NYSPHSAA Student-Athlete Advisory Committee

The New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) plays an important role in giving student-athletes a meaningful voice in the future of interscholastic athletics across New York State. The committee is dedicated to promoting safety, sportsmanship, leadership in both the classroom and athletic arena, and positive relationships among student-athletes, coaches, administrators, and school communities. By representing the perspectives and experiences of students from throughout New York, SAAC provides student-athletes with an opportunity to share their ideas and concerns directly with NYSPHSAA while helping develop initiatives designed to strengthen the athletic experience for member schools and their communities.

For students, participation on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee provides much more than an opportunity to represent their school or section. Committee members develop valuable skills in leadership, communication, teamwork, responsibility, decision-making, and community service while working alongside fellow student-athletes from across New York State. Members are encouraged to serve as positive role models and provide feedback on NYSPHSAA programs and initiatives, including Scholar-Athlete, Sportsmanship, Life of an Athlete, Student Leadership, Community Service, and other programs designed to support the academic, athletic, and personal development of young people.

Each year, two student-athletes from each of NYSPHSAA’s eleven geographic sections are selected to serve on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. Members generally serve a one-year term, while students selected as juniors may have the opportunity to continue for a second year. Together, these student representatives provide an important statewide perspective and help ensure that the voices of young athletes are included in conversations about the programs, policies, and initiatives that shape interscholastic athletics. Through their participation, SAAC members have the opportunity to represent their peers, strengthen their leadership abilities, and make a positive contribution to student-athletes, schools, and communities throughout New York State.

Your voice can make a difference. If you are a student-athlete who wants to lead, represent your peers, and help shape the future of interscholastic athletics in New York State, consider becoming involved with the NYSPHSAA Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.

The Association plays an important role in providing students throughout Nassau County with meaningful opportunities to learn, compete, and grow through interscholastic athletics. As one of the eleven geographic sections of the New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA), the Association establishes and administers policies governing school athletics in accordance with the New York State Education Department and NYSPHSAA. Serving approximately 60 member high schools, along with participating middle schools, the Association supports athletic programs at the modified, junior varsity, and varsity levels and conducts tournaments and championship competition across approximately 33 sports.

For students, interscholastic athletics provide much more than competition. Participation encourages teamwork, discipline, responsibility, sportsmanship, confidence, physical fitness, and school pride while giving young athletes opportunities to challenge themselves and represent their schools and communities. For parents and families, the Association helps provide an organized and consistent athletic environment built around established rules, safety standards, fair competition, and the positive development of student-athletes.

Participating Nassau County Fencing High Schools and districts include Cold Spring Harbor, Garden City, Great Neck North, Great Neck South, Herricks, Hewlett, Jericho, Manhasset, Oyster Bay, Syosset, the Valley Stream Central High School District, and Wheatley/Roslyn, among many others. Together, these schools help create a diverse and competitive athletic community where students of varying ages, abilities, and experience levels can develop their skills, build lasting relationships, and experience the many benefits of representing their school through athletics.

Section XI plays an important role in providing students throughout Suffolk County with opportunities to learn, compete, and grow through interscholastic athletics. As the regional governing body for school sports in Suffolk County, Long Island, Section XI operates under the New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) and oversees athletic programs at the junior high, modified, junior varsity, and varsity levels. Serving 59 member high schools and more than 80,000 student-athletes, Section XI helps create an organized, competitive, and supportive environment in which young athletes can develop their skills while proudly representing their schools and communities.

For students, participation in interscholastic athletics is about much more than winning games, matches, or championships. School sports help young people develop teamwork, discipline, responsibility, sportsmanship, confidence, physical fitness, and leadership while forming friendships and creating lasting memories. For parents and families, Section XI provides a structured athletic environment guided by established rules, eligibility requirements, safety standards, and expectations for fair competition and good sportsmanship.

Section XI member Fencing High Schools and districts throughout Suffolk County include Brentwood, Centereach, Commack, Half Hollow Hills, Huntington, Lindenhurst, Newfield, Sayville, Walt Whitman, Ward Melville, and many others. Together, these schools form one of Long Island’s largest and most diverse interscholastic athletic communities, providing student-athletes of varying ages, abilities, and experience levels with opportunities to challenge themselves, represent their schools with pride, and experience the many educational and personal benefits of school athletics.

The Long Island Fencers’ Club is leading an initiative to establish the New York State Independent School's Fencing Association (NYSISFA), an organization dedicated to expanding, supporting, and strengthening interscholastic fencing opportunities for independent and private schools throughout Long Island and across New York State.

NYSISFA is envisioned as a structured association through which participating schools may develop fencing programs, coordinate interscholastic competition, establish league schedules, promote student-athlete participation, and create meaningful opportunities for individual and team competition within an organized independent-school framework.

Participation in NYSISFA would be designed to complement, rather than restrict, other interscholastic athletic opportunities available to member institutions. Where permitted under applicable rules and eligibility requirements, participating schools would remain free to pursue designation as “Friends of the New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA).” Such participation may provide eligible independent and private schools with opportunities to compete against NYSPHSAA member schools as non-league participants in dual meets and other approved competitions outside of NYSPHSAA championship events.

This structure would allow independent schools to participate within a dedicated fencing association while preserving opportunities for appropriate competition with public-school programs. By encouraging cooperation between schools and expanding access to interscholastic fencing, NYSISFA seeks to create a broader and more sustainable competitive environment for student-athletes throughout New York State.

The Association’s mission would extend beyond the administration of competition. NYSISFA would seek to promote the fundamental values of interscholastic athletics, including sportsmanship, leadership, integrity, personal responsibility, academic achievement, safety, and respect for teammates, coaches, officials, opponents, and the institutions they represent.

Through collaboration among school administrators, athletic directors, coaches, and fencing organizations, NYSISFA would work to establish consistent competition standards, encourage the development of new school fencing programs, strengthen existing programs, and provide student-athletes with additional opportunities to compete, develop, and represent their schools.

Ultimately, the goal of the New York State Independent Schools Fencing Association is to establish a strong, organized, and sustainable interscholastic fencing community that provides independent-school student-athletes with greater access to competition while contributing to the continued growth of high school fencing throughout New York State.