The Illinois High School Association (IHSA) Board of Directors met for its regularly scheduled meeting at the IHSA office in Bloomington on Monday, August 22, 2022, where the Board approved 10 action items.
ACTION
1. The Board approved a recommendation to extend the IHSA Girls & Boys Lacrosse State Finals hosting contract at Hinsdale Central High School for three years (2023, 2024, 2025).
IHSA Executive Director Craig Anderson:
“We appreciate Hinsdale Central’s commitment to IHSA lacrosse since hosting the inaugural state tournament in 2018. The school community’s passion for hosting, coupled with a beautiful facility renovation, makes it an easy choice for the IHSA to return for the next three years.”
2. The Board approved a recommendation to extend state final hosting contracts for the IHSA Journalism State Finals and the IHSA Scholastic Bowl State Finals at Heartland Community College in Normal for three years (2023, 2024, 2025).
IHSA Executive Director Craig Anderson:
“We have enjoyed great experiences hosting our events at Heartland Community College since moving the Journalism State Finals there in 2019. The inaugural state Scholastic Bowl tourney at Heartland this past winter was also a significant success from our perspective, so we are excited to be able to find a home for both events at Heartland for the near future and hopefully beyond.”
3. The Board approved a recommendation to change ticket prices at IHSA State Series events that require GoFan ticketing. At all rounds that require GoFan, the cost of cash tickets will be one dollar more than the cost of the digital GoFan ticket. This will also apply if a host school chooses to use GoFan in a State Series round when GoFan it is not required.
IHSA Executive Director Craig Anderson:
“A cash ticket option will always exist in some capacity for IHSA postseason events because we respect that there are portions of the audience that may not have access to a smart phone or a digital payment option. However, as we continue to broaden the usage of digital ticketing across IHSA Sectional events and beyond, we have also heard frustrations from host administrators regarding fans with the ability to pay digitally who choose not to. This creates issues for host schools in event management, staffing, and financial reporting that can impact a school’s ability to run a successful event. Thus, we wanted to create an incentive for fans who are able to use the digital ticketing option to do so.”
4. The Board approved a recommendation to discontinue the Three-Point Showdown contest as a part of the IHSA Girls & Boys Basketball State Series.
IHSA Executive Director Craig Anderson:
“The Three-Point Showdown enjoyed a great run, but the changes in the State Series dates and format last year created challenges conducting it at multiple levels of the State Series. As a result, we recommended discontinuing it for the time being so we can focus on how we make these pivotal postseason contests the best experience possible for the student-athletes, coaches, and fans.”
5. The Board approved a recommendation to approve the experimental use of the Shot Clock in IHSA Girls & Boys Basketball for regular-season tournaments and shootouts during the 2022-23 school year. All tournaments seeking to use the shot clock for regular-season tournaments and shootouts must apply for approval from the IHSA. Information regarding the approval process will be distributed to member schools in mid-September.
IHSA Executive Director Craig Anderson:
“The IHSA’s survey of administrators and coaches last year made it very clear that our membership wasn’t ready to implement the shot clock in basketball at this juncture. Our priority now shifts to gathering feedback and data on the impact that the shot clock creates on game play, game management, and school finances. We look forward to working with our schools to pilot usage of the shot clock in some tournaments and shootouts this winter. We will release information to our schools on how to apply to use the shot clock in their tournament or shootout in mid-September.”
6. The Board approved a recommendation to update the game offerings for the IHSA Esports State Series. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Crew Battle on Nintendo Switch will replace Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Duos. Mario Kart 8 on Nintendo Switch will also be added as a State Series game.
IHSA Executive Director Craig Anderson:
“We thought the inaugural season of the IHSA Esports State Series went exceptionally well in 2021-22 and are excited about these game updates for year two. Our advisory committee believes that these additions will help grow our competitors in overall numbers, as well as in the diversity of our competitors.”
7. The Board approved a recommendation to change the IHSA Journalism Sectional date in 2023 to April 1, 2023, to avoid the Easter holiday.
8. The Board approved a recommendation to transition from providing state final qualifiers with an IHSA pin to a state final qualifier bag tag.
9. The Board approved a recommendation to update the IHSA’s Document Retention Policy.
10. The Board approved an annual waiver of IHSA By-laws 3.021 and 3.022 for Berwyn-Cicero (Morton). IHSA rules allow schools who only offer 25 credit hours (five classes) per semester, the ability to apply for a waiver.
11. The Board approved a recommendation to approve new Board members for the Illinois High School Activities Foundation (IHSAF) Board of Directors.
