The 96th annual NYSPHSAA Central Committee meeting will take place Tuesday, July 30 and Wednesday, July 31 at the Turning Stone Resort in Verona.

To see the complete meeting agenda click here

Some of the topics that will be discussed and voted on:

The NYSPHSAA Hall of Fame induction ceremony will take place Wednesday evening July 31 at 6pm at the Turning Stone Resort.

The Class of 2019 includes:

-Anthony Famiglietti (Athlete)

-Cathy Stanilka (Coach)

-Ken Strube (Coach)

-Eileen Troy (Administrator)

-James Wolfe (Administrator)

-Dick Cerrone (Administrator)

Legislation has been proposed to allow homeschooled students the opportunity to participate on interscholastic athletic teams in their home school district. The New York State Public High School Athletic Association has continued to oppose this legislation for a number of reasons; a detailed memo in opposition was distributed throughout the state. If adopted, the bill would have adversely impacted the balance of interscholastic competition and those students who already participate on their school teams.

As a result of effective lobbying efforts and a tremendous amount of membership outreach, the legislation did not get voted upon and was not passed during the 2019 Legislative session.

Congratulations to Columbia High School (Section 2) and Arlington High School (Section 1) who were chosen as the 2018-19 Sportsmanship Promotion Banner Award winners.

This is the seventh straight year Columbia has been honored and the second all-time for Arlington.

To see what the schools have been doing to promote Sportsmanship, please read the full release here

NYSPHSAA has announced the 2018-19 School of Distinction and School of Excellence award winners.

This year a total of 35 schools were awarded School of Distinction status. While 135 schools were awarded as School of Excellence, an increase in both categories.

Congratulations to all the schools who were honored, to see the complete lists use the links below:

2018-19 School of Distinction Winners

2018-19 School of Excellence Winners

To see the complete press release on the School of Distinction and School or Excellence awards winners click here

It's never to early to be thinking abut the upcoming school year. Please take note of the mandatory Athletic Director workshops that will be taking place in your sections beginning in late August.

Topics such as eligibility standards, NYSED Regulations, review of recently revised rules and an overview of the NYSPHSAA Handbook are covered during the two-hour workshop hosted by Dr. Robert Zayas, NYSPHSAA Executive Director and Todd Nelson, Assistant Director.

8/26/19 - Section 6 – 11:00 AM – Erie I BOCES, Harlem Road, West Seneca

8/27/19 - Section 5 – 8:00 AM – Burgundy Basin, Pittsford

9/9/19 - Section 9 – 9:30 AM – Wallkill HS

9/10/19 - Section 1 – 9:30 AM – Pearl River Elks, 2041 Elks Drive, Nanuet

9/16/19 - Section 4 – 9:00 AM – Chenango Valley HS

9/17/19 - Section 7 – 9:30 AM – Lake Placid Training Center

9/19/19 - Section 1 – 8:30 AM – Holbrook Country Club

9/20/19 - Section 8 – 8:30 AM – George Farber Administration Center

9/25/19 - Section 3 – 8:30 AM – Tailwater Lodge, 52 Pulaski Street, Altmar

9/26/19 - Section 10 – 8:30 AM - BOCES, 40 West Main Street, Canton

10/2/19 - Section 2 – 8:00 AM - Van Patten Golf Course, Clifton Park (Registration @ 7:30 AM)

10/16/19 – Make-Up – 9:00 AM – NYSPHSAA Office, Latham

The Girls Swimming and Diving Championships will have a presenting sponsor for the first time in NYSPHSAA history. JOLYN will severe as a presenting sponsor of the event in both 2019 and 2020.

JOLYN is a California-based sportswear company offering a full line of swimwear, activewear and accessories for women.

For more information on the partnership and to learn more about JOLYN click here

From Fall 2018 through Spring 2019, the Refuel With Chocolate Milk program by the American Dairy Association North East has provided over 10,000 samples of chocolate milk for NY State high school athletes participating in championship events and looks forward to the next school year! Checkout REFUEL Highlight Video.

Have a happy, healthy summer – from the American Dairy Association North East!

Check out the latest edition of the NYSPHSAA Captains Club. In this edition, presented by the New York State Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association, we introduce you to Joseph Girard III. He is a three time state champ, the all time leading scorer in boys basketball and a young man who will never forget where he comes from.

Reminder, we are always looking for story ideas please contact Chris Watson if you have a suggestion.

2018 NYSPHSAA Hall of Fame inductee Tracey Fuchs was inducted into the National High School Hall of Fame on Sunday, June 30 in Indianapolis.

Fuchs was one of field hockey’s top stars at all levels, setting national records at Centereach High School (Section XI) before leading the University of Connecticut to a national championship and playing in four World Championships.

She is the first student-athlete inducted into the National High School Hall of Fame for the sport of Field Hockey

You can watch her press conference and induction ceremony from the NFHS summer meeting online:

Hall of Fame Press Conference

Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony (Tracey is at 3:03:30)

Currently, NYSPHSAA is accepting bids to host one future state championship.

If you know of a site that would be interested in hosting one of these state championships, please use the link here and submit a Championship RFP.

Check out the officials page on nysphsaa.org. It has important information for current officials and information on signing up if you are interested in becoming an official.

Click here to visit the officials page

Did you know the NFHS offers free on-line educational courses on a variety of topics?

The latest course is focused on Student Mental Health and Suicide Prevention. For a complete list of the courses available click here.

Don't forget to tell us #MyReasonWhy on social media. Tell us why you participate in sports, after school activities, coaching, officiating or other ways athletics have made a difference in your life.

The Brain Injury Association of New York State (BIANYS) was recently awarded a grant by the New York State Health Foundation to provide educators throughout New York State with Return to Learn training for when they are working with concussed students. BIANYS is a statewide, non-profit membership organization that advocates on behalf of people with brain injuries and their families. BIANYS provides education, advocacy and community support services that lead to improved outcomes for individuals and families impacted by brain injury.

These presentations are completely free for all participants and can be done at any teacher training day, staff meeting, etc., during the 2019-2020 school year. The presentation has been created by Dr. Brian Rieger and Dr. Andrew Hess, BIANYS Concussion Initiative Co-chairs, and by Michelle Kellen, M.Ed., a former Teacher, Coach, Associate Principal and Athletic Director, who also gives the presentation.

For a training that requires an overnight stay, the presenter will be available to do a free presentation for parents and students about Concussions and Concussion Management during an evening program. 

Each training is 75-90 minutes long. BIANYS is a New York State approved CTLE provider. Please contact Michelle Kellen at 518-459-7911 or [email protected] to schedule a training. The schedule will fill up fast, so please reach out today!

Access to financial aid is a key factor in whether low-income students – including many of New York’s student athletes – have the opportunity to attend college.

Yet across New York, low-income high school students are more likely than their wealthier peers to attend schools with low rates of completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

The New York FAFSA Completion Project aims to raise awareness of the importance of completing the FAFSA and provide easily accessible resources to schools so they can help more students through the process, drawing on national research and best practices already being used in New York schools.

Those resources include an interactive data tool that allows users to track the progress of New York high schools, with new FAFSA completion estimates updated weekly and comparisons to similar schools and top performers

.

The “3 Steps Every High School Can Take” resource at NYFAFSAChallenge.org encourages schools to:

1. Help their seniors make a plan to complete the FAFSA;

2. Hold a FAFSA completion event; and

3. Set targets and track the data.

At the end of the school year, Ed Trust–NY’s FAFSA Completion Challenge will recognize schools with high completion rates and that show improvement. Twelve awards will be granted to schools across the state. Each award will consist of $750 granted to the winning high schools for the purpose of providing a scholarship to one of its students.

Explore the data, read more about FAFSA completion strategies being used at New York schools, and find additional resources at NYFAFSAChallenge.org.