WIAA Board of Control Conducts 1st Meeting of 2022-23, Elects Officers

STEVENS POINT, Wis. – Karl Morrin, district administrator in the Florence School District, presided over the first meeting of the 2022-23 Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Board of Control on Aug. 12.

The Board conducted its 2022-23 officer elections. Paul Pedersen, president at Regis High School, will serve as the president-elect, and Jill Stobber, athletics and activities administrator at Waterford High School, was elected to the role of treasurer. In addition, Cory Hinkel, district administrator of the Luck School District; Dennis Birr, superintendent in the Fall River School District; and Dan Retzki, director of athletics & activities and associate principal at Green Bay Preble High School were introduced as new members of the Board.

The Board reviewed and approved a football-only fast track realignment request from Milwaukee Public Schools, which required unanimous support of all conference schools. The action moves the Washington/Fuller Collegiate co-op from the Richardson Division of the league to the Blackbourn Division, and it moves Milwaukee Reagan to the Richardson Division from the Blackbourn Division beginning this fall.

Among the reports presented by the executive staff to the Board, the State Boys Golf Championships will again be held at The Meadow Valley Course at Blackwolf Run in Kohler next spring. In addition, the State Girls and State Boys Swimming & Diving Championships will continue to be held at Waukesha South High School in 2022-23.

Other Board action items approved were appointments to the 2022-23 Coaches Advisory Committee, the extension of the COVID-19 tournament substitution policy, the 2022-23 Media Policies Reference Guide and the annual renewal of the Association’s membership in the National Federation of State High School Associations.

Results of a special election conducted for positions on the Advisory Council were presented to the Board. Andrea Sheridan, district administrator at Athens was elected as a small school representative, and Kent Kindschy, district administrator at Turtle Lake was also voted in as a small school representative. Another special election will be held  for the gender and minority at-large representatives on the Advisory Council. The deadline for declaring candidacy for these two positions is Monday, Aug. 22, 2022.

Among the other topics discussed were the agenda for the 2022 Area Meetings in September, development of the 2022-23 operational budget, a review of the New AD Workshop and a report on the recent competitive balance ad hoc committee deliberations.

The Board also received liaison reports from Paul Manriquez of the Department of Public Instruction, John Ashley of the Wisconsin Association of School Boards and Shawn Groshek of the Wisconsin Athletic Directors Association.

The WIAA, as defined by its Constitution, is a voluntary, unincorporated, and nonprofit organization. The membership oversees interscholastic athletic programs for 516 senior high schools and 45 junior high/middle level schools in its membership.