Post by sls on Jul 10, 2007 5:18:20 GMT -6
Saw this list on the Indiana Gridirondigest.com HS site and thought it was interesting.
Alabama
* The state has cut player and coach ejections in half by implementing a no tolerance rule, issuing fines between $300-$750 and one-year suspensions for three-time offenders.
* Steroid testing has been discussed, but there's no funding unless the state Legislature provides it, which it hasn't indicated it will.
Alaska
* Because of its diverse religious population, the Anchorage school district has struggled to find dates for sporting events due to conflicts with religious holidays. The regional cross
county meet was moved because of Yom Kippur, and the student government conference was moved because of Ramadan.
* Because there's no viable road system in the northern parts of the state, some communities are only accessible by plane, which has prevented them from hosting championship
events. But there's talk of hosting championships in rural areas like Sitka, which is 700 miles from Anchorage, even though the cost for travel would be expensive.
Arizona
* A perpetual population boom has turned classification into a perpetual mess as the state tries to find bigger tournament sites and realign schools into proper classes.
* Impropriety in transferring hasn't yet become an issue, but the state plans to attack the problem before it does.
Arkansas
* Before, the state had different sportsmanship rules for different classifications. Now it has provided a uniform guide that will address coaches, fans and players.
* The state is undergoing realignment for the 2008 school year.
California
* Instead of one commissioner, the state has several for different regions, which created problems with transfer eligibility, because every region had separate requirements and rules.
California expects to adopt a statewide policy, which will allow every high school student to transfer once without losing athletic eligibility.
* There's a debate on how to level the playing field between public schools with poor socio-economic backgrounds and private schools with the funds to produce the top facilities and
bring in the best coaches.
Colorado
* Because the roads in Colorado run through mountains instead of flat grounds, forcing travel to take longer and expend more gas, schools are being hit even harder than schools in
other states by high gas prices.
* Because more rural schools tend to be public and more urban schools private, the private schools are dominating championships only at the larger levels, making it difficult for the
association to equitably address a level playing field.
Connecticut
* There will be a statewide conference in the fall on the lack of sportsmanship by coaches, players and fans, which has been a growing problem.
* The state is hoping to improve the climate and culture of its schools by launching a high school reform initiative to address bullying, diversity and personalization, with a goal of the
latter to help students feel important no matter how large their school.
Delaware
* Private schools have dominated public schools on the playing field. Of the 29 annual state championships, Delaware's 13 private high schools won 24 in 2005-06 and 23 in 2006-07.
* The lack of enough viable officials is a long-standing problem, but a lack of coaches coming from within the school system appears to be a new challenge.
District of Columbia
* In D.C., Mayor Adrian Fenty, left, has taken over control of the city schools, with the Board of Education serving only on an advisory level. The association is waiting to see how this
recent change will affect how it manages high school athletics.
* The association is trying to figure out how to manage itself despite losing about half its staff and resources over the last 16 years while high school sports continue to grow rapidly in
popularity.
Florida
* Fan ejections rose by nearly 9 percent this year, with 1,286 spectators being tossed in 2006-07 compared to 1,186 in 2005-06.
* The issue of school choice has been blurred, with opportunities to play sports at any school.
Georgia
* The state has neither a law forbidding transfers nor a rule to stop transferring for athletic reasons, but that may soon be addressed after an Atlanta basketball star's father openly
stated his son's move to another school was made only because that school has won three state titles in the last six years. Last year, 15 of the state's top players switched schools.
* The state association recently decided to institute a tiebreaker rule for state championship games in football and soccer. Last season, both the Class 5A and 2A football title games
ended in ties, and co-champions in soccer are common. The proposal still has to pass again in the fall.
Hawaii
* A decision prompted by what Michigan has done — switching seasons for some sports — is worrying many about the lack of high school facilities. Girls' basketball is moving from
spring to winter and softball is going from winter to spring. Sharing fields between baseball and softball will be a challenge, as will courts for boys' and girls' basketball.
* There are two classes in Hawaii: Division I and II. But classification is up to the discretion of separate island leagues, not the state association, and some leagues are making their
decisions based on power ranking, not enrollment numbers, sending some large schools to Division II.
Idaho
* Growth in the Boise area could result in an increase in Class 5A schools within the next few years. The disparaging growth rate could cause the state to cut Boise in half to create
another district. One new 5A school will open next year.
* Rising fuel prices are causing headaches for traveling sports teams. The state is considering realigning conferences to help.
Illinois
* Classification will expand from two classes to four in boys' and girls' basketball, baseball, softball and volleyball this fall, leading to a reformatting of all the state tournaments.
* With steroid use perceived to be a growing problem, the state will review a recommendation study on steroids in schools this September.
Indiana
* Schools are struggling to finance athletic programs, in part because no tax dollars are given to schools for extracurriculars. Schools rely on advertising and gate revenues to
subsidize costs such as travel and uniforms.
* Every year, Indiana re-evaluates its transfer policy, which has become difficult in a climate where more students are bending rules.
Iowa
* Softball season has been cut by 20 percent, from 50 games to 40. The move was made to allow student-athletes who play softball — which, like baseball, is played during the
summer in Iowa — more of a summer break.
* Later this summer, the boys' state association will consider expanding the playoff fields for football. Iowa has six classifications.
Kansas
* Kansas is looking at becoming the sixth state to use a membership multiplier mechanism, which means the state's 26 private schools would play in higher classes.
* Even though tornadoes devastated Greensburg, the state had preparations in place, and the community rebounded to host the state's most attended regional track meet.
Kentucky
* Starting this fall, football will be expanded from four classes to six.
* Because of heat concerns, football will start one week later than normal, in the last week of August.
* Concerns continue over public vs. private schools competing with each other and recruitment of athletes. Kentucky recently rejected a plan that would have allowed private and public
schools to compete for separate championships.
Louisiana
* The state continues to deal with the public vs. private debate.
"We don't really have a solution (to the private school issue)," said Tommy Henry, the commissioner of the Louisiana High School Athletic Association. "Those people win the
all-sports trophies every year. They can play games with enrollment, and the public schools feel that is unfair."
* The state gave officials a pay raise to encourage more participation.
Maine
* The state has four classifications, but there's a push to break it up more to help bridge the competition gap between schools with large and small enrollments. Some Class A schools
have 800 students, while others have 1,200.
Maryland
* The state will launch a campaign to improve sportsmanship among coaches, fans and players. No classes are required, but awareness about the importance of sportsmanship will
be raised before small observations made by the association turn into bigger ones.
* The association feels that underage drinking and illegal substance abuse is far more of an epidemic than steroid use and is attempting to devise ways of curbing abuse by its
student-athletes.
Massachusetts
* Club sports and specializing are plaguing athletics, which forced the association to implement the Bonafide Team Rule, which mandates that if a player joins another high school
team, he or she can't miss practice or a game for another sport.
* A number of school districts are threatening to eliminate sports because of a law that caps property taxes, which essentially caps for funding sports. Emergency levy votes are being
put on the ballots to keep sports alive, however more of these votes are being rejected.
Michigan
* Thanks to a court-ordered ruling, school officials are scrambling to meet a fall deadline to realign eight boys and girls sports seasons in order to comply with Title IX, which bans
gender discrimination in education. Before, sports like girls' basketball and girls' soccer fell on seasons different from other states and different from colleges, reducing the visibility to
college coaches and hurting the athletes' chances of landing scholarships, the court ruled in a lawsuit that was originally filed in 1998.
* Because of the court ruling, schools are finding that they need coaches. In many cases, one coach was able to coach two sports because the sports fell in different seasons.
Minnesota
* Under a new rule, students will have to sit out a year of varsity athletics if their transfer doesn't meet specific guidelines, such as parents moving into the school district. The rule was
put in place because many students were transferring for athletic reasons under the auspices of academics.
* Minnesota is struggling to fund its athletics, so the association is petitioning for the state to set aside dollars for school activities.
Mississippi
* This year, all athletes who are not seniors will have to score a 75 percent in basic courses to be eligible for athletics, based on legislation passed last year.
"We had so many kids that finished high school but didn't qualify for the next level," said N.Z. Bryant, the deputy director of the Mississippi High School Activities Association.
"Hopefully, our kids will be more qualified for the next level, which is the college level."
* Because of funding, the state doesn't expect to tackle mandated steroid testing, but testing is encouraged in individual school districts.
Missouri
* The state is pushing changes to implement all of its registration data online.
* The state association is dealing with private schools bringing in athletes from all over the state.
Montana
* In separate incidents this past school year, one fan hit an official with a water bottle and another fan assaulted a coach, raising concerns about sportsmanship. An administrator from
each of the 180 member school will be asked to attend a training course on sportsmanship this year, with punishments to the school on tap if poor sportsmanship continues.
* Montana is reviewing its eligibility rules for a January vote.
Nebraska
* Twice in the last 14 months, the association's age rule has been challenged by families with disabled student-athletes. In both cases, the Office of Civil Rights upheld the state's rule,
which mandates that students who turn 19 before August of each school year are ineligible.
"Our rule is pretty much a (straight) line rule. Either a student is too old or a student is not too old," said Jim Tenopir, the executive director of the Nebraska School Activities
Association. "From our perspective, age is certainly something that can materially change the game."
* A recent study showed that less than 1 percent of Nebraska students use steroids, though that didn't deter a state legislator from introducing a steroid testing bill last year. The bill
failed in committee over debates over funding sources.
Nevada
* Two schools will move up a classification as part of a recent realignment, although both are expected to appeal the decision. Nevada has a four-class system.
* The state's realignment will take effect in 2008 and last until 2012, which means that while enrollment numbers may fluctuate over the next five years, schools will be locked into their
schedules, unlike other states, which realign every two years.
New Hampshire
* Hordes of athletes are shifting focus from performing in multiple sports to specializing in one. Now rural schools are scrambling just to find enough players to field teams, and larger
urban schools are seeing their teams diluted.
"You can count on one hand in a state like this (the number) that are going to play Division I ball," said Patrick Corbin, the executive director of the New Hampshire Interscholastic
Athletic Association. "For a lot of kids, it's a cruel hoax because they've got a better chance at getting scholarship dollars through their academics."
* The state has struggled to hire enough qualified officials and believes that constant berating of officials has discouraged people from applying.
New Jersey
* New Jersey just completed its first year of steroid testing, the first state to do so. The state tested only during championships, and none of the 150 athletes tested positive. New
Jersey hopes to improve on its testing procedure, modeling it more for the high school level instead of the college level, because of financial and travel issues. The state hopes to
expand upon its current system this year.
"Whatever state gets into (steroid testing) is going to have to realize that high school is different than college," said Bob Baly, the assistant director of the New Jersey State
Interscholastic Athletic Association.
* The state's transfer rules require that all transfers sit out 30 days during competition. But any tougher restrictions, association officials said, infringe upon students' rights to choose
schools.
New Mexico
* For the first time, home-schooled athletes will be able to participate in high school athletics. The home-schooled students will be restricted to just one athletic activity per year at
schools within their attendance zones.
* Thanks to population growth, the association will decide in October which realignment method it will use for the 2008-09 school year.
New York
* In order to unify its mission on transfers and academic standings, the state is requiring all athletic directors to attend eligibility workshops.
* New York hopes to develop a steroid- and performance-enhancing drug education program similar to its concussion-management program, which New York State Public High
School Athletic Association officials considered a success.
North Carolina
* Within the year, the association will realign, which should affect 20 percent of its 375 member schools. Most challenging to the realignment will be how to deal with a population
boom, which has led to seven new schools this school year.
* Like Maryland, underage drinking continues to affect student health and safety.
North Dakota
* The state's schools voted to double the time transfers will have to sit out, to 180 days starting this year.
* The association recently voted to allow hockey reserves to warm up on the rink before the start of the second and third periods, and not just before the game.
Ohio
* The state has no established educational or requirement standards for coaches, which has caused the state association to fear that athletics have strayed away from being an
extension of the classroom.
"We feel it's important for our coaches to have a better perspective of what interscholastic athletics is all about," said Bob Goldring, the assistant commissioner of the Ohio High
School Athletic Association.
* Because schools rely heavily on property taxes to fund extracurricular activities and school programs, individual districts in less affluent areas are struggling to fund teams. The
districts are repeatedly being cornered into placing emergency levy votes on the ballot, but when those fail, there's usually not enough money to go around. In some cases, the schools
are requiring participation fees from athletes. In other more dire cases, even at the highest classifications, sports programs are being canceled altogether.
Oklahoma
* Six private schools temporarily will join the association this school year, with provisions that they can become permanent members if all goes well.
* Soon, the state will realign districts for football and soccer, which it does every two years.
Oregon
* The state is entering second year of a massive reclassification project, expanding from four to six classes and from 80 to 116 state championships.
"We were basically trying to cut down on the (enrollment) gaps between schools," said Peter Weber, public relations director for the Oregon School Activities Association.
* Oregon is adamantly against steroid testing, noting that education is more effective. The state legislature passed a bill this year making it illegal for high schools to give supplements
to students.
Pennsylvania
* The state legislature is discussing a bill that would forbid the use of aluminum bats in baseball and softball, issuing fines of up to $50.
* The association is considering changing its transfer rule, making transfers who don't meet the necessary requirements ineligible at the varsity level for one year.
Rhode Island
* Sportsmanship concerns have risen after isolated incidents of fans getting out of hand at basketball and ice hockey games. The state hopes to keep its expectations high to ensure
good behavior from fans.
* The state budget has been cut, which means some cuts in state education funding may affect athletics.
South Carolina
* The state legislature is trying to decide whether to allow home- and private-schooled student-athletes to compete with public schools.
* There's discussion about moving the state's championships from the University of South Carolina to Clemson University, which is in the upper part of the state. That could cause
travel headaches for fans since state tournaments would no longer be in the central part of the state.
South Dakota
* The biggest issue is that there's not enough state funding to effectively run schools, and smaller schools are losing their enrollment, which is affecting sports programs.
* There is a shortage of high school coaches and officials, as many coaches retire or quit earlier than in the past. Those coaches who stay at schools but only as teachers are forcing
districts to go beyond their budgets to find new coaches.
Tennessee
* The turnover rate for coaches has increased dramatically over recent years, as coaches continue to retire earlier, leaving a number of coaching vacancies.
* Many schools aren't funded by the local board of education, leaving districts constantly searching for ways to raise funds for their athletic programs.
Texas
* The state passed a steroid testing bill this spring, and Texas will have the largest high school steroid testing program in the nation beginning this fall.
* There is talk of possibly realigning Class 5A districts — for football only — to equalize enrollments and geography. Last season, both Class 5A Division II state football finalists had
larger enrollments than the two Division I finalists.
Utah
* The association is looking for ways to stifle recruiting of students by other high schools. It's against the rules to transfer for athletic reasons.
* This spring, 111 ejections were handed out in boys' soccer alone, compelling the association to place the entire sport on probation. If that number increases or stays the same, the
association has threatened to abolish boys' soccer altogether.
Vermont
* At the moment, Vermont has an open transfer policy, but because more students are changing schools for athletic reasons, the association is considering stricter requirements.
* Too many students have been taking advantage of Vermont's fifth-year eligibility, which is offered in cases of hardship. On average, the state sees 40 cases a year, so it is looking to
devise more stringent criteria.
Virginia
* In fear that it's losing influence, the Virginia High School League is hoping to reestablish itself as the leader of high school sports in the state.
* The association is looking to drive more technology, improving the flow of information from the league to its member schools.
Washington
* The main issue is treating private and public schools equally, with concerns that the playing field is uneven when larger private schools win championships.
* There are continuing sportsmanship issues and fears that television has contributed to the problem.
West Virginia
* The state is struggling to find officials because of the verbal and even physical abuse officials by fans and players.
* The association is concerned that coaches who don't teach and aren't certified cannot monitor how their athletes are performing academically.
Wisconsin
* Since 2000, when 50-60 private schools were absorbed into the association, private schools have been winning disproportionate state titles, especially in basketball.
* Wisconsin has begun to deal with steroids by educating administrators and students, hoping to avoid high testing costs.
Wyoming
* Previously, students who transferred were ineligible for varsity athletics for 88 days. Now, that will increase to one year.
* With only 70 high schools, some schools have to travel 400 miles to play within their own conference (district), leading to missed school days. The only alternative is to group schools
in conferences by proximity. This leads to bigger schools beating up on smaller schools, which isn't fair. The association has no solution yet.
Alabama
* The state has cut player and coach ejections in half by implementing a no tolerance rule, issuing fines between $300-$750 and one-year suspensions for three-time offenders.
* Steroid testing has been discussed, but there's no funding unless the state Legislature provides it, which it hasn't indicated it will.
Alaska
* Because of its diverse religious population, the Anchorage school district has struggled to find dates for sporting events due to conflicts with religious holidays. The regional cross
county meet was moved because of Yom Kippur, and the student government conference was moved because of Ramadan.
* Because there's no viable road system in the northern parts of the state, some communities are only accessible by plane, which has prevented them from hosting championship
events. But there's talk of hosting championships in rural areas like Sitka, which is 700 miles from Anchorage, even though the cost for travel would be expensive.
Arizona
* A perpetual population boom has turned classification into a perpetual mess as the state tries to find bigger tournament sites and realign schools into proper classes.
* Impropriety in transferring hasn't yet become an issue, but the state plans to attack the problem before it does.
Arkansas
* Before, the state had different sportsmanship rules for different classifications. Now it has provided a uniform guide that will address coaches, fans and players.
* The state is undergoing realignment for the 2008 school year.
California
* Instead of one commissioner, the state has several for different regions, which created problems with transfer eligibility, because every region had separate requirements and rules.
California expects to adopt a statewide policy, which will allow every high school student to transfer once without losing athletic eligibility.
* There's a debate on how to level the playing field between public schools with poor socio-economic backgrounds and private schools with the funds to produce the top facilities and
bring in the best coaches.
Colorado
* Because the roads in Colorado run through mountains instead of flat grounds, forcing travel to take longer and expend more gas, schools are being hit even harder than schools in
other states by high gas prices.
* Because more rural schools tend to be public and more urban schools private, the private schools are dominating championships only at the larger levels, making it difficult for the
association to equitably address a level playing field.
Connecticut
* There will be a statewide conference in the fall on the lack of sportsmanship by coaches, players and fans, which has been a growing problem.
* The state is hoping to improve the climate and culture of its schools by launching a high school reform initiative to address bullying, diversity and personalization, with a goal of the
latter to help students feel important no matter how large their school.
Delaware
* Private schools have dominated public schools on the playing field. Of the 29 annual state championships, Delaware's 13 private high schools won 24 in 2005-06 and 23 in 2006-07.
* The lack of enough viable officials is a long-standing problem, but a lack of coaches coming from within the school system appears to be a new challenge.
District of Columbia
* In D.C., Mayor Adrian Fenty, left, has taken over control of the city schools, with the Board of Education serving only on an advisory level. The association is waiting to see how this
recent change will affect how it manages high school athletics.
* The association is trying to figure out how to manage itself despite losing about half its staff and resources over the last 16 years while high school sports continue to grow rapidly in
popularity.
Florida
* Fan ejections rose by nearly 9 percent this year, with 1,286 spectators being tossed in 2006-07 compared to 1,186 in 2005-06.
* The issue of school choice has been blurred, with opportunities to play sports at any school.
Georgia
* The state has neither a law forbidding transfers nor a rule to stop transferring for athletic reasons, but that may soon be addressed after an Atlanta basketball star's father openly
stated his son's move to another school was made only because that school has won three state titles in the last six years. Last year, 15 of the state's top players switched schools.
* The state association recently decided to institute a tiebreaker rule for state championship games in football and soccer. Last season, both the Class 5A and 2A football title games
ended in ties, and co-champions in soccer are common. The proposal still has to pass again in the fall.
Hawaii
* A decision prompted by what Michigan has done — switching seasons for some sports — is worrying many about the lack of high school facilities. Girls' basketball is moving from
spring to winter and softball is going from winter to spring. Sharing fields between baseball and softball will be a challenge, as will courts for boys' and girls' basketball.
* There are two classes in Hawaii: Division I and II. But classification is up to the discretion of separate island leagues, not the state association, and some leagues are making their
decisions based on power ranking, not enrollment numbers, sending some large schools to Division II.
Idaho
* Growth in the Boise area could result in an increase in Class 5A schools within the next few years. The disparaging growth rate could cause the state to cut Boise in half to create
another district. One new 5A school will open next year.
* Rising fuel prices are causing headaches for traveling sports teams. The state is considering realigning conferences to help.
Illinois
* Classification will expand from two classes to four in boys' and girls' basketball, baseball, softball and volleyball this fall, leading to a reformatting of all the state tournaments.
* With steroid use perceived to be a growing problem, the state will review a recommendation study on steroids in schools this September.
Indiana
* Schools are struggling to finance athletic programs, in part because no tax dollars are given to schools for extracurriculars. Schools rely on advertising and gate revenues to
subsidize costs such as travel and uniforms.
* Every year, Indiana re-evaluates its transfer policy, which has become difficult in a climate where more students are bending rules.
Iowa
* Softball season has been cut by 20 percent, from 50 games to 40. The move was made to allow student-athletes who play softball — which, like baseball, is played during the
summer in Iowa — more of a summer break.
* Later this summer, the boys' state association will consider expanding the playoff fields for football. Iowa has six classifications.
Kansas
* Kansas is looking at becoming the sixth state to use a membership multiplier mechanism, which means the state's 26 private schools would play in higher classes.
* Even though tornadoes devastated Greensburg, the state had preparations in place, and the community rebounded to host the state's most attended regional track meet.
Kentucky
* Starting this fall, football will be expanded from four classes to six.
* Because of heat concerns, football will start one week later than normal, in the last week of August.
* Concerns continue over public vs. private schools competing with each other and recruitment of athletes. Kentucky recently rejected a plan that would have allowed private and public
schools to compete for separate championships.
Louisiana
* The state continues to deal with the public vs. private debate.
"We don't really have a solution (to the private school issue)," said Tommy Henry, the commissioner of the Louisiana High School Athletic Association. "Those people win the
all-sports trophies every year. They can play games with enrollment, and the public schools feel that is unfair."
* The state gave officials a pay raise to encourage more participation.
Maine
* The state has four classifications, but there's a push to break it up more to help bridge the competition gap between schools with large and small enrollments. Some Class A schools
have 800 students, while others have 1,200.
Maryland
* The state will launch a campaign to improve sportsmanship among coaches, fans and players. No classes are required, but awareness about the importance of sportsmanship will
be raised before small observations made by the association turn into bigger ones.
* The association feels that underage drinking and illegal substance abuse is far more of an epidemic than steroid use and is attempting to devise ways of curbing abuse by its
student-athletes.
Massachusetts
* Club sports and specializing are plaguing athletics, which forced the association to implement the Bonafide Team Rule, which mandates that if a player joins another high school
team, he or she can't miss practice or a game for another sport.
* A number of school districts are threatening to eliminate sports because of a law that caps property taxes, which essentially caps for funding sports. Emergency levy votes are being
put on the ballots to keep sports alive, however more of these votes are being rejected.
Michigan
* Thanks to a court-ordered ruling, school officials are scrambling to meet a fall deadline to realign eight boys and girls sports seasons in order to comply with Title IX, which bans
gender discrimination in education. Before, sports like girls' basketball and girls' soccer fell on seasons different from other states and different from colleges, reducing the visibility to
college coaches and hurting the athletes' chances of landing scholarships, the court ruled in a lawsuit that was originally filed in 1998.
* Because of the court ruling, schools are finding that they need coaches. In many cases, one coach was able to coach two sports because the sports fell in different seasons.
Minnesota
* Under a new rule, students will have to sit out a year of varsity athletics if their transfer doesn't meet specific guidelines, such as parents moving into the school district. The rule was
put in place because many students were transferring for athletic reasons under the auspices of academics.
* Minnesota is struggling to fund its athletics, so the association is petitioning for the state to set aside dollars for school activities.
Mississippi
* This year, all athletes who are not seniors will have to score a 75 percent in basic courses to be eligible for athletics, based on legislation passed last year.
"We had so many kids that finished high school but didn't qualify for the next level," said N.Z. Bryant, the deputy director of the Mississippi High School Activities Association.
"Hopefully, our kids will be more qualified for the next level, which is the college level."
* Because of funding, the state doesn't expect to tackle mandated steroid testing, but testing is encouraged in individual school districts.
Missouri
* The state is pushing changes to implement all of its registration data online.
* The state association is dealing with private schools bringing in athletes from all over the state.
Montana
* In separate incidents this past school year, one fan hit an official with a water bottle and another fan assaulted a coach, raising concerns about sportsmanship. An administrator from
each of the 180 member school will be asked to attend a training course on sportsmanship this year, with punishments to the school on tap if poor sportsmanship continues.
* Montana is reviewing its eligibility rules for a January vote.
Nebraska
* Twice in the last 14 months, the association's age rule has been challenged by families with disabled student-athletes. In both cases, the Office of Civil Rights upheld the state's rule,
which mandates that students who turn 19 before August of each school year are ineligible.
"Our rule is pretty much a (straight) line rule. Either a student is too old or a student is not too old," said Jim Tenopir, the executive director of the Nebraska School Activities
Association. "From our perspective, age is certainly something that can materially change the game."
* A recent study showed that less than 1 percent of Nebraska students use steroids, though that didn't deter a state legislator from introducing a steroid testing bill last year. The bill
failed in committee over debates over funding sources.
Nevada
* Two schools will move up a classification as part of a recent realignment, although both are expected to appeal the decision. Nevada has a four-class system.
* The state's realignment will take effect in 2008 and last until 2012, which means that while enrollment numbers may fluctuate over the next five years, schools will be locked into their
schedules, unlike other states, which realign every two years.
New Hampshire
* Hordes of athletes are shifting focus from performing in multiple sports to specializing in one. Now rural schools are scrambling just to find enough players to field teams, and larger
urban schools are seeing their teams diluted.
"You can count on one hand in a state like this (the number) that are going to play Division I ball," said Patrick Corbin, the executive director of the New Hampshire Interscholastic
Athletic Association. "For a lot of kids, it's a cruel hoax because they've got a better chance at getting scholarship dollars through their academics."
* The state has struggled to hire enough qualified officials and believes that constant berating of officials has discouraged people from applying.
New Jersey
* New Jersey just completed its first year of steroid testing, the first state to do so. The state tested only during championships, and none of the 150 athletes tested positive. New
Jersey hopes to improve on its testing procedure, modeling it more for the high school level instead of the college level, because of financial and travel issues. The state hopes to
expand upon its current system this year.
"Whatever state gets into (steroid testing) is going to have to realize that high school is different than college," said Bob Baly, the assistant director of the New Jersey State
Interscholastic Athletic Association.
* The state's transfer rules require that all transfers sit out 30 days during competition. But any tougher restrictions, association officials said, infringe upon students' rights to choose
schools.
New Mexico
* For the first time, home-schooled athletes will be able to participate in high school athletics. The home-schooled students will be restricted to just one athletic activity per year at
schools within their attendance zones.
* Thanks to population growth, the association will decide in October which realignment method it will use for the 2008-09 school year.
New York
* In order to unify its mission on transfers and academic standings, the state is requiring all athletic directors to attend eligibility workshops.
* New York hopes to develop a steroid- and performance-enhancing drug education program similar to its concussion-management program, which New York State Public High
School Athletic Association officials considered a success.
North Carolina
* Within the year, the association will realign, which should affect 20 percent of its 375 member schools. Most challenging to the realignment will be how to deal with a population
boom, which has led to seven new schools this school year.
* Like Maryland, underage drinking continues to affect student health and safety.
North Dakota
* The state's schools voted to double the time transfers will have to sit out, to 180 days starting this year.
* The association recently voted to allow hockey reserves to warm up on the rink before the start of the second and third periods, and not just before the game.
Ohio
* The state has no established educational or requirement standards for coaches, which has caused the state association to fear that athletics have strayed away from being an
extension of the classroom.
"We feel it's important for our coaches to have a better perspective of what interscholastic athletics is all about," said Bob Goldring, the assistant commissioner of the Ohio High
School Athletic Association.
* Because schools rely heavily on property taxes to fund extracurricular activities and school programs, individual districts in less affluent areas are struggling to fund teams. The
districts are repeatedly being cornered into placing emergency levy votes on the ballot, but when those fail, there's usually not enough money to go around. In some cases, the schools
are requiring participation fees from athletes. In other more dire cases, even at the highest classifications, sports programs are being canceled altogether.
Oklahoma
* Six private schools temporarily will join the association this school year, with provisions that they can become permanent members if all goes well.
* Soon, the state will realign districts for football and soccer, which it does every two years.
Oregon
* The state is entering second year of a massive reclassification project, expanding from four to six classes and from 80 to 116 state championships.
"We were basically trying to cut down on the (enrollment) gaps between schools," said Peter Weber, public relations director for the Oregon School Activities Association.
* Oregon is adamantly against steroid testing, noting that education is more effective. The state legislature passed a bill this year making it illegal for high schools to give supplements
to students.
Pennsylvania
* The state legislature is discussing a bill that would forbid the use of aluminum bats in baseball and softball, issuing fines of up to $50.
* The association is considering changing its transfer rule, making transfers who don't meet the necessary requirements ineligible at the varsity level for one year.
Rhode Island
* Sportsmanship concerns have risen after isolated incidents of fans getting out of hand at basketball and ice hockey games. The state hopes to keep its expectations high to ensure
good behavior from fans.
* The state budget has been cut, which means some cuts in state education funding may affect athletics.
South Carolina
* The state legislature is trying to decide whether to allow home- and private-schooled student-athletes to compete with public schools.
* There's discussion about moving the state's championships from the University of South Carolina to Clemson University, which is in the upper part of the state. That could cause
travel headaches for fans since state tournaments would no longer be in the central part of the state.
South Dakota
* The biggest issue is that there's not enough state funding to effectively run schools, and smaller schools are losing their enrollment, which is affecting sports programs.
* There is a shortage of high school coaches and officials, as many coaches retire or quit earlier than in the past. Those coaches who stay at schools but only as teachers are forcing
districts to go beyond their budgets to find new coaches.
Tennessee
* The turnover rate for coaches has increased dramatically over recent years, as coaches continue to retire earlier, leaving a number of coaching vacancies.
* Many schools aren't funded by the local board of education, leaving districts constantly searching for ways to raise funds for their athletic programs.
Texas
* The state passed a steroid testing bill this spring, and Texas will have the largest high school steroid testing program in the nation beginning this fall.
* There is talk of possibly realigning Class 5A districts — for football only — to equalize enrollments and geography. Last season, both Class 5A Division II state football finalists had
larger enrollments than the two Division I finalists.
Utah
* The association is looking for ways to stifle recruiting of students by other high schools. It's against the rules to transfer for athletic reasons.
* This spring, 111 ejections were handed out in boys' soccer alone, compelling the association to place the entire sport on probation. If that number increases or stays the same, the
association has threatened to abolish boys' soccer altogether.
Vermont
* At the moment, Vermont has an open transfer policy, but because more students are changing schools for athletic reasons, the association is considering stricter requirements.
* Too many students have been taking advantage of Vermont's fifth-year eligibility, which is offered in cases of hardship. On average, the state sees 40 cases a year, so it is looking to
devise more stringent criteria.
Virginia
* In fear that it's losing influence, the Virginia High School League is hoping to reestablish itself as the leader of high school sports in the state.
* The association is looking to drive more technology, improving the flow of information from the league to its member schools.
Washington
* The main issue is treating private and public schools equally, with concerns that the playing field is uneven when larger private schools win championships.
* There are continuing sportsmanship issues and fears that television has contributed to the problem.
West Virginia
* The state is struggling to find officials because of the verbal and even physical abuse officials by fans and players.
* The association is concerned that coaches who don't teach and aren't certified cannot monitor how their athletes are performing academically.
Wisconsin
* Since 2000, when 50-60 private schools were absorbed into the association, private schools have been winning disproportionate state titles, especially in basketball.
* Wisconsin has begun to deal with steroids by educating administrators and students, hoping to avoid high testing costs.
Wyoming
* Previously, students who transferred were ineligible for varsity athletics for 88 days. Now, that will increase to one year.
* With only 70 high schools, some schools have to travel 400 miles to play within their own conference (district), leading to missed school days. The only alternative is to group schools
in conferences by proximity. This leads to bigger schools beating up on smaller schools, which isn't fair. The association has no solution yet.
He chased the kid down and socked him a couple times.