Contributed photo
Contributed photo
The December ballot for the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) contains eight proposals that member schools will consider, with voting underway and set to last through the end of the month.
The IHSA will announce the results in January.
One of the proposals involves soccer, and a couple of high school coaches weighed in on how it would affect their programs.
The proposal would change the maximum number of games in girls and boys high school soccer to 25 games.
Brian Papa, the girls soccer coach at Downers Grove North High School and president of the Illinois Soccer Coaches Association, said that at first, he did not like the proposal.
''As a coach, I want control over my schedule,'' Papa said. ''Tournaments, the way some are set up, sometimes present problems with too many games.''
Papa gave it some more thought and said he feels better about the proposal, which he now supports.
''Now we are accountable for playing too many games," Papa said. "This allows us to count the possibility of not going over, so if I enter a tournament, that can give me a possible five games in the tournament, then I have to add those games to my count. It also gives me the freedom to enter a third tournament if I choose to do so. I am in favor of this decision.''
Joe Moreau, the girls coach at Neuqua Valley High School, also supported the proposal.
''I do not have a problem with the proposal," Moreau said. "It will not have an effect on how I currently schedule. I cut back on the total number of games my team plays a few years ago for player safety.’’
The IHSA's Legislative Commission met recently to amend the IHSA Constitution and By-laws. Thirty of 35 commissioners attended the meeting, in Bloomington, Illinois.
The commission voted after hearing feedback from member school personnel at 28 town meetings held around the state in November.
Schools will have the option to vote "no opinion" on any proposal. A simple majority will determine passage or rejection of the proposals.
Other proposals include a requirement for principals to attend IHSA workshops and presentations, allowing open gym at off-site facilities during particular athletic seasons, moving up the start of golf practice by two days, and a motion to allow a school to share video evidence that a suspended player has been misidentified and appeal the suspension.
The text of the proposals can be found here: http://www.ihsa.org/documents/bylaws/2016-17BylawProposals.pdf.
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