Tracie Henry ’05, M.S. ’08, serves as assistant executive director for the Illinois High School Association (IHSA). Her responsibilities include administering the competitive dance, the boys and girls gymnastics, and the girls softball state finals. In addition, Henry coordinates sanctioning, wheelchair basketball, and the March Madness experience.
Typically, office days are spent preparing for state final tournaments, the culminating event of a sports season. The typical day described below was January 31, the IHSA competitive dance state finals. Setup for this tournament began on the Wednesday prior to the event with venue setup.
The IHSA state series began with 252 dance teams competing. On Friday, 90 teams competed in the preliminary round of the competition, and on Saturday, the top 30 teams in the state competed for a state final trophy.
8 a.m. Stop at the IHSA Office to print performance orders and time schedules for Saturday’s final round of competition. Pull into the U.S. Cellular loading dock and begin working with their facilities crew for a quick walk through of the arena. The arena was cleaned from Friday’s preliminary round of competition, but I want to make sure that the competition floors are spotless and in good condition. I will begin setting up team check-in and organizing staff for team timed warm-ups.
9 a.m. Teams can begin checking in and entering U.S. Cellular Coliseum. I meet with all of our volunteer staff to go over the warm-up schedules and also performance schedules. Meet with athletic trainers and make sure one is stationed in the warm-up area and one by the performance floor.
10 a.m. Doors open to the public. Arena music kicks on, and fans start entering the building. One hour until the first performance begins. I meet with our state final officials to discuss points of emphasis for the competition. I escort all officials to the floor to test their Wi-Fi connections and also log in and check state final scoring software. Officials return to their locker room. I then make a quick check to see if the announcers and national anthem singers have arrived. I then check in with the coliseum staff, TV production, lighting, and sound. Everyone is set and ready for the first team to take the floor.
11 a.m. 1A Dancers take the floor. First of 30 dance performances of the day begins.
12 p.m. Trophy presentations for the top three teams in Class 1A. I print awards scripts and team rosters for the top three teams. All competing teams and school administration present are called to the floor. I give the final standings to the announcers. After awards and medals are presented, I oversee handing out team score sheets and post the final results online.
1 p.m. Quick lunch. Refill water coolers, restock team posters, put out additional programs and copies of results for the media, and a quick walk-through of the warm-up area before the 2A and 3A teams begin their warm-up.
IHSA dance tournament winners pose for a photo after their competition at the IHSA state finals.
2 p.m. National anthem and the first 2A and 3A teams take the floor.
2–4 p.m. Check-in with the Coliseum staff. Answer questions at team check-in and awards that coaches and administrators have. Solve problems as they arise: lost coaching or participant pass, revising awards scripts, and handing out checks to state final workers.
4 p.m. Trophy presentations for the top three teams in Class 2A and 3A Dance. Print awards scripts and team rosters for the top three teams. All teams and school administration present are called to the floor. I give the final standings to the announcers. After awards and medals are presented, I oversee handing out team score sheets and post the final results online. I then thank officials and state final staff for an outstanding season.
5 p.m. Event cleanup and changeover begins. Take down banners, IHSA chairs, and signs to put in coliseum storage for pickup on Monday morning. Empty water coolers, pull tape markings from the performance floor, and collect clipboards and time schedules from event workers. Pack up computers and final results.
*The IHSA Competitive Dance began on October 27 and culminated with the state finals on January 31 at the U.S. Cellular Coliseum. One of the best parts of my job is seeing all the planning and handwork come together at the state final. It is awesome to watch the dancers perform and see the young people have the opportunity to compete at this level.
