High School Sports Must Remain Different with Education as Guiding Principle
from Dr. Karissa L. Niehoff, NFHS Chief Executive Officer
@KarissaNFHS
Periodically, The NFHS Voice will be presented in the form of video. This week, NFHS CEO Karissa Niehoff shares some of the challenges facing member state associations with regard to transfer requests. She says that transferring schools solely for athletic purposes should not be a part of high school sports as this establishes the difference between high school and college athletics. She says the majority of the 8.2 million participants in high school sports are involved simply to play sports with their friends and be part of the school’s team in the community where they live.
Dr. Karissa L. Niehoff is in her eighth year as chief executive officer of the NFHS, the national leader and advocate for high school sports and performing arts programs based in Indianapolis. She is the first female to head the national leadership organization for high school athletics and performing arts activities and the sixth full-time chief executive of the NFHS. She previously was executive director of the Connecticut Association of Schools-Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference for seven years.
About the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS)
The NFHS, based in Indianapolis, Indiana, is the national leadership organization for high school sports and performing arts activities. Since 1920, the NFHS has led the development of education-based interscholastic sports and performing arts activities that help students succeed in their lives. The NFHS sets direction for the future by building awareness and support, improving the participation experience, establishing consistent standards and rules for competition, and helping those who oversee high school sports and activities. The NFHS writes playing rules for 18 sports for boys and girls at the high school level. Through its 50 member state associations and the District of Columbia, the NFHS reaches more than 19,900 high schools and 12 million participants in high school activity programs, including more than 8.2 million in high school sports. As the recognized national authority on interscholastic activity programs, the NFHS conducts national meetings; sanctions interstate events; offers online publications and services for high school coaches and officials; sponsors professional organizations for high school coaches, officials, speech and debate coaches, and music adjudicators; serves as the national source for interscholastic coach training; and serves as a national information resource of interscholastic athletics and activities. For more information, visit the NFHS website at www.nfhs.org.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Bruce Howard
Director of Publications and Communications
National Federation of State High School Associations
bhoward@nfhs.org
Chris Boone
Assistant Director of Publications and Communications
National Federation of State High School Associations
cboone@nfhs.org
Jordan Morey
Manager of Communications and Media Relations
National Federation of State High School Associations
jmorey@nfhs.org