Aurora – The Colorado High School Activities Association board of control Thursday voted to institute a list of acceptable and unacceptable behaviors for fans at prep sporting events.
The idea of establishing enforceable guidelines for positive sportsmanship has been debated for years at the biannual meetings, held at the Radisson Hotel East, and a somewhat testy round of debate took place before the 64-member board voted 43-21 in favor of the proposal.
Laura Haase, athletic director at Alameda High School and chairwoman of the sportsmanship committee, said the intention of the policy was to create an atmosphere where fans cheer in a positive, not negative, fashion.
“No matter who is defining (sportsmanship), it is all in the eye of the beholder. But we have to take a stand and say that sensitivity issues matter. … Anybody who says society hasn’t changed is out of tune,” Haase said. “Is this foolproof? No. It’s a starting point. … There is a certain sense of giving silent permission (to poor behavior). ”
Debate centered around how the policy will be enforced and how the involved parties will be punished. Also, some said the vote could dampen school spirit or eliminate certain rivalry games.
“I am not opposed to sportsmanship,” said Julesburg athletic director Dennis Tjaden, who voted against the proposal. “But I think they should provide guidelines, not policy. It’s not realistic. … If offense is taken at a game, I would assume that administrators would do something.”
Tjaden asked if fans would have to “sit cross-legged wearing opera glasses.”
Unacceptable behavior now includes the use of noisemakers, heckling officials and derogatory chants or cheers, including “warm up the bus” and “airball, airball.”
“Nobody is against sportsmanship. Questions about logistics is what stopped some people in their tracks. The most important thing now is that this debate is occurring,” CHSAA commissioner Bill Reader said.
Another main topic was proposed football changes. With the new two-year cycle for league and classification designation looming in the fall, all the proposals passed with ease. Included were Class 5A’s move from a 16-team playoff bracket to a 32-team bracket – despite dropping to 39 teams – and 4A’s establishment of a selection/seeding committee that will pick nine of the 16 playoff spots. Class 1A will use the same committee.
“Football has never been a sport that seeded or selected teams for the playoffs until now,” Reader said. “It’s a pretty major change.”
Other items that passed were the introduction of 1A baseball and a pay increase for game officials.
Only three proposals failed, including a request to start the baseball and girls soccer seasons later in the spring and a requirement for all athletic directors to attend a mandatory CHSAA rules meeting once a year.
