Attendance Tops 1.6 Million Mark At MHSAA Tournaments In 2000-01

Contact:   John Johnson or Randy Allen                 517-332-5046

EAST LANSING, Mich. - Aug. 15 - For the second straight year, attendance at
Michigan High School Athletic Association tournaments topped the 1.6 million
mark, with new records set in overall spectatorship in the Competitive
Cheer, Ice Hockey, Boys Soccer, Girls Soccer, Track and Field, and Girls
Volleyball series.

The overall attendance figure of 1,629,398 was the second highest ever to
the 1999-00 total of 1,668,905 fans. The boys attendance mark of 1,281,224
ranked second all-time, and the girls figure of 348,174 was fourth. The
overall growth indicated continued interest in all MHSAA tournaments. The
overall attendance is up 15 percent over the past decade, and in that time
span, attendance at girls finals has rocketed up 37 percent.

The girls competitive cheer tournament series drew 9,522, topping the old
record of 9,162 the previous year; and the Finals attendance for that
tournament of 3,646 exceeded the previous year's mark of 3,273 fans.

Girls volleyball's series total of 48,481 passed the 1996-97 record of
48,207 in that tournament. A record was also set at the District level of
play with the 24,998 fans passing the 1999-00 mark of 24,872.

In soccer, the boys tournament set new marks at the District (15,389) and
Regional (16,106) levels of action, en route to a new series high of 41,947,
topping the 1998-99 overall total of 41,771. The girls tournament has 26,771
overall spectators and 10,503 at the District level of play, breaking
records of 27,416 and 10,121 respectively, set the year before.

Ice hockey, in its three-division format, has set new attendance marks for
two years running. This past year's tournament set marks at the Regional
(39,642), Quarterfinal (6,922) and overall (54,966). The old overall record
was 50,783 a year ago.

Track and field set records for the second straight year for Regionals
(19,259), Finals (15,978) and the tournament series (35,237). Cross country
had a new Finals record in 2000-01 of 9,075.
The MHSAA is a private, not-for-profit corporation of voluntary membership
by over 1,300 public and private senior high schools and junior high/middle
schools which exists to develop common rules for athletic eligibility and
competition. No government funds or tax dollars support the MHSAA, which was
the first such association nationally to not accept membership dues or
tournament entry fees from schools. Member schools which enforce these rules
are permitted to participate in MHSAA tournaments, which attract
approximately 1.6 million spectators each year.
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RL02-007
Farm Bureau Insurance is a year-round MHSAA Corporate Partner

Randy Allen
[email protected]
517-332-5046