Ryan Knorr.

Added Karen Higel, the district athletic director at Denver Public Schools: “To eliminate opportunities in any way, shape or form for our girls is something that I don’t see to be a good thing.”

Additionally, proponents of keeping the medley relay spoke to the fact that it allows them to field a relay team when they otherwise don’t have the capability. 

“This is an outstanding event, especially for small schools,” said Cheyenne Wells athletic director Mike Miller, “because we don’t always have four quarter-milers or four sprinters, but we can put things together when we have maybe one or two here, another there.”

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Notables:

• Roger Blake, the executive director of the California Interscholastic Federation state office, visited the Legislative Council to learn about Colorado’s process and structure. “One of the reasons I really wanted to be here is that in Colorado, you have always been a leader,” he told the group. “You’ve always been on the edge. You’ve always done things differently, looked outside the box: ‘How can we fix this?’ … Some of the things you’ve done — in my state, we are so much alike in so many ways, and that’s one of the reasons I really wanted to be here and watch your legislative body and see how you work through things.”
• The Legislative Council voted to have one meeting per year, as opposed to the current two meetings. That meeting will likely be in April each year. In conjunction with that proposal, they also adopted a new schedule for how proposals will be submitted.
• Softball’s increase to game limits passed, and teams will now be allowed to play a maximum of 23 games. This brings the sport in line with what was passed in baseball in January.
• 2A volleyball will move to the same regional format used in 3A-5A, meaning the league champions will automatically qualify, and the remaining field of 36 will be set by RPI. The top 12 seeds will host the regionals.
• The amendment to bring back 3A basketball’s full consolation bracket was not seconded by anyone on the Legislative Council, so the current setup of only having a third-place game remains intact.
• The following new members to the CHSAA Board of Directors were approved: Luke DeWolfe, Steamboat Springs athletic director; Chase McBride, Niwot athletic director; Femi Alao, DSST-Green Valley Ranch athletic director; Don Steiner, Evangelical Christian athletic director.

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More coverage

• The Legislative Council passed a new transfer rule.
• The way classes are created got an overhaul, allowing the freedom to better address competitive equity.

AURORA — For the first time since the 2003-04 school year, the CHSAA transfer rule has been given a makeover.

In a 55-15 vote at Thursday’s Legislative Council meeting, the proposed change to the transfer rule was passed and will go into effect on June 1.

“It’s going to support educationally-based athletics and activities for student participants who who are encouraged to take advantage of schools of choice,” CHSAA commissioner Rhonda Blanford-Green said. “This puts emphasis on education versus athletics. Student participants to always have the opportunity to transfer based on bona fide family moves and hardships per our bylaws.”

The rule is intended to provide a more clear and consistent approach in the handling of transfers throughout the state. It was developed by a 21-member Handbook Committee made up of various athletic directors throughout the state.

It was then recommended by the Board of Directors and sent to the Legislative Council for a vote.

The Handbook Committee’s sole purpose was not just to implement a new transfer rule, but to examine CHSAA bylaws as a whole and work to make the association work more efficiently and in the best interests of schools and student athletes.

“Change is not easy for many of us to move forward,” CHSAA board president Jim Lucas said to the Legislative Council. “It can be difficult and extremely uncomfortable. It is far more comfortable to stay where we are than to take steps and make adjustments.”

The most significant change of the new transfer rule is that student athletes will lose varsity eligibility for 365 days if transferring schools without a bona fide family move, or a hardship waiver. Students who make a bona fide move will maintain 100 percent eligibility.

Hardship waivers may still be submitted to the CHSAA commissioner, and students who transfer will maintain sub-varsity eligibility.

A change was made in the hardship process, however. If a student or parent/guardian is found to have submitted false information in order to be granted a hardship, the student athlete can now lose up to two years of eligibility in any sport at any level. It was previously a one-year period of lost eligibility.

According to CHSAA legal counsel Alex Halpern, there were around 1,800 transfer requests during this year. Of those requests, around 1,300 fell into the automatic ruling category of granting 50 percent eligibility, bona fide moves, etc.

But there were about 500 that went in front of Blanford-Green who had to rule on the eligibility of those student athletes. Four of those rulings were appealed and of those appeals, just one was overturned.

“I think once our school communities and administrators understand the rule, we’ll see less transfer,” Blanford-Green said. “In the bigger picture. I think in the first year we’ll see more hardships, or what people consider to be hardships.”

Blanford-Green added that after the first year, she expects the number of transfer requests coming across her desk to decrease from what the commissioner has normally seen in a given year.

The previous rule saw students have the potential of keeping 50 percent of their varsity eligibility. Mid-year and athletically-motivated transfers lost a full year of eligibility. 

With the new rule, all transfers that are not the result of a bona fide move, or those that aren’t the result of a hardship, are now on the same plane.