Blog Contest Is Back!

It's been a long time since we posted here, but the Tribune Sports Blog/Facebook Football Contest will be returning this year. The weekly winner will receive $20 while there will a grand prize of $120. You MUST play all nine weeks to be eligible for the grand prize. As in the past, the games will have point values. Next week's games will be posted Monday. This contest is completely separate from the Tribune's Football Contest. Spread the word about our new contest.

Age Waiver Proposal Approved By Vote Of Member Schools

EAST LANSING, Mich. – May 31 – Member schools of the Michigan High School Athletic Association have approved an amendment to the organization’s constitution, and language for its Handbook, which will allow for waiver of the association’s age limit under certain circumstances.

A two-thirds majority of votes cast is required to change the MHSAA Constitution. In a vote of schools conducted this month, 701 of 1,535 MHSAA member senior high and junior high/middle schools cast legal ballots, and 94 percent approved of the change.

The vote took place after the legislative body of the Association, the Representative Council, following months of conversation within the membership on the topic where schools expressed little desire to change the age regulation, took action at its Spring meeting to send a proposal of its own creation to member schools for a vote.

As a result of that vote, the Association’s age rule, under which a student who turns 19 prior to September 1 of a school year is ineligible for interscholastic athletics, may now be waived by the MHSAA Executive Committee. Here is a summary of the new rule:

- Prior to the waiver request by the member school, the student’s educational progress must have been delayed prior to initial enrollment in the ninth grade solely because of a medically documented disability under the federal Americans with Disabilities Act or Michigan’s Persons With Disabilities Civil Rights Act. (References to ADA and PDCRA are solely meant to gauge disabilities, and not to acquiesce that the MHSAA is covered by those acts.)

- At the time of the waiver request, the student must have a defined disability documented to diminish both physical and either intellectual or emotional capabilities, does not create a health or safety risk to participants, and does not create a competitive advantage for the team. The burden of proof rests with the school seeking the wavier.

- For those most disabled students to which waiver is granted by the Executive Committee, the maximum age rule would be extended one year. The four-year maximum enrollment limit would still apply.

- The rule also has a waiver provision at the junior high/middle school level for seventh and eighth grade athletics.

“The affirmative results reflect two things: first, that the proposal was well-conceived; and second, that Council members themselves turned many of their constituents’ votes from No to Yes,” said John E. “Jack” Roberts, Executive Director of the MHSAA. “This proposal would not have passed without the Council’s proactive efforts.

“Our challenge now is to demonstrate to the negative voters and to those many schools which didn’t cast a vote at all, that this is a narrow gate that preserves the integrity of the program as effectively as the previous rule that was so well understood and respected.”

The MHSAA Executive Committee consists of five members of the MHSAA Representative Council, which meets regularly during the school year to hear eligibility appeals submitted by member schools. The Executive Committee will finalize the application and procedure for the age eligibility waiver at its June meeting, so it can consider requests beginning with its two meetings scheduled in August. 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.

Best Huron County Baseball Player Ever?

Paul and I will be covering the Tribune's Huron County Baseball and Softball Tournaments this weekend, which got me thinking:
I am not originally from Huron County so I don't know much about this area's sports history other than from the past six years or so.
But I do love a good best player ever debate, so I am asking for anyone to provide their insights as to who is the best baseball player ever from Huron County. Also, please provide some reasons for your selection.
I am very curious to see what you guys come up with.

Thanks for the help,

Seth

Atwood completes comeback

Rob Atwood completed a nice comeback to claim the title in this year's Huron Daily Tribune Facebook/Sports Blog Contest.
Atwood entered the night trailing by nine points, but he was able to track down leader Todd Schave with Kentucky's victory. 
Congrats to Rob on a great comeback. Please contact Paul Adams at padams@hearstnp.com to claim your prize, which will be a $40 gift card to any area eating establishment.

Other highlight's from this year's tournament saw Paul Adams actually finish sixth (trust me the random selector works). It should also be noted that after a rough start to the tournament, sports writer Seth Stapleton redeemed himself by finishing 27.

In all, 23 of the 57 players, selected the national champion, which we believe is a record. 

Thanks to everyone for playing. We hope to see you all next year.

Paul 

MHSAA stands by its age rule despite pressure

A story that came across the wire today. Thoughts?

ISHPEMING, Mich. (AP) — A Michigan high school is hoping for a rule change that would allow a student with Down syndrome to play football and basketball next season with an age-limit waiver.

That would require the Michigan High School Athletic Association to change its constitution, which states that students who turn 19 before Sept. 1 are ineligible to play sports for the full school year. Eric Dompierre, who started school late because of his disability, turned 19 earlier in the school year.

MHSAA associate director Tom Rashid said a third request from Ishpeming High School. to have member schools vote on the matter was received Tuesday. Two-thirds of member schools would have to vote in favor of allowing students with disabilities to apply for a waiver.

Rashid said the MHSAA’s representative council has decided against the change, adding that feedback from other schools has been in favor of keeping the universal application of the absolute rule.

“The council has had a very open and thoughtful discussion about this, going back to Dec. 2010, and has decided not to advance the issue to the point of voting on a constitutional change,” Rashid said Wednesday. “Schools expressed concerns about the difficulty of dealing with the broadening definition of a disability and whether a student’s age could become an unfair competitive advantage.”

The age rule, according to the MHSAA, has survived every legal challenge.

Dean Dompierre has attempted to gain support for the change that would help his son and other children with disabilities by starting an online petition that has collected 7,000-plus signatures.

“I’ve been blown away from the support we’ve gotten across the country,” he said. “If you read the comments on the petition page, it’s really heart-warming.”

Dompierre said his next step is to get support from other schools across the state to vote for a change.

“We’re a proud member of the MHSAA, which makes the right decision 99.9 percent of the time,” he said. “We just think in this particular instance, the MHSAA has misread the amount of support there is to help kids with disabilities.”

His son ecently told WLUC-TV said he just wants to keep playing ball with his teammates.

“I’d be sad if I couldn’t play with them and not have them in my life,” Eric Dompierre told the Upper Peninsula TV station. “They want me to play, and I want to play with them.”

Schave takes control

Todd Schave is the only person, out of 57 who played this year to have his Final Four intact. He has taken command of the Huron Daily Tribune Sports Blog/Facebook Contest, but he doesn't have it wrapped up just yet.
Rob Atwood is the only player who can catch Schave. 
Good luck to Todd and Rob next weekend. To everyone else, thank you for playing. 

Spartans lose...brackets busted

Michigan State was stunned by Louisville and the Spartans took many brackets with them. 
Nearly everyone in our contest this year had MSU in the Final Four, 15 of them had the Spartans winning the championship. It's pretty likely, those who had them winning are done. 
I have checked some of the remaining brackets and there are a couple that have Florida and Louisville in the Final Four. 
Drew Brining and Martin Baker are currently tied for the lead, but both had MSU winning the championship. 
Rob Atwood is in fourth, but has Florida making his Final Four, along with Kentucky, Ohio State and Kansas. 
Todd Schave is tied for 10th, but has Louisville, Kentucky, Ohio State and Kanas in the Final Four.
Others that are still in the hunt to score 90 or more points are: John Thorpe, Brad Susalla, Chad Wingert and Paul Adams.