2021 Iowa Girls State Basketball Tournament Media Information
Who can apply for credentials? The Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union’s Board of Directors adopted the following policy regarding media credentials: “The Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union shall grant, at the discretion of management, media access credentials for its state championship events to radio, television, print, and online media to those organizations or companies which routinely provide coverage during regular season play for either teams or individuals which are participating in the tournament, or which regularly offer general coverage of the sport. The number of credentials issued to each organization or company shall be held to the discretion of management. Private talent evaluators, scouting services, etc. shall not be granted access to areas of any venues restricted for media access.”
Masks Required: Masks must be worn at all times during the 2021 Girls State Basketball in all areas of Wells Fargo Arena.
Applying for Credentials: For those requesting media credentials, please download and fill out the Media Request Form and return it to Sherry Tegtmeier at [email protected]. Please let Sherry know who will be representing your organization and what team(s) you are following. If you are broadcasting a game we need to know if you will be broadcasting via a phone line, if you are sharing a line with another station, or if you are broadcasting via cell phone. This helps us with our seat assignments. The deadline for requesting credentials is 4:30 pm Thursday, Feb. 25. Access to the media area or media-level seats is not guaranteed after this deadline. High School newspaper and yearbook staff: School/Student publications must email their requests to Sherry Tegtmeier by 4:30 p.m. Thursday, February 25.
IGHSAU/IHSAA All-Tournament Passes: The IGHSAU/IHSAA All-Tournament passes will be honored at the state tournament however, due to limited media seating this year, we are requesting that all media contact us to let us know who is covering the tournament from your outlet and what teams you are covering. Media areas will be limited due to COVID-19 this year, so seating tags will be posted during the tournament. A reminder: The media area, materials, and credentials are intended for working media. Do not abuse this privilege. Please limit your requests to actual working media members.
Picking Up Your Credentials: All media that have applied for credentials can obtain their passes and information at the northwest media entrance door to Wells Fargo Arena. THIS IS THE ONLY ARENA ENTRANCE FOR MEDIA. There will be IGHSAU staff at the media entrance and will issue you your state tournament materials. The media entrance will be open at least 90 minutes before the first session each day. Be prepared to show photo identification at this entrance point. If you did not request credentials as outlined above, you will be required to purchase an admission ticket at the southwest corner of the arena. If space remains available, you will then be issued a credential at the northwest media area.
Exchanging Credentials: For media with single-day passes (i.e., media covering selected teams, rather than each session of the event) – the IGHSAU reserves the right to limit the total number of credentials to no more than two. Also, credentials for subsequent days (if the team you are covering wins) must be exchanged by seeing Sherry at the northwest media entrance on the day your team plays its next game. We will not issue credentials in advance.
Radio – New for 2021: All radio stations will be broadcasting in the Wells Fargo Arena press box located on the east side of the Arena on the second level. This is the same area where radio stations broadcast at State Wrestling. There are three levels in the press box and there is enough room to accommodate all stations for their respective games. Radio stations that need to order internet or phone lines must contact Lisa Givens at [email protected] . Lisa will send you an order form to be able to purchase the services you need. Only working radio personnel will be allowed in the press box and credentials must be worn at all times to be gained admittance into the press box area.
Print Media: There will be one row at floor level that will be utilizing strictly for print media. Spots will be tagged for print media.
Media Workroom (NEW): To help with social distancing, we will have two workroom areas. They are available in the Northwest corner of the floor level of Well Fargo Arena. The media rooms have secure wireless. As in the past – box scores will be available during the tournament in the media workroom. We will also have box scores and summary stories posted online on the IGHSAU website. It is recommended that all media bring extra equipment such as extension cords and cables as they will not be provided by the IGHSAU or Wells Fargo Arena.
Interview Room: The interviews will be moved to a larger area that is on the left of the NW hallway through large garage doors. This is the media center that is utilized during State Wrestling. There will also be additional space for media to work in this area. Following each game, teams are given a 5-minute cooling-off period in their locker rooms. At that point, the head coach and three players will report to the interview room to answer requests for interviews from the media. I will be asking the media for their input regarding the players needed for post-game interviews.
Parking: A limited number of parking spaces for the media are located in the large lot north of Veterans Auditorium (use the Third Street exit). Officials will reserve some spaces in the southeast section of that lot (closest to the media entrance) until 15 minutes before the first session of each day, or until full, whichever comes first. Your outlet’s identification, INA or Iowa Broadcasters Card, and the $10.00 parking fee will allow access if parking is available.
Radio/Streaming Information Radio Stations: Radio stations will be allowed to originate a live broadcast of an IGHSAU Iowa High School State Tournament/Playoff/Championship/ Event/Meet for the following rights fees: Basketball – $150.00 per game.
BROADCASTING INFORMATION – PLEASE READ CAREFULLY. LIVE AUDIO STREAMING, AUDIO ARCHIVING OR DELAYED AUDIO REPLAY OF THE BROADCAST IS ALLOWED. Specialized radio or television broadcasts or acquiring content for live or delayed broadcasts may be subject to a rights fee charge. There is no charge for live updates of an IGHSAU Iowa High School State Tournament/Playoff/Championship/Event. A live update is a broadcast from a station representative with press credentials that takes no longer than five minutes per hour and does not include “play by play” coverage during the update.
ALL RADIO BROADCAST CHECKS SHOULD BE MADE PAYABLE TO THE IOWA GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETIC UNION (IGHSAU) AND MUST BE PRESENTED WHEN PICKING UP YOUR MEDIA CREDENTIALS.
Thanks to everyone for their continued support and coverage of the Iowa Girl. Please don’t hesitate to call (515-401-1836) or e-mail ([email protected]) if have any further questions. I look forward to seeing everyone at the tournament.
Jason Eslinger