Author: Erich Frombach

OHSAA pushing for better voter turnout among member schools

By John Kampf, The Morning Journal & The News-Herald

POSTED: 04/03/14, 7:49 PM EDT |

The Ohio High School Athletic Association is putting on a full-court press for participation by its member schools.
Commissioner Dan Ross on April 3 said the governing body for Ohio high school athletics is considering legislation that would require the 823 member schools to be part of the voting process for any and all ballot votes.
Speaking in front of a group of writers as part of the annual Ohio Prep Sports Writers Association luncheon, Ross said member schools might soon be required to return their ballots, whether they vote or not.
“There is a referendum item principals will vote on (in May),” Ross said. “(If it passes), you’re required to return your ballot. If you don’t return your ballot, there will be a fine.”
Ross said the referendum, if passed, will ensure school districts at least acknowledge the measures being voted upon. Their options are to vote yes, vote no or simply not vote. But they would be required to return the ballot.

To continue reading this article from the Lorain Morning Journal, click HERE

O.I.A.A.A. Executive Committee March 2014 Meeting Minutes

Minutes—Executive Committee Meeting

3/16/2014

State Conference Planning Committee:

Major points of emphasis were presenters, and keynote speakers for the fall conference. Still seeking 1.

Called to Order:

· The meeting was called to order by President Tim Erickson at 10:02 am.

Attendance: X – in attendance

Executive Director: x Bruce Brown (NE)

District Rep. (C) x Steve Conley

Past President/Program Chair: Matt Shomper (SW)

District Rep. (E) x Ray Hibbs

President: x Tim Erickson (NW)

District Rep. (NE) x Rob Eckenrode

President Elect: x Paul Powers (NE)

District Rep. (NW) x Susie Felver

Secretary: x Bo Hanson (C)

District Rep. (SW) Tim Cook

Treasurer: x Randy King (C)

District Rep. (SE) x Bo Arnett

LTI/Newsletter Chair: x Glen Gillespie (NW)

Awards Chair: x Bill Schumacher (NE)

Exhibit Chair: x Phil Poggi (SW)

Website Chair: x Erich Fromback (NE)

NIAAA Cert. Chair: x Paul Moses

Program Chair: x Tom Farbizo (E)

OHSAA: x Dr. Ross OHSAA: Jerry Snodgrass OASSA: Ken Baker

I. Action Items

A. Additions to the Agenda:

B. Approval of Agenda:

· A motion was made by Susie F. and seconded by Steve C. to approve the agenda. The motion was carried.

C. Approval of Minutes:

· A motion was made by Steve Conley and seconded by Rob Eckenrode to approve the minutes from the Executive Committee meeting. The motion was carried.

D. Approval of Financial Report:

· A motion was made by Paul Powers and seconded by Susie Felver to approve the financial report as of 3/16/14. The balance as of March 16th was checking-$9,989.77, savings-$56,408.39. The motion was carried.

II. Information Items

A. Membership Report: Randy King

· Two new members have been added, new membership forms were distributed, and changes were discussed. The new registration form is now two forms: current and retired memberships.

B. OASSA Report:

· No Report.

C. OHSAA Report: Dr. Ross

· Dr. Ross discussed the state hockey finals, the fall petition (which fell through due to lack of signatures) and the remaining discussion was on Competitive Balance.
A lengthy discussion was led by Dr. Ross and he provided a worksheet that provided direction as to what was being introduced to be voted on this spring. Questions were fielded and answered by Dr. Ross.

D. NIAAA Report: Bruce Brown

· Discussion was held w/o Bruce in the room about nominating him for the Citation Award and Ralph Young for the Hall of Fame Award.

E. Conference Report: Paul Powers

· Currently still seeking one speaker, will take suggestions. The vendor fees increased with increased exposure and wi-fi availability. Social will be in the main ballroom.

F. Website Report: Erich Frombach

· Discussed the site “hits” and which sections of the site had the most activity; Erich also discussed ideas as to how to get more exposure on the site:

– Try to drive people to the “openings” page.

– Have the individual districts post info on the OIAAA site also.

G. Awards Report: Bill Schumacher

· Names needed by the May meeting for awards for this year. Discussion was held about promoting Ohio for awards at the national level

· Committee will consist of Glenn, Tom, Steve & Paul M.

H. Leadership Training Report: Glenn Gillespie

· Webinars available in April for LTI courses.

· Ad Hoc Committe to look at professional development and to put together an 18 month calendar listing these events.

· Summer Institute was discussed again and has been pushed out.

I. Certification Report: Paul Moses

· Discussed the development of a mentor program, marketing certification to the principals and superintendents.

J. Newsletter Report: Glenn Gillespie

· Current newsletter is out. One more newsletter will go out before the end of May.

· Please have any information by the May meeting to be included in the next edition.

K. Executive Directors Report: Bruce Brown

· Discussed Corporate Partners.

· Discussed the use of Survey Monkey and how to get more results. Jerry Snodgrass has offered his SM account to provide us the opportunity to draw more respondents.

· Mark Princehorn has retired and was a member of the SEI committee. We will need to replace.

· Discussion was held on Section 2 dates: 6/18,19,20th of June.

· Discussion was also held about the function of the past presidents, and how to utilize their legacy in a productive way.

III. New Business:

A. Tech/Software partnership: Bruce Brown

· Committee of Steve C, Paul P. Bruce B, Susie F and Scott Kaufman (Lakota HS) will meet on 3/18 with five vendors to see how they can address improvements to entering events “one time” for data entry.

· The vendors are 8 to 18, Schedule Star, Digital Scout, VNN and Big Teams.

IV. Discussion Items:

A. District Reports:

1. Central—Steve Conley

Spring Conference on 4/9/14 at Huntington Park at 9:00 AM with baseball to follow.

2. Northwest—Glenn Gillespie

NW roundtable on 4/23/14.

3. Northeast–Rob Eckenrode

Spring Conference on 4/28 at Sheraton Suites in Cuyahoga Falls; Gary Waters keynote speaker.

4. East–Ray Hibbs

Spring Conference/Golf on 4/24 at Atwood Lodge with HOF induction of Kevin Keffer.

5. Southwest—Paul Pogi

Spring Golf outing and dinner on 5/19.

6. Southeast—Bo Arnett

Spring Golf outing on 5/9

V. Adjournment:

A. Next Meeting:

· Sunday, May 18th, 2014 at the OHSAA offices. Conference planning Committee meeting will start at 9:00 AM with the Executive Committee meeting to start at 10:00 AM.

B. Move to Adjourn:

· A motion was made by Steve C. and seconded by Bo A. to adjourn the meeting. The motion carried. The meeting adjourned at 12:33 PM.

C. Upcoming Dates of Note:

Future Meeting Dates and times:

-Conference planning meetings to begin at 9:00 AM and Executive meetings at 10:00 AM.

-Sunday May 18th Sunday August 17th

-Sunday October 19th Sunday Nov. 16th Sunday January 25, 2015

-Sunday March 15th Sunday May 17th.

NIAAA Section 2 Meeting Dates:

June 19-22, 2014 Host State: Delaware June 18-21, 2015 Host State: Kentucky

June 16-18, 2016 Host State: Maryland June 15-17, 2017 Host State: Ohio

June 15-17, 2018 Host State: Pennsylvania June 13-15,2019 Host State: Virginia

June TBD, 2020 Host State: West Virginia

Future OIAAA Conference Dates:

November 16-18, 2014 (NW) Hilton Easton November 15-17, 2015 (E)

November 13-15, 2016 (SE) November 12-14, 2017 (C)

Future NIAAA Conference Dates:

December 12-16, 2014 National Harbor, Maryland

December 11-15, 2015 Orlando, Florida

December 9-15, 2016 Nashville, Tennessee

The Anatomy of a Teammate

C.O.I.A.A.A SPRING WORKSHOP

Wednesday, April 9, 2014

Huntington Ballpark

Columbus, Ohio

The Spring General Membership Meeting of the COIAAA will be held on Wednesday, April 9, 2014 at the Huntington Ballpark, downtown Columbus. Donuts and coffee will be available at 8:30 and the workshop will begin at 9:00 am.

The cost of the workshop, continental breakfast, and lunch is $20.00. If you have not paid your 2013-14 membership dues they are $15.00. We have the option to attend the Clippers game at 11:30 following our meeting for and additional $10.

Please send your reservations to Dave Thompson, Bishop Hartley HS, by Friday, April 4. You may email reservations to dthompso@cdeducation.org

The ticket for the ballgame will be purchased separately.

Conference Registration Forms

Request for Taxpayer I.D. Certification Form

Explanation of Awards and Scholarships Available to Central Ohio Athletic Directors:

OIAAA Athletic Administrator of The Year*

The purpose of this award is to give recognition to athletic administrators who exemplify the highest standards of their profession and who, through their influence on the lives of the young people under their direction, have made significant contributions to their schools and communities. The candidate shall be an athletic administrator who is recognized in the community as an educational leader and who maintains athletics as an integral part of the total education program. He/she shall administer an exemplary athletic program making full use of school and community resources and involving as many students as possible. Each District is permitted to nominate one person from their area, and the Executive Committee will choose one nominee as the Athletic Administrator of the Year. The nominee must be a member of OIAAA and their local district by no later than October 31 during the school year in which they have been nominated.

OIAAA Hall of Fame Inductee*

This honor is bestowed upon an active or retired athletic administrator in recognition of their special accomplishments and contributions at the local and/or state levels. Length of service should not necessarily be a deciding factor when choosing a candidate for this honor. Each District is permitted to select one individual and must forward a completed application to the Executive Committee. If the nominee is an active athletic administrator, they must be a member of OIAAA, and their local district by no later than October 31 during the school year in which they have been nominated. If the nominee is a retired athletic administrator, the OIAAA Treasurer or his designee must verify that the individual had been an OIAAA member at some point during their career.

Scholarships

Thinnes Scholarship Nominee

This $750 scholarship is awarded annually to the son or daughter of an active member of OIAAA. Factors such as financial need, scholastic achievement and leadership qualities shall be considered. Applicants must complete the required application and submit it to their District Representative. Each athletic district may select one candidate for this scholarship each year and the OIAAA Executive Committee will select the scholarship winner at their May meeting. Applicants who have previously have been awarded this scholarship will only be considered if there are no other legitimate candidates during that year. A plaque will be presented to the scholarship winner at the OIAAA conference during the opening session in the Fall.

Dow Nelson Scholarship Nominee

A plaque will be presented to the scholarship winner at the OIAAA conference during the opening session in the Fall.

Wrestler Inspires With Sportsmanship After Losing In State Title Match

Sunday, March 9, 2014 3:23 pm

Written by: ThePostGame Staff

A high school wrestler’s amazing gesture after a loss in the state championship match brought tears to the eyes of many spectators, and it’s not hard to see why.

After falling to Mitchell McKee in Minnesota’s 120-pound class, Malik Stewart went over and embraced McKee’s father, Steve, who is battling terminal cancer.

Click HERE to continue reading the story from The PostGame and to see an interview with both wrestlers

Important Message about SERS and STRS Membership Determination

Recently, the STRS and SERS retirement systems reminded Ohio district treasurers to insure that individual membership classifications were reported corrected. If an employee has not contributed to the correct retirement system, those memberships must be changed by July 1, 2014. Most Ohio athletic administrators have come from “traditional” routes by being certificated teachers who may have transitioned into an administrative position. If you came from a non-traditional route (e.g., the private sector) into being an athletic administrator and do not hold a teaching license, you should remain in the SERS system.

We urge all athletic administrators to review with their respective treasurer/business office this memo to insure their retirement system membership is located in the correct system. We do not want any athletic administrator to lose credit in any conversion process. It is the employer’s responsibility to notify those individuals who may be changing systems.

Click HERE to read news release from the SERS and STRS

NCAA Eligibility Update: Free Course on the New Standards

The NCAA has updated eligibility standards for the class of 2016. In an effort to continue to spread the word about this important new information, the NCAA has re-launched the NCAA’s Initial Eligibility course available through NFHSLearn.com. The course has been updated with the new 2016 academic requirements and sliding scale information, and continues to be offered to you free of charge!

Please visit NFHSLearn.com and take 40 minutes to complete the Initial Eligibility course. This course will familiarize you and your coaches with the new academic requirements, as well as information about the NCAA Eligibility Center registration and certification process for college-bound student-athletes.

O.I.A.A.A. Executive Committee February 2014 Meeting Minutes

Minutes—Executive Committee Meeting

2/9/2014

State Conference Planning Committee:

· The Planning committee led by Bruce Brown and Northwest District State Conference committee, Susie Felver Chair met from 9:00 am to 10:00 am to discuss items for the 2014 OIAAA state conference.

Called to Order:

· The meeting was called to order by President Tim Erickson at 10:20 am.

Attendance: X – in attendance

Executive Director: x Bruce Brown (NE) District Rep. (C) x Steve Conley

Past President/Program Chair: x Matt Shomper (SW) District Rep. (E) x Ray Hibbs

President: x Tim Erickson (NW) District Rep. (NE) x Rob Eckenrode

President Elect: Paul Powers (NE) District Rep. (NW) x Susie Felver

Secretary: x Bo Hanson (C) District Rep. (SW) x Tim Cook

Treasurer: x Randy King (C) District Rep. (SE) Bo Arnett

LTI/Newsletter Chair: x Glen Gillespie (NW)

Awards Chair: Bill Schumacher (NE)

Exhibit Chair: x Phil Poggi (SW)

Website Chair: Erich Fromback (NE)

NIAAA Cert. Chair: x Paul Moses

Program Chair: Tom Farbizo (E)

OHSAA: Dr. Ross OHSAA: Jerry Snodgrass OASSA: Ken Baker

I. Action Items

A. Additions to the Agenda:

· None

B. Approval of Agenda:

· A motion was made by Susie Felver and seconded by Matt Shomper to approve the agenda. The motion was carried.

C. Approval of Minutes:

· A motion was made by Matt Shomper and seconded by Steve Conley to approve the minutes from the 10/20/13 & 11/16/13 Executive Committee meeting. The motion was carried.

D. Approval of Financial Report:

· A motion was made by Matt Shomper and seconded by Steve Conley to approve the financial report as of 2/9/14. The balance as of 2/9/14 was checking $13,759.77, savings $54,697.09. The motion was carried.

II. Information Items

A. Membership Report:

· Randy King gave and update on membership numbers. As of 2/9/14 we had 420 members.

B. OASSA Report:

· Bruce Brown reported on several House Bills ( 237, 296 & 229) and on the “Days to Hours” for next school year.

C. OHSAA Report:

· Tim Cook reported on the results from the “random” survey about competitive balance, there was also discussion about the progress of Lacrosse becoming an OHSAA sponsored sport and possibly a mercy rule for football. Bruce Brown discussed the OHSAA banner from the conference was missing and needed to be replaced.

D. NIAAA Report:

· Tim Erickson took a preliminary count on delegates to DE in June for section 2.

E. Conference Report:

· Tim Erickson gave us a preliminary report from the conference committee’s first meeting (NW)

F. Website Report:

· Bruce Brown discussed linking the different districts to the OIAAA website for more local awareness. Steve Conley mentioned that the scholarship application was not on the site.

G. Awards Report:

· Discussion by many on the new formula for awards by district for 2014. Breakdown was as Shomper and seconded by Tim Cook. The motion carried.

H. Leadership Training Report:

· Matt Shomper led a discussion about the Summer Institute his school is hosting June 16 & 17 and he was looking for LTI instructors if possible.

· Glenn Gillespie led a discussion on LTI classes at the conference, and other professional development opportunities.

I. Certification Report:

· Paul Moses reported that Ohio had 8 new CAA’s and led discussion on the new requirements ot become a CMAA.

J. Newsletter Report:

· Glen Gillespie reported that the Newsletter was ready for release as soon as all districts had reported their updates.

K. Executive Directors Report:

· Bruce Brown led discussion with the following items of interest:

· Business partnerships, with Rocketwear and Musco Lighting.

III. New Business:

A. Tech/Software partnership:

· Bruce Brown led discussion about creating an Ad Hoc committee and trying to get the OHSAA involved with this committee.

IV. Discussion Items:

A. District Reports:

1. Central—Steve Conley

-Reports that spring workshop will be on April 9th at Huntington Park.

2. Northwest—Susie Felver

-Reports a round table in April at their spring workshop.

3. Northeast–Rob Eckenrode

-Reports the Spring workshop will be on April 28th.

4. East–Ray Hibbs

-Reports the spring workshop will be on April 24/25 at Atwood Lodge.

5. Southwest—Tim Cook

-Reports the spring workshop will be on May 19th.

6. Southeast—Bo Arnett

– No Report

V. Adjournment:

A. Next Meeting:

· Sunday, March 16, 2014 at the OHSAA offices. Conference planning Committee meeting will start at 9:00 AM with the Executive Committee meeting to start at 10:00 AM.

B. Move to Adjourn:

· A motion was made by Susie Felver and seconded by Steve Conley to adjourn the meeting. The motion carried. The meeting adjourned at 12:25 PM.

C. Upcoming Dates of Note:

Future Meeting Dates and times:

-Conference planning meetings to begin at 9:00 AM and Executive meetings at 10:00 AM.

– Sunday March 16th Sunday May 18th Sunday August 17th

-Sunday October 19th Sunday Nov. 16th Sunday January 25, 2015

-Sunday March 15th Sunday May 17th.

NIAAA Section 2 Meeting Dates:

June 19-22, 2014 Host State: Delaware June 18-21, 2015 Host State: Kentucky

June 16-18, 2016 Host State: Maryland June 15-17, 2017 Host State: Ohio

June 15-17, 2018 Host State: Pennsylvania June 13-15,2019 Host State: Virgina

June TBD, 2020 Host State: West Virginia

Future OIAAA Conference Dates:

November 16-18, 2014 (NW) Hilton Easton November 15-17, 2015 (E)

November 13-15, 2016 (SE) November 12-14, 2017 (C)

Future NIAAA Conference Dates:

December 12-16, 2014 National Harbor, Maryland

December 11-15, 2015 Orlando, Florida

December 9-15, 2016 Nashville, Tennessee

Ace That Coaching Interview

By David Hoch

Recently, we interviewed five candidates for one of our head varsity coaching positions, and it was alarming how poorly they did as a group. During the interviews, the candidates committed numerous faux pas and gave many clueless answers. It made me wonder if they had been interviewed before, but, of course, they had to have been. However, they sure didn’t demonstrate that they had.

My mind actually wandered while listening to the coaches’ answers, and I contemplated if I should stop them and offer:

Would you like to start this interview over again?
Would you like to rethink and restate that answer?
Would you please take another approach with this opportunity?

To continue reading this article from the NFHS Coaching Today click HERE

Using Failures Well

By Dan Gerdes, Ph.D.

My mentor, Fred Smith Sr., used to say, “Never lose the good in a bad situation.” This is a piece of wisdom I’ve attempted to live out. While failures are seldom fun, they can be wonderful teachers if we are patient and mature enough to view them through the lens of humility. No one ever seeks out failure, but when it comes, it carries with it uniquely meaningful lessons that are experienced only through setbacks.

One day in one of my university classes, I asked my sport psychology students to come up with a list of ways that failure can be helpful. They identified 12 ways, which I’ve included below. In their fairly young lives, and limited teaching and coaching experiences, these college students had evidently experienced a variety of failures and had received some pretty good coaching and parenting to find good in the midst of bad – and sometimes painful – situations.

1. Failure usually creates humility. It’s about an improved or re-aligned perspective with what’s really going on, not what you imagine reality to be.

To read the rest of the article from the NFHS Coaching Today click HERE