The Latest Headlines from the New York State Public High School Athletic Association
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 December 2016
2016 Fall Championships a Huge Success
The Boys and Girls Cross County State Championships were held at Chenango Valley State Park on Saturday November 12th.

                             2016 Cross Country State Champs
Girls Team Winners:                                             Girls Individual Champions:
Class A-Fayetteville-Manlius                                Kelsey Chimel-Saratoga
Class B-Shoreham-Wading River                         Katherine Lee-Shoreham-Wading River
Class C-Newfane                                                  Hayleigh Palotti-Livonia
Class D-Greenwich                                               Brooke Rauber-Tully

Boys Team Winners:                                             Boys Individual Champions:
Class A-Corning                                                   Ty Brownlow-Liverpool
Class B-Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake                         Nathan Lawler-Pittsford Mendon
Class C-Watkins Glen                                           Ryan Gallagher-Briarcliff
Class D-Maple Grove                                           Kyle Fulk-Norwood-Norfolk 
SUNY Cortland hosted the 2016 Girls Soccer Championships. The Boys Tournament was played at Middletown High School November 12 and 13.
                                   2016 Soccer State Champs
Girls State Champs:                                 Boys State Champs:
AA) Arlington                                            AA) New Rochelle
A) Spencerport                                         A) Somers
B) Chenango Forks                                  B) Hastings
C) Port Jefferson                                      C) North Salem
D) Wheatland-Chili                                   D) Alfred Almond
2016 Field Hockey State Champs
Class A) Shenendehowa
Class B) Lakeland
Class C) Whitney Point

Lakeland won their eighth straight class B State Championship. While Whitney Point made it three in a row in class C.
The Field Hockey Semifinals were held at Vestal and Maine-Endwell High Schools, with M-E hosting all three finals on Sunday November 13th
The Girls Swimming and Diving Championships were held at Ithaca College November 18 and 19.
                 2016 Girls Swimming and Diving State Champs
Individual-
Lindsay Stone-Pittsford, 200 Freestyle and 500 Freestyle
Maggie Aroesty-Long Beach, 200 IM and 100 Breaststroke
Katherine Douglass-Pelham, 50 Freestyle and 100 Freestyle
Kristen Romano-Long Beach, 100 Butterfly and 100 Backstroke
Erin Clifford-Minisink Valley, 1 Meter Dive

Team-
Long Beach-200 Medley Relay and 400 Freestyle Relay
Pittsford-200 Freestyle Relay

The Boys Volleyball Championships were held at Suffolk County Community College Saturday November 19
                                   Boys Volleyball State Champs    
Division One-Penfield
Division Two-Eastport-South Manor   
The Girls Volleyball State Championships were played at the Glens Falls Civic Center November 19 and 20.                                                               
                                                    Girls Volleyball State Champs
Class AA) Penfield
Class A) Walter Panas
Class B) Honeoye Falls-Lima
Class C) Eden
Class D) Panama

This was the eighth straight state championship for the Eden Raiders, the last six coming in class C. Head Coach Stephen Pierce retires after 28 years with 14 state championships and 995 career wins, the most in New York State girls volleyball history. 
  The Football Championships were played at the Carrier Dome in Syracuse November 25 and 26      

                                                            2016 State Football Champs
Class AA) Troy
 Class A) Somers
Class B) Glens Falls
Class C) Newark Valley
Class D) Cambridge 

This years football championship weekend was the most competitive we've ever seen. All five games were thrillers with the average margin of victory just 4.6 points. Congrats to all our Fall State Champions
Do You Have the Best Fans in New York State?
Prove It
Submit your video entry for the Battle of the Fans and see if you have the best student section in the state. Deadline to submit is January 9th. 
Click on the logo to watch the preview video.
NYSPHSAA Concerns About Eligibility
Commissioners Regulation Proposals:
 The Section Executive Directors were e-mailed a letter Robert Zayas, NYSPHSAA Executive Director, sent to the NYSED Commissioner and Board of Regents on Tuesday, November 29.  The letter details “concerns” with the two proposed NYSED regulation changes pertaining to athletic eligibility. 

A public comment period is open until December 27, 2016.  Section leadership and school administrators are strongly encouraged to provide public comments of concern by e-mailing [email protected] . The proposed regulation changes are:

Duration of Competition:
  • The proposed revisions require school administrators to make individual assessments to determine whether a fifth year student’s participation will result in an unfair advantage in competition and whether the safety of the pupil or others is not at risk. It would be challenging to determine how a Superintendent could make competitive unfairness and safety determinations without an undue burden. 
  • The current Duration of Competition standard allows a student an extension of eligibility where there is evidence a student was unable to participate during a season because of an accident or illness and that accident or illness caused the student to attend an additional year of school. The proposed regulation revisions would revert back to wording the Board of Regents actually changed in January 2015; the Duration of Competition standard “previously” allowed a student an extension of eligibility where the student was physically unable to play because of an accident or illness or “other similar circumstance”.  
Athletic Placement Process:
  • Although K-8 school districts represent a small portion of districts throughout New York State, the NYSPHSAA fears if K-8 students are granted the ability to go through the Athletic Placement Process to participate at a school in which they are not a bona fide student, this will ultimately lead to other students (non-public, etc.) requesting similar privileges.
  • The proposed regulation is being presented to provide K-8 students with the same “opportunity” to participate at the high school level as students in K-12 school districts.  NYSPHSAA fears this could lead to other students requesting similar privileges if their school district does not offer opportunities they wish to receive (i.e. swimming program for a lack of a natatorium, football team for a lack of interest, baseball for a lack of field, etc.).
Know the Rules
RULES QUESTION:

 Q: If a student is using his “one-time” District of Residency waiver, when can he start practicing/ competing?  

A: Schools must submit the required transfer form to the Section office. Athletes are not permitted to practice before the form has been submitted. Athletes are not permitted to compete without Sectional approval.
Earn a Free Trip to Indianapolis!
NYSPHSAA along with the New York State Athletic Administrators Association is partnering together to send two scholar-athletes to the National Student Leadership Summit. This years summit will be held July 17-19, 2017 in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Interested students must fill out an application and submit an essay on the topic "How High School Athletics Has Impacted My Life"
Click here for more information:

(disregard the deadline date, it has been extended)
Something to Think About
"Good is not good when better is expected"
-Vin Scully
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