2 Soccer Nebraska School Activities Association

THE NEBRASKA SCHOOL ACTIVITIES ASSOCIATION

OUR MISSION IS YOURSNSAA MISSION STATEMENTThe public and non-public high schools of Nebraska voluntarily agreed to form the Nebraska School Activities Association for the following purposes:

• To formulate and make policies which will cultivate high ideals of citizenship, fair competition, sportsmanship and teamwork which will compliment the member schools' curriculum programs.

• To foster uniformity of standards in interscholastic activity competition.• To organize, develop, direct and regulate an interscholastic activity program which is equitable and will pro-

tect and promote the health and physical welfare of all participants.

2012-13 NSAA BOARD OF DIRECTORS

2012-13 NSAA DIRECTORS

Mark NorvellFillmore CentralDistrict I

Dr. Jerry BarteeOmaha Public SchoolsDistrict II

Alan GareyMedicine ValleyDistrict V

Wendy HenrichsLincoln EastDistrict I

Jay BellarBattle CreekDistrict III

Kent HalleyMitchellDistrict VI

Dr. Bob ReznicekBoys TownDistrict IIChair

Rhonda Blanford-GreenExecutive Director

Jennifer SchwartzAssistant Director

Jon DolliverAssistant Director

Debra VelderAssociate Director

Bud DahlstromAssistant Director

Nate NeuhausAssistant Director

Jim AngeleAssistant Director

Ron HigdonAssistant Director

Dr. Brian MaherKearneyDistrict IV

It is the Nebraska School Activities Association’s belief that interscholastic activities supplement the school’s academic program. By providing worthwhile experiences through athletics and fine arts activities, each high school participant can develop physically, emotionally and socially while learning the values of hard work and good citizenship. The NSAA – Our Mission is Yours.

44 Soccer Nebraska School Activities Association

2012-13 U.S. CELLULAR® CUP STANDINGS

The Nebraska School Activities Association is pleased to announce the current standings for The U.S. Cellular Cup, the NSAA All-Activities Award for Nebraska high schools. The annual awards program, which began in 2007 to recognize the state’s most successful high school athletic and fine arts programs, is presented to the 12 Nebraska high schools which earn the most points during the school year by participating in NSAA education-based activity programs.

The U.S. Cellular Cup is presented to the winning schools in the four classes of the All-School Division, Girls Division and Boys Division during special ceremonies the following fall.

U.S. CELLULAR CUP DETAILS & POINT SYSTEM

Each year the NSAA and U.S. Cellular recognize the most successful activities programs in the state with the U.S. Cellular Cup. U.S. Cellular Cup winners are determined by a point system based on participation in NSAA education-based activities and performance in state championship events within each division and class. Music, which does not have a state-level event, earns points based on participation at the district music contest.

The boys and girls competition in each class features schools earning participation and performance points from their respective activities. In the case of coed schools, the fine arts activity performance points are divided equally among a school’s boys and girls U.S. Cellular Cup totals. In the all-school division, schools receive participation points for each of its NSAA registered programs, and earn additional points for placing in NSAA championship events.

Lincoln Southwest 427.5 Millard West 382.5 Lincoln Southeast 375 Millard South 367.5 Millard North 355 Lincoln Pius X 327.5 Kearney 322.5 Lincoln East 300 Grand Island 295 Papillion-La Vista South 292.5

Omaha Skutt Catholic 400 Elkhorn South 370 Gretna 330 Scottsbluff 327.5 Elkhorn 320 York 280 Norris 247.5 Northwest 247.5 Seward 237.5 Omaha Gross Catholic 232.5 Plattsmouth 232.5

Class A Cup Points Class B Cup Points

Kearney Catholic 280 Boone Central 245 Crofton 245 Grand Island Cent. Cath. 235 Norfolk Catholic 235 Wahoo 230 Columbus Scotus 220 North Platte St. Patrick’s 212.5 Minden 210 Milford 207.5

Guardian Angels Cent. Cath. 225 St. Mary’s 225 Pender 210 Arapahoe 182.5 Bruning-Davenport 182.5 Giltner 180 Bertrand 175 Wynot 175 Hartington 170 Newman Grove 170

Class C Cup Points Class D Cup Points

Lincoln Pius X 245 Lincoln Southeast 215 Omaha Marian 215 Millard West 207.5 Millard North 195 Lincoln Southwest 190 Papillion-La Vista South 185 Lincoln East 175 Grand Island 142.5 Kearney 138.75

Northwest 190 Elkhorn 182.5 Elkhorn South 170 Gretna 167.5 Omaha Skutt Catholic 157.5 Seward 157.5 McCook 150 York 150 Norris 145 Gering 137.5

Class A Cup Points Class B Cup Points

Columbus Scotus 170 Kearney Catholic 150 Crofton 148.75 Norfolk Catholic 140 Chadron 137.5 North Platte St. Patrick’s 137.5 Hastings St. Cecilia 132.5 Minden 131.25 Ogallala 130 Grand Island Cent. Cath. 128.75

Guardian Angels Cent. Cath. 180 St. Mary’s 125 Bertrand 101.25 Sutherland 97.5 Wynot 95 Giltner 92.5 Exeter-Milligan 90 Greeley-Wolbach 87.5 Humphrey 85 Pender 85

Class C Cup Points Class D Cup Points

Creighton Preparatory 272.5 Millard South 272.5 Lincoln Southwest 257.5 Kearney 208.75 Millard West 195 Lincoln Southeast 185 Millard North 180 Grand Island 172.5 Omaha Burke 172.5 Omaha Central 162.5

Omaha Skutt Catholic 252.5 Scottsbluff 231.25 Elkhorn South 205 Gretna 182.5 Omaha Gross Catholic 165 Elkhorn 162.5 Plattsmouth 152.5 York 145 South Sioux City 137.5 Nebraska City 130

Class A Cup Points Class B Cup Points

Boone Central 155 Lourdes Central Catholic 147.5 Kearney Catholic 145 Central City 140 Stanton 133.75 Milford 132.5 Adams Central 130 Freeman 130 O’Neill 130 David City 127.5

Newman Grove 145 Amherst 140 Pender 135 Paxton 125 Arapahoe 117.5 Bruning-Davenport 117.5 Falls City Sacred Heart 117.5 Howells-Dodge 117.5 Pope John 110 Humphrey St. Francis 107.5

Class C Cup Points Class D Cup Points

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WINTER STANDINGS

ALL-SCHOOL DIVISION--TOP TEN AND TIES--

GIRLS DIVISION--TOP TEN AND TIES--

BOYS DIVISION--TOP TEN AND TIES--

NSAA Board of Directors Selects Blanford-Green as Executive Director

It did not take Rhonda Blanford-Green long to decide to apply for the executive director’s position at the Nebraska School Activities Association. The associate director of the Colorado High School Activities Association (CHSAA) is a Husker at heart and she could not pass up the opportunity to lead the NSAA.

“I am honored to be selected as the next executive director of the NSAA. It is a position that comes with tremendous responsibility, but I am excited for the opportunity to bring stability and strong leadership to an incredible state association,” said Blanford-Green, who will step in for the retiring Dr. Steve Shanahan after he served the past two years as the NSAA’s interim executive director.

Blanford-Green grew up in Colorado and has spent the past 16 years with the Colorado Association, but she is no stranger to Nebraska. She ran track & field at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln where she was an undefeated Big Eight champion and 10-time All-American for the Huskers. She met her husband, John, a Sargent High School and Doane College grad, in the state and regularly spends holidays with her husband’s family in Nebraska. Her brother, Daniel, even played football and ran track at Hastings College.

Blanford-Green is definitely familiar with I-80 and she plans to get out among the state’s high school administrators and leaders to hear what they have to say about the Nebraska School Activities Association.

“Every state association has furniture, it is how it is arranged,” she explained. “I will have to be on the fast track to learn the arrangement.”

Blanford-Green believes that all state high school associations deal with similar issues such as classification divisions, public vs. private schools, rural vs. urban school districts, legislative involvement, budgets, risk management, and outside competition questions. Blanford-Green said her role and that of the entire NSAA staff is to identify and apply the best practices for responding to the concerns of all those involved with Nebraska high school activities.

“I don’t see a lot of external changes my first year, but I will definitely be taking mental notes and listening. As long as I keep the NSAA mission and the expertise of my staff in the forefront, no matter the challenge, it will be manageable,” she said.

The NSAA Board of Directors interviewed four candidates on February 15 and 16 before selecting Blanford-Green with an 8-0 vote. “We are truly blessed to have Rhonda Blanford-Green become the next executive director of the Nebraska School Activities Association,” says Mark Norvell, the superintendent of the Fillmore Central Public Schools and chair of the NSAA Board of Directors. “Rhonda is nationally respected for her knowledge and expertise as a former athlete and as a top-notch administrator in the area of high school activities. I know for the Board and myself, that we are excited for her to come back to Nebraska and lead our organization to new heights.”

As an athlete Blanford-Green qualified for the U.S. Olympic Trials in 1984 and 1988, and was selected as the Colorado Sportswoman of the Year in 1985. In her professional career, she worked for the Aurora Public Schools before joining the CHSAA staff where she has worked with student-leadership, cross country, boys’ soccer, spirit, skiing, ice hockey, and track and field. She also has been active at the national level serving on National Federation of State High School Association (NFHS) committees for track and field and ice hockey. She is currently the chair of the NFHS Citizenship and Equity Committee and NFHS Spirit Committee. Blanford-Green, after completing her eligibility at Nebraska, finished her degree at the University of Wyoming before earning her master’s from the University of Phoenix-Colorado.

Blanford-Green and her husband, John, have two children: John and Aspen. John is a senior at Cherokee Trails High School. He is heading to Eastern Arizona College to play baseball, while Aspen, a sophomore, will stay with Rhonda’s husband, John, to finish high school at Parker Lutheran after helping her volleyball team win Colorado’s Class 2A state championship in November.

The incoming leader of the NSAA hopes every Nebraska high school student can benefit from the same positive experiences she had as a volleyball and track athlete at Aurora Central High School (Colo.) and her children have had during their high school careers thus far.

“There are always opportunities to tweak the experience but fundamentally, state associations provide equitable and rewarding experiences for eligible participants,” said Blanford-Green.

It is the thought of providing a rewarding experience to Nebraska high school students who choose to participate in NSAA sponsored activities that Blanford-Green sees as the mission which guides all those who have a stake in high school activities.

“The NSAA has more than 100 years of success in serving the students and communities of Nebraska, I look forward to my staff and myself being instrumental in building on the Association’s legacy,” said Blanford-Green, who will begin her duties on July 1.

By Jim Angele, NSAA Assistant Director 3/2012 NSAA Bulletin