From the FHSAA:

GAINESVILLE – The Florida High School Athletic Association Board of Directors at its September business meeting voted to approve a staff recommendation to modify the policy governing approval of multi-school athletic events, rescinding the $50 participation fee per school for invitational tournaments in girls volleyball and wrestling.

The administrative fees for invitational tournaments in both sports will return to the previous rates of $100 for eight or fewer teams and $150 for nine-16 teams, as well as the $250 fee for 17-32 teams in wrestling, but requiring conditional approval for tournaments exceeding 16 teams in girls volleyball and 32 in wrestling.  Additional teams beyond the 16 in girls volleyball and 32 in wrestling will incur a $50 administrative fee per team.

“The adjustment is a very good one, and we would like to thank Shanell Young and the rest of the staff who came up with such a good way to bring sensibility to an issue that had unintended consequences when it was passed in June,” said FHSAA Executive Director John A. Stewart.

The Board also elected Pam Stewart, Deputy Chancellor for K-12 Educator Quality for the Florida Department of Education, as president-elect of the board for the remainder of the 2008-09 school year. Due to the resignation of Jackson County Superintendent Daniel Sims, President-Elect Greg Zornes assumed presidential duties of the Board of Directors at the end of the meeting.

In other action, the Board of Directors:

Determined a need for reapportionment of the Association’s administrative sections, which will come to action at the November business meeting.

Approved a change in Policy 9.I.2 in the FHSAA Handbook, Division of Regular Season Event Receipts – Preseason and Spring Classics, to say the FHSAA shall receive 20 percent of the gross receipts of all preseason football classic games, as well as spring football classic games, whether or not a net profit was made on the event.  The visiting school shall receive 35 percent of net profit after the host pays expenses, including the FHSAA fee, unless a mutual agreement is made for an alternative split between the schools prior to the event.

Approved the FHSAA and FHSAA Land Corporation budgets for 2008-09 school year.

Approved the date of Jan. 12-13, 2009 for the 2009 Representative Assembly meeting.

Approved a recommendation from the Athletic Directors Advisory Committee for the FHSAA to petition the NFHS for a fourth year in the experiment with a pitching distance of 43 feet in softball.

Approved a recommendation from the Baseball Advisory Committee to change s.205.03(d) in the FHSAA Baseball Manual, Regional Final Series, to state that if a third game is required in the regional final series, the host school shall, at the umpire’s request, provide the umpire crew with two hotel rooms if travel distance is 100 miles or more one way.

Approved a recommendation from the Tennis Advisory Committee to modify district and region tournaments, allowing two days (with a possible third for large districts) for district tournaments during the week of Apr. 13-17, 2009, and changing the regional final competition date to Thursday, Apr. 23, 2009.

Approved a recommendation from the Tennis Advisory Committee to adopt the following ITA regulations for substitution: “Players must play in order of ability.  The line-up must always be based on order of ability. ‘Matching up’ is prohibited.  In singles, players must compete in order of ability with the best player on the team playing at the No. 1 position, the second best at No. 2 and so on through all positions.  In case of injury, sickness, or absence, all players must move up.  This rule will also apply to doubles play with the strongest doubles team at No. 1, etc.”