BOONE, Iowa – Fall meetings of the Iowa High School Athletic Association’s Board of Control and Representative Council were held Thursday and Friday at the IHSAA’s office with several discussion and action items on the agendas.
Both elected groups reviewed updates early in the 2023-24 school year and ahead of fall district meetings and postseason events.
Past editions of Board Briefs are available through News page and via the “Board Briefs” tag. Approved minutes from past Board of Control meetings are available through the Board & Reps page and directly through the Meeting Minutes page.
Baseball: Cedar Rapids to host 4A and 3A in 2024
The Class 4A and Class 3A site for the 2024 IHSAA State Baseball Tournament will be Veterans Memorial Stadium in Cedar Rapids, following approval by the board on Friday. The 5,300-seat home of the Cedar Rapids Kernels was selected through a summer bidding process.
The one-year agreement follows three seasons at Duane Banks Field in Iowa City for the larger school classes. When IHSAA and University of Iowa added an agreement from 2022-24, potential renovations at Duane Banks Field made the extension year-to-year. Upgrades are scheduled to begin on the UI campus following the NCAA season in 2024.
“We’re excited to be in Cedar Rapids in 2024 with an excellent facility, staff, and community welcoming our schools and student-athletes,” IHSAA assistant director and baseball administrator Andy Umthun said. “We sincerely appreciate this competitive bidding process, which shows the commitment that several Iowa communities and ballparks have to high school baseball in our state.”
Cedar Rapids most recently hosted the summer IHSAA State Baseball Tournament in 1974.
Per the 2022 facility extensions, Carroll will again host Class 2A and Class 1A in 2024. The tournament is scheduled for July 22-26, 2024.
Advisories: AD position added to sport committees
The IHSAA’s eight sport advisory committees will add one designated spot for active member school athletics/activities directors.
Currently, sport advisory committee voters are comprised of five head coaches of that sport – one from each Representative Council district – and they meet once a year to recommend guidance or policy to the IHSAA and board. This change will make six voting members on each sport committee, with members serving a maximum of two three-year terms.
Three joint sport committees, which feature both IHSAA and IGHSAU representation, already feature AD positions.
Sport manuals: Pages updated, postseasons available
The board approved several manuals, used annually and seasonally for IHSAA policy and information to member schools. Manuals have been digitized as possible for each topic and can be found through the IHSAA’s main Manuals page.
On Friday, approved files included:
Basketball: Grand View Christian to 2A for two seasons
A request by Grand View Christian to play up in classification in basketball was approved by the board for 2023-24 and 2024-25. By enrollment, the defending Class 1A champions were slated to return to 1A this winter.
The request will place the Thunder in Class 2A for at least two seasons, per IHSAA policy.