Georgia High School Association

The Georgia High School Association (GHSA) governs athletic and club events for member high schools in Georgia. The GHSA is a member of the National Federation of State High School Associations. The association comprises 402 public and private high schools. The GHSA organizes all sports and academic competitions as well as overseeing registration, training, and evaluation of officials for member events.

Membership

Membership to the GHSA is voluntary and open to every high school in the state of Georgia. Schools that do not enter the GHSA are members of the smaller Georgia Independent School Association (GISA), which is primarily small private schools. Member schools of the GHSA make most decisions by appointing region representatives who vote on proposals in the GHSA Executive Committee. Individual decisions by regions are made by the schools in the region on such issues as region tiebreakers and hosting of region tournaments. Members are divided into five classes by size and then further divided into regions based on geographic locations.

Classification

The GHSA currently has five classes, AAAAA, AAAA, AAA, AA, and A, (called "five-A", "quad-A", "triple-A", "double-A", and "single-A" respectively) based on the schools' student population. Each class has eight regions, numbered 1 through 8, based on the geographic location of the schools involved. Region 1 of each class is usually the southernmost region, with the region numbers generally increasing as one moves north.

Currently the largest 15% of schools are placed in AAAAA with the smallest 15% in class A and the other schools evenly divided between the other three classes. Starting in 2008 classes will be determined with a clear cut off: schools with 1850 and greater enrollment placed in AAAAA, 525 maximum enrollment for class A, and the remaining schools evenly divided between the other three classes. Schools (but not individual athletic teams) can elect to play up to a higher classification but cannot play down to a lower classification than their enrollment places them.

Competitions

Athletics

Boys athletics governed by the GHSA are: baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, lacrosse, riflery (co-ed), soccer, swimming, tennis, track and wrestling. Girls athletics programs overseen by the GHSA include basketball, competition cheerleading (co-ed), cross country, golf, gymnastics, lacrosse, riflery, fast pitch softball, slow pitch softball, soccer, swimming, tennis, track, volleyball.

Other

Literary activities governed by the GHSA are dramatic interpretation, essay, GHSA Debate, extemporaneous speaking, one act plays, quartet, spelling, trio and vocal solo.

External links

[http://www.ghsa.net GHSA official website]