Last night, I was watching a spot on Frontline about the concussion dangers and heat strokes issues that plague high school football in Arkansas a while back. In the program, they followed the story of two kids who both had about the same brush with heat struck but with considerably different outcomes. One of the boys dies while the other survived and the program intimated that it was partially due to treatment administered directly after realizing each boy was suffering from heat stroke. Later in the program, they interviewed what was essentially the governing organization for high school sports in that State who basically stated that there weren\’t rules per se but guidelines. This brings up a great question, with high school sports being so prominent and widespread, what are the governing organizations that at least try to provide a semblance of order? To start with, enter the NFHS or National Federation of State High School Associations.

In the end, high school sports and functions are still mainly a State by State endeavor so any type of overarching organization can only be so authorization but there\’s still a lot that the NFHS can to help make high school sports fun and safe for all our players. Keep in mind that the NFHS is not just for sports but works to support cheer, music, activities, and various facets of high school life but we\’ll look at the sports side first.

The NFHS which can be found at www.NFHS.org You\’ll notice that the site is broken out into different sections but one of the most useful is separated by audience. For example, there is a section for Coaches. In this section, any coach in the U.S. can find informative news, rule changes, and support at one location. The news is helpful as a feed since it keeps coaches up to date on new safety guidance such as how to address heat stroke which might be the difference between life and death (or reduced life quality). This aspect alone makes the NFHS website critical for high school coaches. There\’s also a Sports Medicine tab within the coaches section as well as recognition for coaches based on merit nationwide.

You\’ll also find a section for officials. The NFHS partners with arbiterSports.com, a website managed by the Officials Association. There\’s a wealth of information including rule, changes, clarifications to help standardize the rules of high school sports and create a fair and level playing field. For both Officials and Coaches, there\’s information on insurance available to cover the tremendous amount of liability involved with high school sports. By pooling together many programs, the premiums can be held down.

The NFHS even provides guidelines on sportsmanship and good athletic citizenship for both player and coaches alike. This is important since a growing issue with high school sports is an escalating focus on winning at potentially any cost. There\’s definitely a rub-off from the pro\’s onto high school programs and a strong, cohesive umbrella of ethics becomes an important service of the NFHS to make sure that high school sports can remain vibrant and a positive force in high school life.

Author Bio: Dennis Jarvis writes about the world of Prep Sports including high school sports such as high school football, basketball, and baseball.

Category: Sports
Keywords: nfhs, national federation of high school associations, high school sports, prep sports