Page 17 - 2022 IHSAA Annual Report
P. 17

2021– 22 YEAR IN REVIEW                                                                2021– 22 YEAR IN REVIEW



                                                               A Return to Normal

                                                               As we all know, navigating the pandemic—
                                                               especially regarding school operations
                                                               and organizing logistics within education-
                                                               based athletics—was more than trying.

                                                               However, we know we are better as an
                                                               Association, as educators, and as a state
                                                               because of the way we persevered through
                                                               the pandemic seasons. And to reemphasize
                                                               the value placed in the previous section
                                                               on teamwork, we couldn’t have gotten
                                                               through those two academic years without
                                                               an extra emphasis on executing as a team.

                                                               Every IHSAA stakeholder was a great
                                                               teammate during the pandemic-affected
                                                               seasons, and we can never express
                                                               our gratitude enough: Thank you! And
                                                               because of the adversity we championed
                                                               together, we can also celebrate that the
                                                               2021-22 school year was reminiscent
                                                               of what we once knew as “normal.”

                                                               This return to “normal” meant communities
                                                               and fans were also allowed to participate
                                                               in education-based athletics as they
                                                               once did. Attendance at championship
                                                               events resulted in dynamic atmospheres
                                                               that felt as energized—if not more—than
                                                               championship events before the pandemic.

                                                               During the pandemic, the Association had
                                                               to call many audibles. That included finding
                                                               different venues to host certain championship
                                                               events. However, we’re delighted to announce
                                                               that in 2021-22, Track & Field (Girls, Boys,
                                                               and Unified) moved back to the Robert C.
                                                               Haugh Complex at Indiana University, and
                                                               softball returned to Purdue University’s
                                                               Bittinger Stadium.

                                                               The venues where our student-athletes
                                                               compete for state championships are among
                                                               the country’s top-tier professional and
                                                               collegiate sports stadiums. We are thankful
 A return of fans to the Girls Basketball State                to our hosting partners for realizing that
 Finals helped create an unforgettable experience              high school championships are worthy of
 for everyone. Thanks to great partners like the               being held in our state’s grandest venues.
 Indiana Pacers and Indiana Fever, student-athletes
 and fans alike are able to witness the passion and
 pageantry of high school sports in world class
 venues like Gainbridge Fieldhouse.


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