A Message From the Executive Director …

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March is known for one thing in the sports world – basketball tournaments. Hundreds of championships teams will be crowned across the country by the end of the month, including four class champions in Iowa.

In 2007, March means much more than just basketball, as two new state championships will share the stage. The inaugural state bowling champions will be crowned the first weekend of the month, and state indoor track and field champions will be crowned March 23. But, in between of those events, the State Basketball Championship week dominates the stage in Iowa.

In so many ways, the State Basketball Tournament defines our organization, and Iowa girls’ high school athletics as a whole.

· Annually, more fans attend the basketball tournament than the softball and volleyball tournaments combined.

· It was the first state championship for Iowa girls, beginning in 1926, and is the oldest state-sanctioned girls’ basketball championship in the nation. 32 schools and 480 participants take the floor during the week.

· Over 150 members of various media outlets have credentials for the tournament, and the telecast of the championship games is seen in Iowa as well as parts of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Missouri, Nebraska and South Dakota.

· Nearly 1/6 of the Athletic Union’s annual operating revenue is derived from the State Tournament. In fact, the net revenue from the State Basketball Tournament is able to fund the entire operation of golf, tennis, cross country, indoor track and field and bowling.

Wells Fargo Arena provides a great stage for showcasing the basketball talent of Iowa’s students. But, Iowa has a long history of producing talented students outside of the athletic arena, and the Athletic Union takes particular pride in showcasing that talent during the Girls’ State Basketball Tournament.

Fewer than 20% of the students involved in this year’s tournament will actually play basketball. Between the All-Iowa Drill Team performance, half-time shows by dance and drill teams, National Anthem entertainers, pep bands, and the Parade of Champions which recognizes all state champions from the past year, 2,563 students representing 146 of our 392 schools, will take part in the 2007 tournament. This is the largest student representation in the history of the Girls’ State Basketball Tournament.

At the end of this column there is a listing of each school participating in this tournament, along with an indication of what group is participating from that school.

We have a great opportunity to share the athletic stage with high-achieving students from across the state whose particular skills may not ordinarily allow them to perform for thousands of fans, or a regional television audience.

Competition for these spots is intense at times. Dance and drill teams perform at each half-time throughout the week. These teams are selected based on their performance at the State Dance and Drill Team Championships held in early December. The best of the best are chosen to be on the All-Iowa Honor Drill Team which performs between games on Saturday night.

National Anthem singers are selected from among those schools who request a position and whose performance reviews excel above all others. We select only those groups who perform the Anthem in its traditional style. Normally, only groups are eligible to perform. While there are outstanding soloists in our schools, group performances offer the chance for increased participation. This year, a soloist will perform the Anthem on Saturday night with the All-Iowa Drill Team, the first student to be selected to solo in at least two decades.

Stage bands are invited based on their performance in state contests. These bands begin their performances with Wednesday night semi-final games, and range in size from 20 to over 100 students strong.

The Parade of Champions invites each state team champion from the past year to the floor to be recognized on Saturday night. Those winning individual championships in bowling, cross country, tennis and golf, as well as the co-ed tennis and golf champions, also participate in this parade. The purpose of the parade is simple…to recognize the best of Iowa on the largest stage in front of the largest crowd available.

The State Basketball Tournament is more than a celebration of basketball skills and successes of the elite 32 teams. In reality, the Tournament is a celebration of the skills and successes of hundreds of students who often participate in relative anonymity.

Whatever the activity, the Tournament is a chance to recognize students who have chosen to enhance their education, and prepare themselves for successful lives as adults. The State Tournament truly does define the Athletic Union, and the activity programs of our member schools.

Just not in the way we normally think.

School Basketball Anthem Pep Half Parade of All-Iowa

Participant Singers Band Time Champions Drill Team

ADM				x
AGWSR	x
Akron-Westfield			x	x
Alburnett				x
Algona				x
Ames	x	x		x
Anamosa		x
Andrew	x
Ankeny			x
Aplington-Parkersburg				x
Armstrong-Ringsted				x
Audubon				x
Aurelia				x
Ballard	x			x
Battle Creek-Ida Grove	x			x
Baxter				x
Bedford	x
Bellevue				x
Bishop Garrigan		x	x	x
Bondurant-Farrar				x
Boyer Valley		x		x
Carroll				x
Cascade		x		x
Cedar Falls				x
Cedar Rapids Jefferson	x
Cedar Rapids Kennedy			x
Cedar Rapids Xavier	x	x	x
Cedar Rapids Washington	x
Central City				x
Central DeWitt				x
Central Lee				x
Chariton				x
Charles City				x
Clayton Ridge		x		x
Clear Creek-Amana			x
Clear Lake				x
Colfax-Mingo