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TMSAA Committee Meeting Minutes

November 12, 2003

 

The Tennessee Middle School Athletic Association Committee conducted its first meeting on Wednesday, November 12, 2003, at the TSSAA office in Hermitage, Tennessee.  All members were present with the committee welcoming Mike Fulkerson, John Sevier Middle School, to represent East Tennessee.  Mr. Fulkerson replaces Denise Brown who is now Director of Schools in Unicoi County.

 

A report of the current membership was given to the committee.  To date, we have a total of 269 members with 8 schools applying for new membership so far this year.

 

A proposal was presented to the committee to amend the Academic Rule to read as follows:

 

To be eligible to participate in athletic contests a student shall have been academically promoted to the next higher grade.  Any student repeating a grade is ineligible to participate.  A student who is ineligible at the beginning of the school year may gain eligibility the second semester by passing five (5) subjects or the equivalent the preceding semester provided the student is not repeating the same grade.

 

By revising the TMSAA Academic rule to read as it does above, we will be able to give the student-athlete who has been socially promoted an opportunity to gain eligibility the second semester of the school year.  It will have no effect on the student’s semester count or those that are repeating a grade.  After much discussion, the TMSAA Committee voted to make the recommendation to the Legislative Council for a possible change.

 

Rally scoring in volleyball for TMSAA member schools was discussed.  The scoring in high school volleyball has changed.  The rule in high school now states that all matches shall be the best 3-out-of-5 games.  Games shall be played to 25 points and the deciding game shall be played to 15 points.  The format for all games will be rally scoring.  A proposal was made to allow all volleyball matches for our member schools to be 2-out-of-3 games.  Games would be played to 25 points with the third game played to 15 points.  The format would be rally scoring for all games.  Each game must be won by a minimum of 2 points.  This proposal was tabled until the next TMSAA Committee meeting to allow the NFHS Volleyball Rules Committee to decide which direction they are going to take next school year.

 

In other action, the committee considered a request from Oliver Springs Elementary School to be moved form Area 2 (Northern District) to Area 4 (Southern).  After looking at geographic location, scheduling, and the number of schools affected, the committee decided to move Oliver Springs Elementary School to Area 4.

 

There was a request from several schools in East Tennessee for the committee to consider setting a state-wide fee for post-season tournament directors, clock operators, etc. during TMSAA sanctioned events.  The committee studied the proposal and decided to leave the Tournament Financial Guidelines as written.  The guidelines state that during the pre-tournament meeting, administrators shall vote on the amount each individual worker should receive.

 

The committee discussed the possibility of implementing the same policy in basketball that we now have at the high school level as it relates to pre-game activities and cheerleaders.  Beginning with 2003-04 school year, the following rules apply to high school varsity games only.  If a team circles the entire floor during pre-game warm-ups while the jurisdiction of the officials has started, there will be a technical foul charged indirectly to the head coach.  If a team runs through a team already warming up, a technical foul will be charged indirectly to the head coach.  Teams must go to the free throw line area directly in front of their bench during pre-game introductions or during pre-game warm-ups.  No team will be allowed around the mid-court circle during or after introductions.  Also, cheerleaders cannot stand at anytime during the game in the area of the free throw lane extended under the basket.  Beginning with the 2004-05 school year, the committee decided that the same rules will be adopted for TMSAA member schools.

 

In other action, the committee considered a request from some schools in West Tennessee to increase the number of regular season football games from 8 to 10.  The request was denied by the committee.