Monday Morning News presented by Final Forms
UPCOMING EVENTS:
December 19-January 2 – NMAA Office Closed
IN THE NEWS:
NMAA FOUNDATION SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
NMAA Foundation Scholarships are awarded to students from NMAA member schools who, through the application/nomination process, demonstrate excellence in athletics, activities, academics, and character. The deadline to submit applications is Wednesday, February 1, 2023. For more information, please contact Chris Kedge at 505-923-3276. Click here for information regarding NMAA Foundation Scholarships. Applications are now open.
NMAA FOUNDATION GRANT/SUPPORT PROGRAM
The NMAA Foundation was established in 2007 to serve the schools and students of New Mexico in various ways. Most notably, this has been done through the many scholarships that the Foundation offers each year to students across the state. Another part of the NMAA Foundation’s mission is to assist schools through the awarding of financial grants/support. In the past, these funds have been used to help with costs of starting a new sport or activity, purchasing essential equipment, and helping schools in emergency situations.
There are three categories for which a school can apply for funding. These are Program Start-Up, General Operating Support, and Emergency Use. Schools applying through the Emergency Use category can submit applications at any time. There are two deadlines during the school year for funding requests made via the Program Start-up and General Operating Support categories. The first deadline was earlier this Fall and the second is just around the corner – December 20th, 2022. Soon after this deadline, the NMAA Foundation Board of Directors will review applications and consider awards from there.
If you are interested in making a funding request, the school grant/support application can be accessed from the following link:
https://www.nmact.org/file/NMAA_Foundation_Support_Grant_Application.pdf
The NMAA Foundation has allocated $15,000 for this program in 2022-2023, and awards typically range from $250-$1,500. Please contact Tammy Richards ([email protected]; 505-923-3278) with questions.
ESPORTS START DATE COMING SOON
The 2023 NMAA Spring Esports Season is fast approaching. The official start date for Esports is Tuesday, January 17th with regular season matches set to begin the week of January 30th. Schools will need to enroll with PlayVS by January 13th so that the NMAA and PlayVS can begin to work on classification breakdowns and schedules for the regular season. Below is some basic information for your review:
- If enough schools sign up, New Mexico will have its own state specific leagues for Splatoon 3, Hearthstone, and NBA 2K23 to go along with League of Legends, Rocket League, Super Smash Bros., Mario Kart 8, and Madden NFL23
- As a reminder, students must participate with their Esports program and not from home
- Mario Kart 8, Super Smash Bros., and Splatoon 3 will be played on Nintendo Switch; Madden NFL23 and NBA 2K23 on PS4; League of Legends, Rocket League, and Hearthstone on PC
- Exact details regarding gameplay for each title will be distributed soon
- Schools will again be able to offer multiple teams in each game title, but only one can be designated as Varsity and eligible for the state tournament in all titles except Madden and NBA 2K since those are individual games.
Also, an NMAA Esports Discord is available as an additional medium for coaches to communicate and ask questions throughout the season. If you are new to Esports or have a new coach, the link to join this account is listed below:
STATE SPIRIT REGISTRATION
2023 State Spirit Registration is now open. Please visit the Spirit page on the NMAA website for the links to the online Cheer and Dance registration forms. Deadline to submit your form is February 13, 2023. For questions, please contact Alissa Wesbrook at [email protected].
BECOME AN OFFICIALS
The New Mexico Officials Association is looking for enthusiastic people that want to make an impact on the high school and middle school youth in our State by becoming a sports official. If you are interested in becoming an official, please contact Zac Stevenson at [email protected] or Dillon Metzgar at [email protected] or call 505-923-3277.
NMAA STUDENT LEADERSHIP ADVISORY COUNCIL NOMINATIONS
The NMAA is looking for students to serve on our Student-Leadership Advisory Council for the following areas in the NMAA’s governance structure for the 2023-2024 school year:
Area A-Small: One representative
Area B-Large: One representative
Area B-Small: One representative
Area C-Large: One representative
Area C-Small: One representative
Area D-Large: One representative
Area D-Small: Two representatives
At-Large (Large School Area C/D): One representative
Nominations/applications are due no later than Monday, March 1, 2023. Click HERE for the nomination form. If you are not sure of which area your school is in, please follow this link to the NMAA’s governance structure: https://www.nmact.org/file/Section_3.pdf. If you have any questions, please contact Tammy Richards at [email protected].
DRAGONFLY & MAXPREPS SCHEDULE CHECK
Athletic Directors, please go into your DragonFly and MaxPreps accounts and make sure that your football, volleyball and soccer schedules match. It is extremely important for scheduling officials, seeding & selection and MaxPreps rankings. Also make sure those schedules match any schedule posted on your school website.
DragonFly Entering Pool Play Tutorial
COMPETE WITH CLASS SCHOLARSHIP
The New Mexico Activities Association, in conjunction with the NMAA Foundation, will be awarding a maximum of eight (8) $1,000 Compete with Class scholarships during the 2022-2023 school year. Awards will be given to students that best exemplify the three pillars of the Compete with Class sportsmanship initiative – Respect, Integrity, and Responsibility. Recipients will be selected by the NMAA Foundation Board of Directors based on recommendations from the NMAA and its member schools.
