Feb 01, 2006
Minutes From the NCHSAA Winter Meeting

12/20/2005
The NCHSAA Board of Directors expanded playoff brackets, added a class to the state indoor track championships and gave game officials a raise during its two-day winter meeting this week.

The board -- which consists of school officials, athletics directors and coaches from across the state -- voted on the changes Tuesday, November 29, 2005 in Chapel Hill.

After having a playoff draw of 32 teams for several years, the volleyball, softball and baseball brackets will be expanded to 48 teams in each class, starting with the 2006-07 season.

Also in the 2006-07 year, the state indoor track meet will be split into two classes -- 4-A and 1-A/2-A/3-A. The meet has been open-class event since its inception in 1987.

The board also agreed to phase in over a four-year period a pay increase for football, baseball and softball officials, starting next year with a $10 increase for football and $5 for baseball and softball.

Among the other items discussed and voted upon Wednesday were:
-- Return of the state's outdoor track and field finals to N.C. A&T's Belk Track in Greensboro. The new state-of-the-art facility was a hit last spring with area coaches and athletes.
-- Reinstatement of a former rule that allowed golf coaches to give advice only under certain conditions. An experimental rule was used during the past season that allowed the coaches to advise golfers on the tee and green.
-- Continuance of the state's cheerleading invitational championship at Reynolds Coliseum. The NCHSAA left the question of whether to make cheerleading a varsity sport to the local school systems.
-- Approval of a plan to use a predetermined draw in the individual state tennis tournaments, with regional champions going against quarterfinalists from different regions.
-- As in the past, if the receipts from this year's state football playoffs will allow it, the NCHSAA will return money to those schools that faced excessive travel or deficit games during the playoffs.

On a final note, the NCHSAA reported that its endowment fund currently stands at $7.5 million, which includes the return of $100,000 to member schools during the past year from the interest in the fund, which the schools in turn use to offset the expense of catastrophic insurance. Since the endowment began 10 years ago, member schools have received more than $4 million from their shares of the endowment games that are played each August.

The next board of directors meeting is set for May in Raleigh.