Contact:  John Johnson 
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EAST LANSING, Mich.  – May 18 – Setting in place the protocols to be followed during competition when a student-athlete may have sustained a concussion was among the action taken by the Representative Council of the Michigan High School Athletic Association during its annual Spring Meeting, May 2-3, in Gaylord.

The Spring meeting of the 19-member legislative body of the Association’s nearly 1,600 member schools is generally the busiest of its three sessions each year.  The Council considered 48 committee proposals and also dealt with a variety of eligibility rule, post-season tournament and operational issues.

The Council approved a five-step protocol to be followed during the course of contests when an athlete sustains an apparent concussion, which will be utilized in all sports at all levels beginning with the 2010-11 school year.  The National Federation of State High School Associations had previously adopted language to appear in all rules books beginning this fall calling for the removal from a contest of a athlete exhibiting the signs of a potential concussion, leaving the mechanics – including the clearing of a young person to return to play – to be decided by each state association.

Here is a summary of the protocols for all regular-season and MHSAA post-season tournament contents to be applied:  Officials will have no role in determining if an athlete has sustained a concussion, but will only point out to the head coach that the player has been apparently injured and should be examined by a health care provider.  If the school’s designated heath care profession at the event confirms a concussion did not occur, the athlete may reenter the contest.  In the event the game continues and the athlete is withheld for an apparent concussion, the athlete may not return to play that day and may only return at a future date after a written clearance is issued by an MD or a DO.  The game official will file a report with the MHSAA and the removed player’s school.  For MHSAA post-season tournaments where an MHSAA-assigned physician is present, that individual will make the determination regarding same day return to play.  The detailed language can be found on the Health & Safety page of the MHSAA Website. 

Concussion management was one of two health and safety items before the Council, which acted to continue three initiatives related to the pre-participation physical examinations required of student-athletes.  The Council directed the MHSAA staff to finalize for action at its next meeting in December samples of “long form” physical forms which would gather more information, and which would be made available for schools to use if they chose to do so; to revise the current MHSAA-issued “short form” physical examination card which many schools have used for years; and to review the required timing of physical examinations in terms of the date and the frequency of such exams.  Currently, a student must complete a physical exam annually on or after April 15 as a condition of being eligible for athletics the following school year.

Here is a summary of other actions taken at the Spring Representative Council Meeting which will take effect during the 2010-11 school year:

Sports Matters

•  Non-traditional draws for MHSAA post-season tournaments in basketball and volleyball will now be required for the first-round games of all seven- or eight-team Districts, and any other games where history or security is an issue and single games at multiple sites are preferred over multi-game sessions at one site.  The four Districts in the northern part of the state required to use the non-traditional draw, where the team placed on the top line of the bracket shall host a contest, shall continue to do so.  This method may also be utilized at other Districts wishing to choose the option.  Any further expansion of this draw method will be considered by the Council at its December meeting following a review by sub-committees of the Basketball and Volleyball Site Selection Committees this month, and discussion at Athletic Director In-Service Meetings in the Fall.

•  In middle school basketball, two games will now be allowed on a day not followed by a school day for either team.  The limits of five games over 14 days and three games in a week were eliminated by the Council, one of a variety of actions taking the financial situations of schools into account.

•  In bowling the format of the MHSAA Finals was adjusted, reducing the number of games in Quarterfinal, Semifinal and Final round activity from four Baker games and one regular games to two Baker games and one regular game.

•  In football, the point differential rule was adjusted so that when the margin in the score grows to 50 or more points in the second half, the clock will run continuously except for officials time outs called for injuries.  When the margin is in a 35 to 49-point range, stoppages of the clock will continue for scores, penalties and called time outs.  Football teams will also be required to be on the field during MHSAA Playoff games for the playing of the National Anthem.  It is being recommended that leagues and conferences adopt the same policy, with the Anthem being played when the pre-game clock runs down to zeros.  Regional games in the MHSAA Playoffs will be played at the site of the team with the highest playoff point average, regardless of the distance between the two communities.  This action eliminates the policy of a game being played at a pre-arranged site located between the communities of the participating teams when the distance between the towns exceeds 200 miles.

•  In boys lacrosse, teams may have other two other days of competition in a which in which they play in a multi-team tournament, similar to soccer and girls lacrosse.

•  In soccer, the overtime for MHSAA post-season tournament play was changed to have two full ten-minute periods played to completion, and if the score was still tied, use penalty kicks to determine a winner.  During the regular season, lesser combinations of time and shootouts will be allowed, and “golden goals” (sudden death) may be utilized.

•  In tennis, the Limited Team Membership rule was modified so that an individual player is limited to two outside competitions during the season commencing with the first day that MHSAA rules allow practice, regardless of when that team begins practice or when the player joins the team.

•  In wrestling, the seeding procedures for the Team Finals was revised to seed the top teams in each division, allowing for the seeding of more than four teams if the seeding committee felt additional teams were worthy of such consideration.  Beginning in 2011-12, the start of the season will be delayed by one week, the maximum days of competition will be reduced from 16 to 14, and the maximum number of days when teams or individuals may participate in more than two matches is reduced from eight to seven. 

Studies Ordered By The Council During 2010-11

•  The rule which limits a coach working with up to three or four players out-of-season during the school year will be reviewed for its application within a facility, where a coach may work with the allowed number of players even when additional players are within a facility, but not under the tutelage of that coach.

•  In competitive cheer, out-of-season instruction practices will be reviewed.

•  The rule which currently prohibits a student-athlete from participating on different levels of a team in the same sport on a single day will be reviewed.

The Council also reviewed reports on membership, with 767 senior high schools and 805 junior high/middle schools in 2009-10; eligibility advancement applications, which totaled 15 for the second straight year; the use of Educational Transfer Forms, which declined in use this year; school violations, which declined this year due to improved compliance with rules related to the rating of officials; attendance at athletic director and coaches in-service workshops; officials’ registrations, topping the 12,000 mark again; rules meeting attendance; and officials reports submitted for the past three sports seasons.  The Association’s $9.7 million budget for the 2010-11 school year was also approved.

The Representative Council is the 19-member legislative body of the MHSAA.  All but five members are elected by member schools.  Four members are appointed by the Council to facilitate representation of females and minorities; and the 19th position is occupied by the Superintendent of Public Instruction or designee.

The MHSAA is a private, not-for-profit corporation of voluntary membership by over 1,600 public and private senior high schools and junior high/middle schools which exists to develop common rules for athletic eligibility and competition.  No government funds or tax dollars support the MHSAA, which was the first such association nationally to not accept membership dues or tournament entry fees from schools.  Member schools which enforce these rules are permitted to participate in MHSAA tournaments, which attract approximately 1.6 million spectators each year.

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