Neo Zhu (6) clears the ball out of bounds and away from Tha Lwe (10) as Chapel Hill hosts East Chapel Hill in a rivalry matchup on Wednesday, February 24.
The 2021-22 high school athletics season officially got underway this month with schools across the state kicking off their seasons. But this year started with uncertainty about the future of the North Carolina High School Athletic Association, which has governed high school sports in the state since 1913.
House Bill 91, originally written in February and officially introduced to the General Assembly in July, aimed to dissolve the NCHSAA after the 2021-22 school year. In its place, a commission of members appointed by the General Assembly and the governor would oversee high school sports. The bill had gained traction in the State Senate before Republicans shelved it on Thursday.
According to a report by the Winston-Salem Journal, the goal of HB 91 was to “restructure oversight of public high school interscholastic athletics to ensure accountability and fair play.”
Randy Trumbower, athletic director at East Chapel Hill High School, told 97.9 The Hill that HB 91 was originally written to assist students with autism, and that he was very concerned once the language was changed. He called the NCHSAA one of his best allies.
“I think it’s a great organization that’s been around forever. Myself, I appreciate the governance they provide, I appreciate the rules. I think it’s a very positive thing. I think losing it would be very detrimental to high school kids,” he said. “We don’t need politics in sports. The biggest complaint I hear from parents is ‘there’s too many politics in sports.’ Bringing politics into sports, to me, is just a terrible idea.”
Lewis Newman, athletic director at Chapel Hill High School, also told 97.9 The Hill he was “surprised” to hear about HB 91 and went on to say, “I am hopeful that all is worked out and the NCHSAA stays intact and continues their incredible dedicated service to athletes in North Carolina.”
Finn Tart (2) celebrates after scoring a goal in the first period as Chapel Hill takes on Carrboro in boy’s lacrosse on Thursday, February 4 at Carrboro High School.
As for what motivated the bill to be written, Trumbower noted that finances are a likely reason.
“I think some people are upset the state has so much money,” he said. “If you look at the growth, I know they said they weren’t as transparent as they need to be. And I would argue, I think the NCHSAA has always been very transparent with their money.”
Trumbower added that he believes he and his colleagues are partly to blame for the recent backlash against the NCHSAA.
“There are some things with the athletic association that are frustrating,” he admitted. “But I think it’s not really the NCHSAA’s fault. It’s really the fact that we as athletic directors haven’t made the appropriate changes as we’ve gone through.”
Trumbower also said that any amendment within the NCHSAA has to have at least 75 percent support to pass, and that during his tenure at East Chapel Hill High, none have done so. He said the most effective way to implement change is simply to vote.
Echoing Trumbower’s sentiment, April Ross, athletic director at Carrboro High School, told 97-9 The Hill in a statement,
“More dialogue and understanding is needed between all entities. All organizations have the ability to improve, grow, and adapt. All 427 School Members and the NCHSAA Staff must be given an opportunity to implement change within its organization without direct outside intervention.”
When it comes to changes he’d like to see implemented, Trumbower said the standardization of rules and regulations is at the top of his list.
“If you look at Chapel Hill and Orange County… we’re different school districts and we have different rules. And I think that makes what we do very, very difficult,” Trumbower said. “And we’re not all as big as Wake County and Charlotte, so we can’t just say, ‘We’re gonna play inside our house.’ The way our conferences are set up, I think if we lose the NCHSAA bigger changes are gonna happen. And I think you’ll see a lot more problems than you will see solutions.”
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