Michigan High School Athletic Association

Michigan High School Athletic Association

Abbreviation	MHSAA
Legal status	Association
Purpose	Athletic/Educational
Headquarters	1661 Ramblewood Dr. East Lansing, Michigan 48823
Region served	Michigan
Membership	1,500+ junior and senior high schools
Official language	English
Executive Director	Mark Uyl
Affiliations	National Federation of State High School Associations
Staff	25
Website	MHSAA.com
Remarks	[phone]

The Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) is a service organization for high school sports in Michigan and is headquartered in East Lansing. It is a member of the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS).

Unlike many other NFHS member organizations,

• The MHSAA does not charge membership fees for schools; it derives its income from ticket sales at tournament level games and a handful of corporate sponsorships.
• It is independent of and not officially recognized by any governmental body, local or statewide.
• Membership is voluntary; no Michigan high school is compelled by law to be an MHSAA member.

As of August 13, 2019, the MHSAA has 749 member high schools, comprising virtually all high school athletics in Michigan, public and private. Only a small number of private schools and a few nontraditional public schools in Michigan forgo MHSAA membership. MHSAA member schools may compete against non-member school in interscholastic athletic competition.

The MHSAA supports 28 sports.

Boys: Baseball, Basketball, Bowling, Cross Country, Football, Golf, Ice Hockey, Lacrosse, Alpine Skiing, Soccer, Swimming & Diving, Tennis, Track & Field, Wrestling

Girls: Basketball, Bowling, Competitive Cheer, Cross Country, Golf, Gymnastics, Lacrosse, Alpine Skiing, Soccer, Softball, Swimming & Diving, Tennis, Track & Field, Volleyball

Technically, all "boys" teams are officially "boys & girls" teams, while "girls" teams are "girls only," although having girls actually play on "boys & girls" teams is approximately as uncommon as in the many other states using a similar arrangement. (An example is Norway, Michigan's tennis team).^[1]

Traditional classifications used are labeled A, B, C, and D, from largest to smallest. Each grouping consists of 25% (or as close as is mathematically practicable) of all member schools sorted by student population, including a variety of correction factors. Total 4-year coed enrollment cutoffs for the 2019–20 school year are as follows:^[2]

• Class A: 863 and above
• Class B: 395-862
• Class C: 189-394
• Class D: 188 and below

The traditional classifications have the same number of schools (or as close as mathematically possible) in each of them, but not necessarily the same number of teams in a given sport's tournament; smaller schools are unable to support as many sport teams, although they may form cooperative programs classified by the combined enrollments of the schools involved. In order to prevent distorted tournament structures, for all sports the MHSAA uses "nearly equal divisions," where only those schools sponsoring a team in the given sport are broken into as many equally sized groupings (or as close to equal as is mathematically possible) as the Association feels is appropriate given the number of schools sponsoring the sport. The MHSAA's tournament structures are similar to those used in many other States; schools are assigned to Regions and, in those sports where it is appropriate, Districts. Assignments are made on a sport-to-sport and year-to-year basis, meaning that as no two sports have identical classification methods and sponsorship levels, a given school will usually have at least minor variations in its overall tournament path from sport to sport.

Unlike in some states, regional and district placement has no bearing on regular season scheduling; schools form conferences on their own or compete as independents, although conferences generally consist of similarly sized schools which are geographically proximate to each other. Except in football, all schools in good standing fielding teams in a particular sport are allowed to enter that sport's postseason tournament which crowns a champion. Some sport championship tournaments are divided into separate Upper Peninsula and Lower Peninsula tournaments; an example of this is tennis.^[3] Schools pay no entry fees to participate in MHSAA tournaments, which are paid for out of ticket sales, sponsorships and broadcast rights fees.

For football, postseason inclusion was, through 2019, determined by wins and a computer point value, calculated for each team based upon its record and strength of schedule, with the top 256 teams (including all teams with six victories if playing a nine-game schedule) qualifying. These 256 teams were then ordered by enrollment and divided into 8 divisions of 32 teams each. This was nearly unique amongst high school football competition in the U.S. in that many teams do not know which classification they will compete for a state title in until after the regular season has ended; the Illinois High School Association, North Carolina High School Athletic Association, and Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association also have a similar format. The MHSAA announced in 2019 that, beginning with the 2020 season, its football playoff system would change: The aforementioned computer point value (derived from a combination of a team's own record, its opponents' record and its opponents' opponents' record, with points awarded based on which of the four classes each opponent is in) will be the sole method to select playoff teams, and the eight divisions will be set in advance of the season.

Participation in Michigan is generally limited to eligible 9th through 12th graders; students are given eight consecutive semesters of eligibility beginning with the 9th grade. Schools with a four-year high school enrollment of 99 or less may draw upon the 8th grade for varsity competition in all sports except football, ice hockey and wrestling, while schools with a four-year high school enrollment of 49 or less may also draw upon the 7th grade.

The MHSAA is considered a leader among state high school offices and is known for pro-actively implementing solutions to problems faced by all state offices and for committing substantial resources to technological improvements.

Participation

Michigan maintained its standing nationally in high school sports participation statistics for the 2018–19 school year, according to the National Federation of State High School Associations. The total for the 2018–19 year was 281,992, with 120,378 girls and 161,614 boys taking part.^[4]

Student leadership

MHSAA Scholar-Athlete Award

Each year, the MHSAA recognizes 32 student-athletes throughout the state of Michigan with its Scholar-Athlete Award. Recipients receive a $1,000 scholarship. The award is sponsored by Farm Bureau Insurance.^[5]

Students work to untie a "human knot" at a Captains Clinic

MHSAA Captains Clinic Series

In conjunction with Michigan State University's Institute for the Study of Youth Sports, the MHSAA provides programming to member schools via their leagues and/or conferences in the form of one-day trainings. Curriculum is geared toward developing leadership skills for current and future team captains.^[6]

Student Advisory Council

In 2005, the MHSAA created a 16-member student panel to act as the voice of Michigan's student athlete population, serve as a sounding board for the MHSAA's Representative Council, assist in planning Sportsmanship Summits and Captains Clinics, and to help with medal and trophy ceremonies at MHSAA championship events. The council is composed of eight boys and eight girls, all of either junior or senior high school status.^[7]

MHSAA tournaments

Boys

Sport	Season	Division/ Class	Venue (as of fall 2016)	City
Cross Country	Fall	LP 1/2/3/4	Michigan International Speedway	Brooklyn
		UP 1/2/3	Gladstone High School	Gladstone
Football	Fall	1/2/3/4/5/6/7/8	Ford Field	Detroit
8 Player Football	Fall	1 and 2	Superior Dome	Marquette
Soccer	Fall	1/4	Comstock Park High School	Comstock Park
		2/3	Stoney Creek High School	Rochester Hills
Tennis	Fall	LP 1	Midland Tennis Center	Midland
		LP 2	Hope College	Holland
		LP 3	Kalamazoo College	Kalamazoo
		LP 4	Holly HS / Fenton HS	Holly / Fenton
Basketball	Winter	1/2/3/4	Breslin Center	East Lansing
Bowling	Winter	1/4	Sterling Lanes	Sterling Heights
		2	Super Bowl	Canton
		3	Airport Lanes	Jackson
		4	Royal Scot	Lansing
Ice Hockey	Winter	1/2/3	USA Hockey Arena	Plymouth
Skiing	Winter	1	Nub's Nob	Harbor Springs
		2	Boyne Highlands	Harbor Springs
Swimming & Diving	Winter	LP 1	Holland Aquatic Center	Holland
		LP 2	Saginaw Valley State University	University Center
		LP 3	Eastern Michigan University	Ypsilanti
		UP	Marquette High School	Marquette
Wrestling (team)	Winter	1/2/3/4	Wings Event Center	Kalamazoo
Wrestling (individual)	Winter	1/2/3/4	Ford Field	Detroit
Baseball	Spring	1/2/3/4	Michigan State University	East Lansing
Golf	Spring	LP 1	Grand Valley State University	Allendale
		LP 2	Bedford Valley	Battle Creek
		LP 3	Forest Akers East	East Lansing
		LP 4	Forest Akers West	East Lansing
		UP 1	Wawonowin	Negaunee
		UP 2	Oak Crest	Norway
		UP 3	Escanaba Country Club	Escanaba
Lacrosse	Spring	1/2	Parker Middle School	Howell
Tennis	Spring	UP 1	Negaunee High School	Negaunee
		UP 2	Iron Mountain High School	Iron Mountain
Track & Field	Spring	LP 1	East Kentwood High School	Kentwood
		LP 2	Forest Hills Eastern High School	Ada
		LP 3	Comstock Park High School	Comstock
		LP 4	Hudsonville High School	Hudsonville
		UP 1/2/3	Kingsford High School	Kingsford

Girls

Sport	Season	Division/ Class	Venue (as of fall 2017)	City
Cross Country	Fall	LP 1/2/3/4	Michigan International Speedway	Brooklyn
		UP 1/2/3	Munising High School	Munising
Golf	Fall	LP 1	The Meadows, Grand Valley State University	Allendale
		LP 2	Bedford Valley	Battle Creek
		LP 3	Forest Akers West, Michigan State University	East Lansing
		LP 4	Forest Akers East, Michigan State University	East Lansing
Swimming & Diving	Fall	LP 1	Eastern Michigan University	Ypsilanti
		LP 2	Oakland University	Rochester Hills
		LP 3	Holland Aquatic Center	Holland
Tennis	Fall	UP 1	Kingsford High School	Kingsford
		UP 2	Ishpeming Westwood High School	Ishpeming
Volleyball	Fall	1/2/3/4	Kellogg Arena	Battle Creek
Basketball	Winter	1/2/3/4	Calvin College	Grand Rapids
Bowling	Winter	1	Sterling Lanes	Sterling Heights
		2	Super Bowl	Canton
		3	Airport Lanes	Jackson
		4	Royal Scot	Lansing
Competitive Cheer	Winter	1/2/3/4	Delta Plex	Grand Rapids
Gymnastics	Winter	1/2	Rockford High School	Rockford
Skiing	Winter	1	Marquette Mountain	Marquette
		2	Schuss Mountain	Bellaire
Swimming & Diving	Winter	UP	Marquette High School	Marquette
Golf	Spring	UP 1	Marquette Golf & Country Club	Marquette
		UP 1	Wawonowin	Negaunee
		UP 2	Oak Crest	Norway
		UP 3	Mid-Peninsula	Rock
Lacrosse	Spring	1/2	Brighton High School	Brighton
Soccer	Spring	1/2	Michigan State University	East Lansing
		3/4	Mason High School	Mason
Softball	Spring	1/2/3/4	Michigan State University	East Lansing
Tennis	Spring	LP 1	Midland Tennis Center	Midland
		LP 2	Holly	Holly
		LP 3	Holland High School	Holland
		LP 4	Kalamazoo College	Kalamazoo
Track & Field	Spring	LP 1	East Kentwood High School	Kentwood
		LP 2	Forest Hills Eastern High School	Ada
		LP 3	Comstock Park High School	Comstock
		LP 4	Hudsonville High School	Hudsonville
		UP 1/2/3	Kingsford High School	Kingsford

• MHSAA Student Advisory Council

References

1. The results of the 2008 U.P. Division 2 Finals; note the one girl who is on 3 doubles and the two girls who are at 4 doubles.
2. "2019-20 MHSAA Enrollment List" (PDF). mhsaa.com. Retrieved 10 November 2016.
3. MHSAA's website lists tennis with "LP" and "UP", signifying "Lower Peninsula" and "Upper Peninsula".
4. "Four Sports Set Records Again as MHSAA Participation Remains Steady in 2018-19".
5. "Scholar-Athlete Award - MHSAA Students". www.mhsaa.com. Retrieved 1 May 2017.
6. "Captains Clinics - MHSAA Students". www.mhsaa.com. Retrieved 1 May 2017.
7. "Student Advisory Council - Michigan High School Athletic Association". www.mhsaa.com. Retrieved 1 May 2017.

External links

• MHSAA homepage
• MHSAA Scholar-Athlete Award
• MHSAA Captains Clinic Series