US Supreme Court denies MHSAA petition; seasons to change this fall

It is no longer a matter of whether high school sports seasons would change, it is now a matter of making the changes happen. On Monday, the United States Supreme Court denied the Michigan High School Athletic Association?s (MHSAA) petition to review the Title IX litigation regarding the Sixth Circuit Court?s ruling to realign high school sports seasons in Michigan, thus ordering MHSAA to comply with changes dictated by the lower court. AS A result, the following changes will occur in the 2007-08 school year: Girls? basketball will move from fall to winter, in alignment with boys? basketball; Girls? volleyball will move from winter to fall; Boys? golf and girls? tennis in the lower peninsula will move from fall to spring; Girls? golf and boys? tennis in the lower peninsula will move from spring to fall.

?Schools have been preparing for this change for some time,? said MHSAA communications director John Johnson. ?We always stressed to schools to not let the dust settle on the (alternate) plans ? they needed to be ready. We now suggest that schools focus on the sports where immediate change will be seen, and to keep a close eye on participation numbers.? The MHSAA stated they were disappointed with the Supreme Court decision, but that it is now time for the schools to ?step up and work with the decision? in order to continue to ?maximize the quantity and quality of interscholastic athletic participation opportunities for young people? in Michigan.

DIANE MADSEN, a named plaintiff in the litigation and a founding member of Communities For Equity, said implementation now falls upon school districts. ?CFE is looking forward to working with school districts in ensuring they understand their responsibilities under the law,? said Madsen. Plaintiff Connie Engel said placing girls? sports out of the traditional season was discriminatory. ?CFE took this argument to the federal courts and received, repeatedly, a consistent judgment that found discrimination against female athletes in Michigan schools

,? said Engel. ?The civil rights of girls in Michigan will now be upheld. CFE now looks forward to working with out schools as implementation begins to uphold the legal ruling.?

CFE stated the lawsuit proved several factors, including: 1) MHSAA is a state actor, 2) State tournaments must include host sites that have facilities meeting competition standards, 3) State basketball tournaments for boys and girls must be held at equal sites, 4) Media coverage will be equal among sports, 5) Young men and women in Michigan will begin a journey of understanding equality by participating side-by-side, supporting each other.

LOCAL SCHOOLS heard of the Supreme Court?s decision almost instantly Monday. Posen athletic director Dru Milliron said the Vikings will be ready come fall. ?Luckily, we had a schedule done, so we are ready,? said Milliron. ?This doesn?t make things any easier, but the schedule is out and referees are set.? Rogers City athletic director Pat Lamb said he is working on the schedule preparation for the 2007-08 school year. He said Jr. High programs will not be affected as of yet by the upcoming change; however, the switch of seasons between girls? basketball and volleyball could be the most challenging. ?Volleyball won?t be too difficult to handle, but with basketball we have all but four dates to schedule,? said Lamb. ?Basically, we had the schedule done in case of the season switch. We?ll be ready to go.?

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