Special to the WJH
THOMASTON — Brantley County High School’s athletic department was one of five Region 1A members fined for missing online rules clinics last year.
BCHS only paid a $100 fine. Bacon County ($400), Jeff Davis ($400), Thomasville ($400) and Worth County ($400) were each fined four times. Berrien and Fitzgerald had no fines assessed.
The Georgia High School Association is doubling fines to $200 for missing online rules clinics after coaches across the state paid $122,000 for 1,220 clinic noshows last year.
The fine increase from $100 to $200 was approved during the Monday, April 14 executive committee meeting.
Going a step further, the GHSA no longer will let coaches work until they complete their clinics. In the past, they could pay their fines and still join their teams.
“We feel it’s important coaches complete the clinic, so I made the recommendation to the board of trustees last fall that we up the fine,” said GHSA executive director Tim Scott Tuesday, April 15. “The trustees agreed and said they wanted to more than just double the fine to put some teeth in it. So now you have a deadline to complete the clinic or you can’t coach. We want all of them to know the rules and provide the best for their athletes.”
Coaches who miss these clinics will have 10 days to make amends. Schools found to be allowing a coach to work without completing a clinic after the deadline will be issued a lack-of-institutional-control fine.
Clinics are sports-specific and typically take less than 30 minutes to finish. They consist of slideshows and videos. The GHSA schedules the clinics in three-week windows leading to each sport’s season.
Coaches who have not completed clinics also will forfeit their GHSA passes, which give them free admission into all GHSA events statewide.
Among all sports, football drew the most missed clinic penalties with 151, although football also has the most coaches. Some schools have more than 20 assistants in that sport.
Of GHSA’s 466 member schools, 356 got flagged at least once. The percentage of clinics missed is not easily computed, but it’s probably around three percent.
“When you look across state, 1,200 (clinic no-shows) may sound like a lot, that’s small compared to all coaches,” said Scott.
Lambert and Westminster led the state with 15 missed clinics apiece ($1,500 fines) during 2023-24, the most recently completed academic year.
Pierce County, Clinch County and Appling County were among the 111 athletic departments who had no coaches miss a clinic.
Other area schools paying fines were Wayne County ($700), Coffee ($600), Ware County ($300), Atkinson County ($100) and Charlton County ($100).
Region 1-AAAA members joining Wayne County and Ware County with assessed fines were Benedictine ($600), New Hampstead ($300), Perry ($300) and Warner Robins ($200).
Outside of PCHS and Appling County, Region 3AA members fined were Cook ($400), Tattnall County ($400), Crisp County ($300) and Savannah Arts Academy ($200).
