Cross Country News and Track and Field News have been combined on to a single web page as of February 2009.
"The 23 Most Powerful Lessons of Officiating"... Obtained from the Fall 2012 MHSAA publication Benchmarks and with MHSAA approval. (9/30/2012)1. For all but a few, officiating is an avocation. (Keep your personal life, your professional life and your officiating in balance.)
2. This "business" is seldom fair. (Work on the things you can control. Gracefully accept the rest.)
3. Officiating demands a high ethical standard. (Your actions must be above reproach. Don't give a reason to have your motives questioned.)
4. Each assignment you work is an audition. (Look the part - dress, demeanor, discipline. You are the medium. The medium is the message.)
5. Impersonations don't work. (You referee who you are. By the way, who are you?)
6. What's expected is facilitation - players play - you give permission. (Nobody ever paid to watch an official perform. Stay off stage center. Orchestrate.)
7. 80% of the job is managing people. Being superior at the remaining 20% won't cut it. (Learn the art of influencing people and the science of its application.)
8. Criticism comes with the territory. (Plan on it. You have to learn to love it when they BOO!)
9. The hallmark of great officiating is neutrality. (Each word and deed must reinforce your impartiality.)
10. Participant safety is a primary responsibility. (Your game decisions should err on the side of safety. Always!)
11. The rules are the foundation of the game. (Acquire a reverence for the rules and be guided and inspired by it!)
12. There are the rules and then the spirit of those rules. (Enforcing the "spirit of the rules" is possible when you use good common sense.)
13. A solid pregame conference makes a difference - a big one. (Take the lead! Make yours timely, tactical and tactful.)
14. There's no score at the start of the game. (Start each game without a bias. A memory will dig you a hole faster than a shovel.)
15. Bad body language will silence good words. (Learn how to deliver the message, especially when they won't like what you have to say!)
16. I heard you twice the first time. (Be clear, concise and coherent. Minimize the chance of misinterpretation.)
17. It takes extraordinary restraint to get the job done. (Use your emotions and focus to bring calm out of chaos.)
18. Don't call 'em the way you see 'em, call 'em the way they are. (What you "see" might in fact at odds with what actually happened. Describe with care.)
19. Mistakes are made, and we make them every game. (If you make one, make it for the right reason. If you clearly have made one, own up!)
20. A wrong call will get lots more attention than a right one. (You won't be paid a premium for making the best call of your career.)
21. Do What When?
Wrong Action, Wrong Time: DISASTER
Right Action, Wrong Time: RESISTANCE
Wrong Action, Right Time: MISTAKE
Right Action, Right Time: SUCCESS
22. Pour no gasoline! (You are prohibited from making things worse.)
23. It takes a support team to reach the higher elevations. (Remember where you came from and who broke the trail for you.)
Cross Country News...
A few suggestions for Officials to consider before the start of a race...
1. Watches are now LEGAL for XC athletes to wear during competition. (August 2011)
2. The wearing of feather(s) in an athletes hair is NOT LEGAL during competition. (August 2011)
3. Jewelry remains ILLEGAL. An Officials warning BEFORE the competition begins will result in disqualification if jewelry is observed during competition or at the finish line. (August 2011)
4. Undergarments having contrasting colored stitching remains ILLEGAL during competition.
5. Jersey tops need to be tucked in, front and back, at the start of the competition. Rule 4-3-1-b7... "The top must hang below or be tucked into the waistband of the bottom when the competitor is standing upright."
MHSAA "2011 Cross Country Rules Information & Update"
Click here for NFHS Track and Field and Cross Country Rules Changes 2011
The above rule changes were published on July 6, 2010 from the National Federation of State High School Associations.
The MHSAA has provided an updated document for Cross Country 2010 titled "2010 Cross Country Rules Information & Updates" and was provided on August 4, 2010 and posted on August 6, 2010...
Click here for 2010 Cross Country Rules Information & Updates
Track and Field News...
MHSAA Finals sites for Track and Field in 2013... (All in the Grand Rapids area):
Division 1 at East Kentwood High School
Division 2 at Forest Hills Eastern High School
Division 3 at Comstock Park High School
Division 4 at Hudsonville High School Athletic Facility
New Rules for Track and Field for 2013 from the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS). Released on July 17, 2012...
New 2013 Track & Field Rules Page 1
2013 Track and Field Rule Rationales
MHSAA Regional and Finals Section Set-Ups...Posted March 2012:
Click here for Regional and Finals Section Set-Ups
For a handy pocket sized reminder of Field Event Rules click on the link below... Posted 2/23/2012:
For Field Events Rules Reminders - Click Here
See "Cross Country News section" above for a link to the NFHS Track and Field and Cross Country Rule Changes 2011.
The NFHS has produced a document for Track and Field and Cross Country Rule Changes for 2010. There will be clarifications following the MHSAA Rules Committee and the NFHS Interpretations Meeting in January. Click on the link below for this document...
Click here for 2010 Track/Field and Cross Country Rules Changes
Midwest Meet of Champions...
This will be the final year hosted by the State of Michigan until it cycles around again. Each year it showcases several of the best graduating high school student athletes from the States of Michigan, Ohio and Indiana.
More information will be posted as it becomes available on the Midwest Meet of Champions web site. See the "Links" page for the address.