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The WIAA, in cooperation with Rural Mutual Insurance Company, will conduct its 10th biennial Sportsmanship Summit Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2018, at the Holiday Inn & Convention Center in Stevens Point, Wis.  

Registration is open to all member schools. Each registered school team will consist of six members that can include students, coaches, administrators, booster clubs or members of the community. It’s your choice. The deadline to register a team for the Summit is Tuesday, Nov. 20. Schools may register for more than one team, but priority will be given to schools registering one team if registration capacity is reached.

The Summit is scheduled to begin with registration at 8:30 a.m. with the first session starting at 9 a.m. The cost of the event is $150 per team, which includes Summit materials, a commemorative t-shirt and lunch.

The purpose of the Summit is to assist membership schools with their citizenship and sportsmanship efforts for students, student-athletes, adult fans, advisors, parents and booster clubs; developing plans to improve or maintain good sportsmanship locally; and assisting schools identify and implement a safe, respectful and education-based environment for high school sports.

The Summit will feature two keynote addresses and three time slots for five different break-out sessions, which focus on the ideals of sportsmanship/citizenship. The morning keynote address will be presented by Craig Hillier, author of Playing Beyond the Scoreboard. The afternoon keynote address will be presented by Lance Allen, sports anchor at WTMJ-TV in Milwaukee.  

Participants will also attend three morning break-out sessions. The subjects for the five, 40-minute break-out presentations available during the three time slots are “The Coach and Participants Role in Sportsmanship” by Mark Maas, veteran teacher and coach, and State track & field color commentator on the NFHS Network; “Obtaining Victory with Virtue” by Mark Horbinski of WON80 and a member of the WIAA Sportsmanship Committee; “Sportsmanship: The Official’s Prospective” by Thaddeaus Hilliard, veteran WIAA licensed official; “Peer Sportsmanship Leadership” by Athletic Directors Aaron May of Waunakee and Sportsmanship Committee member, and Eric Nee of Sun Prairie; and “Sportsmanship Roundtable Discussions” moderated by Amy Vesperman, superintendent at Plum City, and Jenny Bandow, athletic director at Luxemburg-Casco. They are also members  of the WIAA Sportsmanship Committee.

 The link to the online registration form is:  www.wiaawi.org/Schools/Sportsmanship/2018SportsmanshipSummit.aspx.  A link to the registration form and promotional flyer is also available on the sportsmanship page of the WIAA website:  www.wiaawi.org/sportsmanship.aspx. Schools interested in registering for the 2018 Sportsmanship Summit should complete the online registration form by Tuesday, Nov. 20 to reserve participation in the Summit. Please contact the WIAA with any questions regarding the Summit by calling (715) 344-8580. 

Schools wishing to reserve hotel rooms the night prior to the Summit should contact the Holiday Inn in Stevens Point directly at (715) 344-0200. The room rate for the Summit is $109 for a single or double.