(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

INDIANAPOLIS — The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) has partnered with USA Field Hockey in a collaborative effort to sustain and grow the number of high school field hockey participants.

The NFHS and USA Field Hockey aim to accomplish their collective goal through improved promotion and development of field hockey, and by recruiting, supporting and retaining players, coaches and umpires. These methods to grow the sport will coincide with additional education for parents on the added benefits of student engagement and multi-sport participation. There will also be an emphasis on increased diversity and inclusion to make field hockey available and accessible across the country.

“The NFHS is extremely excited about partnering with USA Field Hockey to grow participation in this great game. During these very challenging times, we hope that schools promote as much good news like this as possible,” said NFHS Executive Director Karissa Niehoff. “There’s so much to gain for students and adults alike by engaging in activities such as field hockey. As a former player at the high school and collegiate levels, and as a high school coach, I can say with confidence that field hockey offers participants the opportunity to learn a sport that is uniquely elegant, exciting and team-oriented. The field hockey community at large welcomes everyone and focuses on the positive experience for all young people who participate.”

The partnership between the NFHS and USA Field Hockey includes plans to establish an advocacy group that drives opportunities to support, sustain and grow high school field hockey and increase and improve stakeholder engagement. In addition to recruitment, education and professional development for coaches and umpires, the partnership will feature developmental tools and resources for players, parents and administrators in schools and clubs.

The two groups also plan to distribute information that will better assist in the development and strengthening of grass-roots programs, and manage the transition of student-athletes between youth, middle school, high school, collegiate and lifetime engagement in sport. As part of that goal, the partnership will utilize the USA Field Hockey American Development Model (ADM).

Other areas to be addressed as part of the partnership include:

• Establishment of an annual Summit targeted toward high school coaches, umpires, administrators and student leaders.
• Development of a Junior Coaching and Umpiring Certification Program to equip student leaders for personal development and lifetime engagement in sport, providing tools to enable young leaders to contribute positively to grass-roots growth in their communities.
• Awards and recognition for adult and student leaders.
• Continued participation in NFHS Rules/Liaisons meetings.
• Development of school/conference ‘starter’ tool kits, ideally supported by grants for schools in need.
• Aligned communication around partnership and shared programs and events.

“Sport at the high school level is so important to the athletic and personal development of young people,” said Simon Hoskins, USA Field Hockey executive director. “The Olympic sport of field hockey is a key component of many high school programs and we look forward to working in partnership with the NFHS to offer more students the wonderful values that our sport provides including leadership, teamwork, self-confidence, composure, work ethic, respect, healthfulness, humility and more.”

Field hockey experienced a five-year high of 61,036 combined participants in 2018-19, according to the NFHS High School Athletics Participation Survey. Of those, 60,824 were girls competing in nearly 1,800 schools.

“Field hockey presents an important opportunity for high schools to attract many girls to sport, leveling the playing field in terms of gender equity during the important fall season,” Niehoff said. “Being part of a team, exercising regularly and practicing important time management skills from the start of school can establish a sense of belonging and good habits that can be sustained throughout the year. Currently, almost half of the states do not offer any team field sports for girls in the fall. States in which both field hockey and soccer are offered during the fall season report increased female athletic participation and are closer to achieving gender equity.”

“High school sports play an important foundational role in the fabric of sport in America,” said Sally Goggin, USA Field Hockey’s national development director. “This partnership is important and timely, and we strive to be an example of teamwork and of the Olympic ideals in action. I feel fortunate to have picked up a stick as a freshman in high school, continued to play in college, and am passionate about helping others discover and excel in the game as players, coaches, umpires and fans.”

More information on the partnership, as well as how to support, sustain and grow high school field hockey in local communities, will be made available in the coming weeks.

Typically, the Colorado Athletic Directors Association announces their annual awards at their conference each year. However, with no conference this year, they are announcing the awards online.

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Annual Awards

CADA 1A Athletic Director of the Year: Brett Williams, Hanover JSHS School District 28

CADA 2A Athletic Director of the Year: David Schuessler, Clear Creek

CADA 3A Athletic Director of the Year: Jesse Shawcroft, Centauri High School

CADA 4A Athletic Director of the Year: Kris Roberts, Cheyenne Mountain HS

CADA 5A Athletic Director of the Year: Adam Kelsey, Denver South High School

CADA Administrative Assistant of the Year: Joyce Cunningham, Littleton High School

CADA Administrator of the Year: Diana Sirko, Mesa County Valley School District

CADA Board Member of the Year: Reynaldo “Chico” Garcia, St. Vrain

CADA Award for Distinguished Service: Sue Prahl, Niwot High School

CADA Media Representative of the Year: Dan Mohrmann, CHSAANow/Southern Colorado

CADA Middle School Athletic Director of the Year: Jeff Conway, Coal Ridge MS

CADA New Athletic Director of the Year: Jimmy Cottrell, Kiowa High School

CADA Retired Athletic Director of the Year: Frank Lee, Fairview High School

State Award of Merit: Denny Squibb, Fruita Monument High School

Student Athlete Scholar award:

• Male: Elijah Meyers, Arickaree High School
• Female: Susan Puchino, Littleton High School

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CADA Committee Awards

Kurby Lyle Service Award: Mike Jacobsma, Dawson High School

Frank Kovaleski Professional Development Award: Karen Higel, Denver Public Schools

NFHS Citation Award: Mike Hughes, Lakewood High School

Distinguished Service Award: LeRoy Lopez, Fredrick High School

(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

For the first time in the 99-year history of CHSAA, the Association’s legislative body will meet in an online-only format.

The Legislative Council meeting was originally scheduled to be held on April 15, but the COVID-19 pandemic and the related health and safety guidelines from state and local agencies meant that the body could not meet in person.

As a result, the 76-member Legislative Council will meet online at the end of May, including voting and debating of proposals and committee reports. The meeting will also be streamed so that every CHSAA member school can view it.

“In order to implement policies and procedures, it is imperative that we have a Legislative Council meeting to discuss and vote on the next steps in effectively moving the Association forward,” said CHSAA commissioner Rhonda Blanford-Green. “We have seen that technology allows us to still operate effectively — although not ideally, because the strength of our Association is the dialogue and communication that happens around new policies or procedures.

“With these unprecedented times, technology and flexibility allows the membership, the Board of Directors and the CHSAA staff to still maintain a level of normalcy as we look to next year.”

The Legislative Council has members who represent schools through sports leagues and associations, such as the Colorado Athletics Directors Association (CADA), and the Colorado Association of School Boards (CASB).

The Legislative Council agenda features 25 bylaw proposals, and the standard committee reports, of which there are 31. For the first time, unified bowling will have a report, and boys volleyball and girls wrestling are included in their respective sports committee reports.

The membership has until today to send in amendments to committee reports.

The meeting is now scheduled for May 29.

Formerly the Board of Control, the legislative body first met on April 1, 1921, a Friday.

(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)

INDIANAPOLIS — As the result of a concerted effort to accommodate the growing number of female wrestlers, the 2020-21 high school wrestling rules changes are headlined by significant adjustments to weigh-in protocol and appropriate hair-length requirements.

The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Wrestling Rules Committee met April 5-6 and recommended 11 rules changes to take effect next school year. In accordance with current health safety guidelines, the rules meeting was held in an online format. All rules revisions recommended by the Wrestling Rules Committee were approved by the NFHS Board of Directors.

“These rule changes are some of the most prolific modifications in the history of high school wrestling,” said Elliot Hopkins, NFHS director of sports and student services and liaison to the Wrestling Rules Committee. “The rules committee made necessary, drastic changes to attract more young people to our sport without sacrificing the health and safety of the participants.”

The weigh-in procedure was altered through a combination of changes to Rule 4-5 (Weighing-In) of the Wrestling Rule Book. Following an amendment to the legal uniform laid out in Rule 4-1-1c, which now permits female wrestlers to wear a form-fitted compression shirt that completely covers their breasts in addition to a one-piece singlet and a suitable undergarment, Rule 4-5-7 was rewritten to require that a legal uniform be worn during weigh-in and that no additional weight allowance be granted. An additional clause prohibiting shoes and ear guards during weigh-in was also written into 4-5-7.

Weighing-in with a legal uniform allowed the committee to break down more gender barriers with subsequent changes to Rules 4-5-1, 4-5-2 and 4-5-4. Previously, weigh-ins consisted of shoulder-to-shoulder lineups of each contestant that were separated by gender (4-5-2), took place a maximum of one hour prior to competition (4-5-1) and required supervision by a referee of each respective gender (4-5-4).

With the institution of the legal uniform (one-piece singlet or two-piece), male and female wrestlers are now able to weigh-in together in the same lineup, allowing gender-specific language to be removed from all three rules. Additionally, the form-fitted compression shirt offers females a more suitable uniform for post-weigh-in skin checks, which are typically done by male officials.

“The change to the weighing-in process is remarkably timely, as schools have struggled in the past to identify adult females to weigh-in the female wrestlers,” Hopkins said. “This action accommodates transgender children as well; it respects their rights and dignity and addresses any modesty concerns for any affected children. We anticipate that the entire weigh-in process will be expedited and more efficient.”

Significant changes to the hair-length rule (Rule 4-2-1) were also linked to the committee’s focus on inclusion. Previously, a wrestler’s hair could not “extend below the top of an ordinary shirt collar” in the back, below earlobe level on the sides or below the eyebrows in the front. Those confinements, along with the requirement that a hair cover be used for hair that exceeded said limitations, were deleted. Considerable support for this rule change from coaches and officials was generated by an initiative of the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association, which successfully experimented with relaxed hair restrictions this past winter.

“Removing the hair-length rule is a monumental change,” Hopkins said. “It is important to embrace the current culture of young boys and girls who are expressing themselves through their appearance, making this the perfect opportunity to extend wrestling to young people who otherwise would not be attracted to our sport. While the hair-length restriction has been removed, the requirement that hair-control devices/treatment items cannot be hard, abrasive or sharp remains. If a hair cover is used, it shall be attached to the ear guards. Additionally, the barring of oils, or greasy substances on or in the hair is still in effect.”

Another modification to the wrestling uniform came through Rule 4-1-3. In order to curtail participants from intentionally lacing their shoes too loosely to cause a stoppage in the action and potentially thwart an opponent’s scoring opportunity, a technical violation will be assessed in any instance where a shoe comes off, and the injury clock will be started to correct the situation. This change is made under the assumption that a wrestler is, in fact, properly equipped to wrestle when the match begins, as a wrestling shoe that is properly laced and secured will not typically come off.

Technical violations were the subject of change in Rule 7-3-1 as well. To avoid penalizing a participant twice for the same sequence of events, wording was added to 7-3-1 declaring that points will not be awarded to a wrestler whose opponent has fled the mat if that wrestler has already scored for a near-fall or takedown.

Under Rule 8-1-4, a match will now automatically be stopped and restarted in the event a wrestler commits a fourth stalling violation. Previously, if the offender was called for a fourth stall of the match while in the defensive or neutral position, there was no guarantee his or her opponent would be awarded choice of position through a restart if the violation occurred during the third period.

“This rule remedies that if the fourth stall occurs in the third period there might not be an opportunity to restart before the end of the match,” Hopkins said. “This rule change assures that the offending wrestler is held accountable and subsequent points are awarded to the opponent.”

Based on the hair-length changes, Rule 5-29-1, which addresses unnecessary roughness, was edited to include “pulling an opponent’s hair” as an additional example of the offense.

Finally, a new article was added to Rule 8-2 dealing with participant injuries. Rule 8-2-9 has been designed to discourage wrestlers from requesting injury time from the official as an attempt to stop an opponent from scoring. If the referee determines a wrestler would have scored had the injury time-out not taken place, the injured contestant will be charged an injury time-out and applicable points will be awarded to the non-injured party.

According to the 2018-19 NFHS High School Athletics Participation Survey, wrestling is the seventh-most popular sport for boys with 247,441 participants in 10,843 schools. In addition, the number of female wrestlers increased by almost 5,000 participants in 2018-19, as 21,124 girls competed in 2,890 schools.

We are disappointed that this year’s State Speech and Debate Tournament was cancelled. However, we are pleased to present coaching awards to two very deserving Speech and Debate coaches.

We are honored to present the Sharon Wilch Lifetime Achievement Award and the NFHS Section 6 Speech, Debate and Theatre Educator of the Year Award.

The volleyball record book has been updated to incorporate team, individual and coaching marks from the 2019 season.

Stacy Patterson spent 10 years as an assistant football coach at Standley Lake High School. (photo provide)

WESTMINSTER — Standley Lake High School and it community is mourning the passing of assistant coach Stacy Patterson.

“To me its like losing a brother,” Standley Lake head football coach Don Morse said via a phone interview on April 24. “The connection you have between football coaches and players is something a lot of people don’t understand unless you’ve had it.”

Patterson passed away unexpectedly on Saturday, April 11, at his home. He was 46 years old. A cause of death has not been released, but Patterson had heart issues in the past.

The former University of Colorado defensive tackle in the mid-1990s from Macon, Georgia worked with youth in the medical and psychiatric fields.

Patterson was an assistant offensive and defensive line coach for the Gators for 10 years. Morse and Patterson first met at Brighton High School before joining up at Standley Lake.

“He was very charismatic and the kids loved him,” Morse said. “He always had a big smile.”

Morse said that about 30 to 40 Standley Lake football players attended the funeral service for Patterson.

“He loved CU and that was especially a passion for him,” Morse said.

(@CastleView_vb/Twitter)

The volleyball record book has been updated (and has a new look). There are a total of five new team entries, 59 individual entries, and five coaching updates. Among those are five overall records.

Find the full volleyball record book on this page.

Among the new entries:

Team:

• Sterling and Denver Christian each joined the list of teams that have had an unbeaten season with their first last fall.
• Those two teams each also climbed the ranks of the consecutive sets won record. Sterling won 52-straight in 2019, while Denver Christian won 50-straight.

Individual:

• Palmer Ridge’s Kyra Kisting set the season record for assists with 1,223. Colorado Springs Christian’s Kiersten Brock (5th, 1,099) and Cherokee Trail’s Sydney Cole (7th, 1,070) both also made the top-10.
• Briggsdale’s Shelby Hoffman set the season record for digs with 895. Rye’s Ashlyn Romine (3rd, 809) and Wiley’s Macy Rowan (8th, 745) both also made the top-10.
• Rowan set the match record for digs in a match with 75 against Cheraw on Nov. 9. She also had 63 (4th) against Cheraw on Aug. 29, 60 (7th) against Stratton/Liberty on Sept. 12, and 59 (9th) against Eads on Oct. 10.
• Castle View’s Leanne Lowry set the career record for digs with 2,177. Peyton Frank of Holy Family (4th, 2,083) and Lewis-Palmer’s Gianna Bartalo (6th, 1,948) each also cracked the top-10 of the category. Notably, Wiley junior Macy Rowan is already 19th on the career list with 1,351.
• Wiggins’ Avery Burdette tied the set record for service efficiency when she was 24/24 against Flatirons Academy on Sept. 14, 2019.
• La Veta’s Nya Sciacca had 295 career aces, which is the second most. Pikes Peak Christian’s Kyler Sweat (4th, 284) and Denver Christian’s Anna Kaemingk (8th, 256) both made the top-10.
• Valor Christian’s Anna Davis had 329 career block assists, which is the second most.
• Ryley Smartt of Genoa-Hugo/Karval is second in points per set for her career, averaging 6.0673.
• Sydney Cole of Cherokee Trail had 564 total serves in 2019, which is the third-most in history. She set the record in 2018 with 608.
• Cole also had 3,556 assists in her career, which is the fourth-highest total in state history.
• Briggsdale’s Kimberlyn Krise (5th, 581) and Highlands Ranch’s Cassie Davis (7th, 560) are now each listed for kills in a season. Krise is also fifth in terms of career kills with 1,504, and seventh in career points (1,751).
• Couple of top-10 marks for assists in a match for Palmer Ridge’s Kisting (3rd, 69 against Pueblo County; 7th, 66 against Cheyenne Mountain; and 8th, 65, against Discovery Canyon); and Erie’s Jessica Amend (10th, twice, when she had 64 assists against Prospect Ridge, and 64 against Holy Family).
• Belleview Christian’s Lexie Ewing had 21 aces on Oct. 8, 2019, the fifth-most in a match.
• Simla’s Kaitlyn Rector and Genoa-Hugo/Karval’s Smatt each had 672 total points this season, which is the seventh-most.
• Mayson Fago of Union Colony is 10th for career points with 1,624.
• Rye’s Havilah Pitzer is now 10th with 149 solo blocks in a season.

Coaching:

• Arapahoe’s Larry Deffenbaugh is third on the all-time wins list with 540.
• Sterling’s Lisa Schumacher remains at eighth with 464 wins.
• Pueblo West’s Casey King is at 16th on the wins list with 348 wins.
• Lewis-Palmer’s Wade Baxter is 12th among coaches with three state championships.
• Sally Moos wrapped up her 38th season as the head coach at Cherry Creek last fall — the most at one school. Her 38 years are also the most of anyone as a head coach.

Sitting at home with his family, Dalton Keene witnessed a dream become a reality. The Chatfield alum and former Virginia Tech tight end is headed to the NFL after he was selected in the third round of the 2020 NFL Draft.

Keene went to the New England Patriots with the 101st overall selection.

Keene joins a long list of Colorado high school products to be taken by an NFL team. Two were taken last year as Wiggins’ Dalton Risner went to the Denver Broncos in the second round and Bear Creek’s Olabisi Johnson was a seventh-round selection of the Minnesota Vikings.

A hybrid tightend/H-back style player at Chatfield, Keene ended his high school career with 2,093 rushing yards and 479 receiving yards. He scored 31 offensive touchdowns.

He is the third Chatfield alum to be drafted, following LenDale White in 2006 and Zac Robinson in 2010.

He made his way to Blacksburg where he totaled 748 receiving yards and eight touchdowns. He made his way to the NFL Combine and has been working out at home recently due to the unique circumstances surrounding this year’s draft.

“This year is kind of new for everyone,” Keene told CHSAANow.com this week. “I don’t know what to expect to be honest with you, but I’m really excited to have this opportunity and to be able to spend time with my family. My parents, brother and sister will all be here.”

Keene becomes the 170th Colorado high school football player to be drafted into the NFL.

(CHSCA)

The Colorado high school community lost a major contributor to the world of athletics on Thursday night.

Rick Bettger, who made a significant impact across the state in coaches education, athletic training, athletics administration and officiating, passed away on Thursday night. Bettger was a major contributor to Colorado High School Activities Association, the Colorado High School Coaches Association, and the Colorado Athletic Directors Association, and was also a wrestling official.

He worked CHSAA state championship events as a trainer for 29 years, was named a CHSAA Distinguished Service Award Winner, and also won the Colorado High School Coaches Association’s Lloyd Gaskill Award in 2018.

“Rick was a difference-maker over the course of his years with the three professional organizations,” said CHSAA commissioner Rhonda Blanford-Green. “The news of his passing touched coaches, athletic directors and administrators across the state of Colorado. He will be missed.”

Bettger, a 1970 graduate of Steamboat Springs, was named the Colorado Athletic Director of the year in 1988.

“Dr. Rick has meant so much to coaches and athletic directors over the years,” said LeRoy Lopez, the president of the Colorado Athletic Directors Association. “His passion for helping others is truly something special. He will be truly missed and not forgotten.”

In more than 40 of education, Bettger served in a myriad of roles at schools, included as a teacher, trainer, athletic director, and assistant principal.

Most recently, he served as the director of education for CHSCA.

“Rick loved high school athletics and was so faithful to the CHSCA,” said Becky Mudd, the executive director of CHSCA. “He was a pro at giving coaches opportunities for continuing education credits. At clinics he loved presenting, talking legal issues, and telling his corny jokes.

“He worked hard to rally for less popular sports, and took over different clinic duties whenever needed. In our Board meetings he would bring a stack of greeting cards every month and he created a section that we still continue today that we start every meeting doing ‘Cards for Coaches’ — we celebrated and grieved everything that anyone brought forward with cards. We will miss him.”