TMSAA Committee Minutes
November 16, 2010

The Tennessee Middle School Committee met for the first time this school year on November 16th. Members in attendance were Chic Nute, Tommy Shelton, Vic King, Ken Hilliard, India Weaver, Tim Bell, Matt Calvert, and Dr. Michael Lowe.

Committee members were given an updated list of TMSAA member schools and the Areas they have been assigned. The committee decided on the appropriate Area for each new school.

Committee members discussed the classification processes they use for their member schools. They asked that member schools put 8th grade enrollment numbers on their TMSAA applications. East Tennessee looks at the 7th grade enrollment numbers every spring. Middle Tennessee would like to get the 7th grade enrollment numbers from the state by April 1st, in order to set classification for two years. Middle Tennessee is considering moving to a 50/50 classification method instead of using 200 as the cutoff. West Tennessee would also like to get the 7th grade enrollment numbers from the state in either April or January to set classifications for two years.

Chic Nute discussed the Dyer County/Dyersburg Rivalry Issue. The two Dyer County member schools, Three Oaks and Northview, are not allowed to play Dyersburg. The Committee agreed that this should be treated as a double forfeit.

The Committee reviewed the TMSAA Bylaws. There was some discussion about the necessity of Assistant Coaches taking the ASEP course. One suggestion was the possibility of creating a hardship process if a coach knows he/she will only be coaching for one additional year beyond their deadline to meet the requirement. All committee members agreed that it is important to have well trained coaches.

Committee members reviewed the TMSAA Sports Calendar and discussed alternative options for the First Practice Date and Date of First Contest. No action was taken at this time.

Committee members reviewed the TMSAA Sports Regulations. The Committee went over the 2010-11 Wrestling Weight Classes. The Committee discussed if a Softball Pitching Rule would be implemented. A Softball Pitching Rule will only be implemented if it were the recommendation of the National Federation.

The Committee reviewed the TMSAA Tournament Guidelines and were reminded that all tournaments must be submitted to the state office for approval. The Committee would like to see a form used for this purpose and the approved tournaments listed on the website. The Committee discussed the importance of having a pre-tournament meeting with administrators to go over the finances of the tournament. A copy of the Tournament Financial Report should be forwarded to the TSSAA state office.

Committee members reviewed the process of online registration of coaches, online filing of eligibility lists, and online filing of schedule reports.

Committee members discussed what they would like to see on a new TMSAA website. These items included:

Member Schools and Contact Information
Links to Member Schools' Websites
TMSAA Committee Members' Contact Information
Rule Changes and Points of Emphasis for the year, listed by sport