GAINESVILLE, Fla. – In its first meeting of the 2014-2015 school year, the Florida High School Athletic Association’s Board of Directors approved a proposal from the Paragon Marketing Group, allowing FHSAA member schools to participate in the 2014—assuming everything can be pulled together in time—and 2015 State Champions Bowl Series (SCBS), clarified the ‘soft headgear’ requirement to match what is allowed by US Lacrosse for girls lacrosse participants while also requiring US Lacrosse certified officials and extended the 2014-2015 wrestling season by one week. After discussing the concept at its June meeting, the Board agreed to move forward with Paragon’s vision of televising postseason bowl games at the conclusion of the football season, featuring championship teams from multiple states. A selection committee—developed by Paragon—will choose schools from participating state high school associations that have won a state championship, taking credible, recognized national rankings into consideration. “After a discussion with Paragon representatives, I am very positive that progress is being made with state associations and progress is being made with obtaining sponsors in order for this to be a reality in 2014,” said FHSAA Executive Director Roger Dearing. Schools that are selected by Paragon and elect to participate in the SCBS will receive either a $12,500 rights fee, a $25,000 merchandise account with an athletic shoe and apparel company or a sporting goods retail company, or a prorated combination of the two aforementioned types of compensation. Additionally, Paragon will also handle all travel expenses for up to 75 people in the travel squad. In June, the Board mandated that headgear must be worn by all girls lacrosse players beginning with the 2015 season. This safety-driven directive was expanded upon Monday with the understanding that headgear is not proven to curb concussions, with the Board specifying the use of soft headgear in order to stay consistent with what is already allowable in the 2014 US Lacrosse Women’s Rule Book, which states in Section 2, Part 10, “Close-fitting gloves and soft headgear may be worn by all players.” The Board also approved an amendment that will require these products to meet American Society for Testing and Materials performance standards, when available. Furthermore, all girls lacrosse officials will have to be US Lacrosse certified beginning with the 2015 season to develop a safer competition environment for the student-athletes. The FHSAA will partner with US Lacrosse to institute training and certification of the officials. Given that the venues interested in hosting the upcoming Florida High School Wrestling State Championships had scheduling conflicts with the originally listed dates, the Board extended the wrestling season by one week for the 2014-15 season. The regular season start date will remain December 1 with the last regular season date moved to February 21. All postseason tournaments will also be pushed back a week, culminating with the Florida High School Wrestling State Championships slated for March 13-14.
Posted on: Tue, 07 Oct 2014 23:59:37 +0000
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