Missouri State High School Activities Association
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The Missouri State High School Activities Association (MSHSAA) was founded in 1926 and is a not-for-profit organization of public and private high schools and junior high schools. The MSHSAA is governed by a 10-member Board of Directors whose members are elected to four-year terms by school representatives in eight geographic regions of the state. Two at-large positions to the Board of Directors were added in 2005 to ensure racial and gender diversity.
The MSHSAA trains and registers more than 5,000 sports officials and adjudicators each year to arbitrate various athletic events and evaluative music festivals.
Each year, the MSHSAA conducts championship-level activities in 23 activities -- girls golf, girls softball, girls tennis, girls volleyball, boys cross country, girls cross country, boys soccer, 8-man football, 11-man football, boys swimming & diving, wrestling, girls swimming & diving, boys basketball, girls basketball, girls track & field, boys track & field, baseball, girls soccer, boys tennis, boys golf, academic competition, speech & debate, and music. At least 50 member high schools must sponsor a sport for an official state championship series to be conducted. Sports such as boys volleyball, field hockey, girls lacrosse, boys softball, and water polo are administered by the MSHSAA, but an official postseason series does not exist with less than 50 schools involved in those activities. The MSHSAA also administers sideline cheerleading and dance activities.
Potential changes to the MSHSAA's eligibility standards and activity regulations are voted on each April, or in special elections, by the Associations's 760 member schools. A process that includes input from more than 30 standing advisory committees, area meetings conducted throughout the state, and an annual questionnaire to the membership help identify issues to be voted on in the annual ballot process and identify issues for further study or modification. Member schools may also request specific changes to the Association's by-laws and constitution through a petition process that places the item directly on the annual ballot.
The Association's by-laws fall into the following general categories: Bona Fide Student, Citizenship, Academics, Residence Requirements, Transferring Schools, Participation Limits, Entering School, Amateur & Awards Standards, Age Limits, Playing Under a False Name, Graduated Students, Nonschool Competition, College Auditions & Tryouts, All-Star Games, Recruiting of Athletes, Transfer for Athletic Reasons, Sports Camps & Clinics, Sportsmanship, and Foreign Student Eligibility. A three-level appeals process is in place for students not meeting the essential eligiblity standards due to unusual, unforeseen or unexpected circumstances.
Each of the state's eight geographic regions not only elects members to the Board of Directors and Appeals Committee, but also nominates representatives to the aforementioned advisory committees and elects three members to serve on each region's investigative committee. The investigative committees were formed to investigate formal complaints filed regarding suspected by-law violations committed by member schools.
The Association publishes a quarterly magazine, the MSHSAA Journal, and sponsors one of the nation's largest annual sportsmanship and student leadership events each August. In addition, the MSHSAA has a number of recognition programs, including the Distinguished Service Awards program, Officials Recognition program, Scholastic Achievement Awards program, Student Advisory Council, MSHSAA Leadership School program, Sportsmanship/Integrity/Leadership program, and Traditions reunion program.
The MSHSAA is a member of member of the National Federation of State High School Associations, which writes universal playing rules for interscholastic play in 16 sports played by more than 11 million students throughout the nation.
