News

With the intent of enhancing communication with licensed officials, the Indiana High School Athletic Association will launch its Inaugural Indiana Officials’ Summit this weekend at Marian University in Indianapolis.

Officials from 21 associations around the state will be in attendance for the two-day event which begins with a golf outing at South Grove Golf Course on Saturday followed by a full day of meetings, workshops and discussion panels on Sunday. Registration begins Saturday at the golf outing and resumes Sunday at 7:30 am ET.

Fall sport rules interpretation meetings will be held in football, soccer and volleyball on Sunday morning and will be followed by the opening general session in which ArbiterSports CEO and 18th year NFL official Jeff Triplette will serve as the keynote speaker.

Workshops with regard to technology and insurance as it relates to independent contractors are also part of the agenda and will be available in both the morning and afternoon sessions.

A series of panels also will focus on communications between officials and coaches in various IHSAA sports while meetings among regional associations are designed to share and discuss training practices.

The weekend will wrap up with a banquet and award ceremony where several officials will be recognized for their service to Indiana high school sports.

State association offices in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Illinois have put on similar events and IHSAA Commissioner Bobby Cox and Assistant Commissioner Sandra Walter, who is coordinating the event, feel it will benefit Indiana greatly.

“This is a new way of communicating with our officials,” said Walter. “It’s different than a training clinic. It’ll be more of a classroom setting and it’s a way for us to communicate with our licensed officials and to discuss some topics relevant to all of us and to let them get to know us (IHSAA staff). Typically, we’ve been a phone call, an email or a letter to them. We’re trying to build relationships in a positive way away from the court or field and without the stripes and a whistle.”

Walter continued by saying she hopes to grow this event each year in size and benefit including adding some panels that would hit on, among other things, the relationship between athletic directors and officials.

Members of the media are welcome to attend the event and should check in at the Marian Theatre on the Marian University campus on Sunday.

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About the Indiana High School Athletic Association, Inc. (IHSAA)
Founded in 1903, the purpose of the Indiana High School Athletic Association, Inc. (IHSAA) is to encourage, regulate and give direction to wholesome amateur interschool athletic competition between its 412 member schools. The Association provides state championship tournament series in 20 sports, 10 for girls and 10 for boys. Approximately 160,000 student athletes participate in IHSAA sports on an annual basis.