WARMUPS
Promotions
New Media
A Second Home
Scheduling
12th Game Deals
Rules Compliance
Four Stories
Community Relations
Granting Wishes
Sports Medicine
Head Check
Extra Effort
One of a Kind
High School News
Florida Flip Flops
This spring and summer, in order to assist schools facing severe budget cuts, many state high school associations debated whether to decrease the maximum number of contests its teams could play. Florida was one state that mandated a large reduction, cutting 20 percent of regular season games for all varsity sports except football for the next two years.
The Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) Board of Directors, which approved the measure 9-6 in April, believed the schedule cuts were necessary to keep teams from being completely dropped by some school districts. However, they ran into a huge roadblock by exempting football from the schedule reductions.
A group called Florida Parents for Athletic Equity, led by former Olympic gold medalist Nancy Hogshead-Makar, decided to file a Title IX lawsuit against the FHSAA. They believe it is inequitable to leave one boys' sports schedule intact and not do the same for at least one girls' sport. Florida did not cut the schedule of cheerleading, but that would have affected under 6,000 girls, while Florida high school football players number over 40,000.
In response, the FHSAA Board voted in July to rescind its decision, 15-0. It felt the money spent on the lawsuit would negate any savings from the original plan. The U.S. Department of Justice indicated it supported the lawsuit.
"The juice wasn't worth the squeeze," FHSAA Executive Director Roger Dearing told the Palm Beach Post.
Now, individual school districts will need to find their own ways to save money, which many athletic directors favored anyway. Teams are also now scrambling to revamp schedules.
Q&A
Q&A with Garnett Purnell
Wittenberg University
GAMEPLANS
GamePlan: Leadership
A Green Dunk
Most people want to do their share in helping the environment. But, it takes a department-wide initiative to truly "go green."
GamePlan: Risk Management
One Month at a Time
Keeping sport safety on your radar is critical. Here's a month-by-month plan for doing so.
FEATURE ARTICLES
FUNDRAISING
A Strong Drive
Big-time fundraising doesn't need to be reserved for big-time schools. With the right approach, small colleges can hit the fairway with their drives, too.
LEADERSHIP
Furthering Your Reach
Working hard on the people game--listening and relating to everyone around you--can help your influence grow by leaps and bounds. From there, everything else seems to take care of itself.
STUDENT-ATHLETE WELFARE
More Hands Needed
The latest research shows that athletic departments are failing miserably at preventing hazing on their teams. Real solutions include getting student-athletes involved in the discussion.
New Solutions
In It Together
What do you do when your school district decides to no longer fund your programs? As this athletic director found out, you partner with parents in a whole new way.
Cover Story
Directing Success
Developing a prominent athletic department--at any level--takes savvy leadership skills, great hiring tactics, and an ability to change with the times. We asked some of the most respected athletic directors in the nation to reveal their secrets.
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