The following are articles written by the GHSA Executive Director
The month of March brought the close of a hugely-successful winter of competition and championship play. Already in February we saw the wrestling championships conclude with the Traditional Tournament in Macon. The Swimming & Diving championships conducted at Georgia Tech were an overwhelming success as well.
The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) designates October as “National High School Activities Month.” Each week in October is given a theme for interested schools nationwide to create initiatives celebrating the gamut of sports, clubs and other high school activities. Schools are encouraged to promote the values inherent in high school athletics and other activities such as speech, music, drama, band and spirit squads. Citizenship and emphasis on sportsmanship are also part of the focus for the month. (See schedule below)
As part of an Employee Handbook we are working on in the GHSA office, I recently gave Media Director Steve Figueroa the task of compiling a brief history of the GHSA. Using numerous published resources, he came up with some interesting facts about our organization.
For example, did you know that the GHSA was headquarted in Athens for the first few years? Only after Sam Burke was hired did the office move to its present location of Thomaston.
The Georgia High School Association’s Executive Committee approved a reclassification plan for its 451 member schools on Monday, August 17, 2015 at its regularly scheduled meeting in Macon. The Committee’s action puts in place the frame work for distribution of schools for the next four years (2016-2020).
Here are the basic components of the plan:
Some years ago, the Executive Committee of the Georgia High School Association authorized the formation of a Sports Medicine Advisory Committee (SMAC). In the years since, this Committee has been at times active and regrettably inactive. Leading into the fall of 2014, the GHSA renewed its emphasis on the importance of the SMAC and the role it can play in the safety of all athletes. The Committee redefined its mission as well:
Often times in our complex society, we seek to use the spoken word and or phrases to define terms that may be in conflict with the written word. Different groups and individuals choose to use differing descriptions for the same word or phrase.
One such word that carries multiple definitions is the word “SUCCESS.” As the winter competitive seasons draw to a close, perhaps we should explore the word “SUCCESS” and the phrase “SUCCESSFUL PROGRAM.”
On January 10, 2015, Georgia high school athletics and school-based activities lost a great friend and a great leader. Mr. Tommy Guillebeau, former Executive Director of the Georgia High School Association, passed away after a lengthy illness. Mr. Guillebeau came to the GHSA as an assistant director to W.C. (Bill) Fordham in 1987.
