About WIAA

The Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association, as defined by its Constitution, is a voluntary, unincorporated, and nonprofit organization. The Association membership has a diversified membership of public high schools, nonpublic high schools, public middle schools, and nonpublic middle schools.

The purpose of the Association is...

• To organize, develop and control an interscholastic athletic program that will promote the ideals of its membership and the opportunities for member schools’ participation.
• To emphasize interscholastic athletics as a partner with other school activities in the total education process, and to formulate and maintain policies that will cultivate the high ideals of good citizenship and sportsmanship.
• To promote uniformity of standards in interscholastic athletic competition, and prevent exploitation by special interest groups of the school program and the individual’s ability.

The WIAA takes pride in proclaiming that it is the first high school athletic association organized in the country. The history of the WIAA goes back to late 1895 and early 1896 when meetings were held involving people interested in promoting (but not necessarily regulating) athletic competition between Wisconsin high schools.

The meetings developed as a result of a state track meet conducted in May of 1895 by the University of Wisconsin - Madison. This state track meet was the first such venture undertaken anywhere in the United States. The first State champion of any kind recognized under WIAA rules was Milwaukee West in track in 1897, although Milwaukee East is recognized at the first State track champion in 1895.

Continue exploring the history of the WIAA.

The WIAA is governed by its member schools. Rules and policies of the Association are developed, promulgated and implemented by the membership either through membership vote for constitutional issues or through a membership-elected committee structure for sport season regulations. Therefore, ownership of the membership’s rules and regulations, as well as the responsibility of compliance with them, lies with each member school.

Continue learning about the WIAA Governance structure.

The National Federation of State High School Associations recently published updated information asserting the value of participating in interscholastic activities. The data continues to support, with overwhelming evidence, that being part of school programs enriches the lives of millions of students each year on a national scale, including nearly 90,000 in Wisconsin.

The “Case for High School Activities” presents volumes of research and survey data that dispels myths or misconceptions that involvement in school activities may be a diversion to a quality education.

Participation the Key

Students that participate and are engaged in school programs, whether it’s athletics or any other extracurricular activity, have less truancy, lower drop-out rates, fewer disciplinary issues and better grade point averages on average than their peers that have no involvement. In 2007, the Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise reported that students who took part in more vigorous sports like soccer or football performed nearly 10 percent better in math, science, English and social studies classes. Similar findings were produced by a survey in Minnesota in 2007.

It may also be undeniable that involvement in high school activities bodes well for participants after high school as well. According to researchers in a 2005 study, participation in extracurricular activities gives all students--including those from disadvantaged backgrounds and those without stellar academic accomplishments in high school--measurable improvements on college admission exam scores. Furthermore, students who compete in sports in high school were more likely than those not participating to be active in volunteering, voting, speaking publicly and being aware of current events.

Similar results were confirmed in a 2003 Journal of Adolescent Research report. It indicates high school extracurricular participation leads to fewer school drop outs, greater community involvement, greater academic achievement and a plethora of other positive outcomes. Perhaps the most important impact of participation in high school activities is the short- and long-term personal and emotional benefits that lead to making appropriate choices. According to a United States Department of Education article published in 2002, those who have no involvement in interscholastic activities are 49 percent more likely to use drugs and 37 percent more likely to become teen parents.

Their Impact and Value

The volume of materials and information supporting the values and life-long lessons learned through interscholastic activities is vast. However, we must be careful not to take extracurricular opportunities for granted or underestimate the impact they have on schools and a school’s community.

Interscholastic events are one of the largest windows into what is being taught and learned in our schools. There is no doubt that great things are being learned in traditional classrooms to prepare students for life beyond school; however, access to these learning environments are far less common for those outside the school. This fact makes school activity programs–proclaimed as extensions of the traditional classroom–even more valuable.

Therefore, it is increasingly important to demonstrate to those that live, work and pay taxes in the community the value of extracurricular activities. In the current climate of tightening school budgets and referendums that threaten to reduce funding for extracurricular programs, it is imperative for schools to embrace school activities that nurture its students.

Those school districts electing to consider reducing or eliminating school activities must also consider the consequence of such a decision.

Here’s where schools face a dilemma.

With school choice a viable option through open enrollment or private school enrollment, many families may choose neighboring schools or districts that offer those same programs considered to be vulnerable at a student’s current school. It’s not difficult to envision the ramifications of schools eliminating opportunities. Student allocation dollars will follow those students to their school of choice, leaving even less resources available for the district they abandon. If there is a mass exodus, which is quite conceivable in some districts, the fallout would be devastating to schools and their communities.

Conclusion

Typically, the average cost of extracurricular programs is less than one percent of most school budgets, making them a fantastic bargain and value. This fact, combined with the unintended consequences of a districts considering either reducing or cutting its programs, makes extracurricular activities a resource schools must embrace and protect.