GHSA considers video review for 3 more sports

“Video review would be utilized to check to be sure that the deductions that were called truly happened or to make sure nothing is missed,” GHSA cheer and dance coordinator Penny Pitts Mitchell told the AJC. “Two judges must see the deduction, whether it is a GHSA deduction like stepping out of bounds (two points) or an NFHS deduction such as performing an illegal stunt (because of safety).”

In these sports, both judges must see those infractions to call them. An example of a safety violation would be a competition-cheer top person, known as a flyer, not having a proper spotter when hoisted or propelled into the air.

“A judge could briefly look down to write on the score sheet and just miss it, and the entire audience may see it,” Pitts Mitchell said. “As with any sport, two points can take a team from first place to third or fourth. The judges want to get it right, and this would be a great tool to help.”

Competition cheer has been a GHSA championship sport since 1993. The GHSA began recognizing dance champions and game-day cheer champions in 2021. There are 210 competition cheer teams, 126 game-day cheer teams and 81 competition dance teams among the GHSA’s 456 member schools.

Pitts Mitchell said state-competition controversies have occurred in these sports that potentially could have cost teams championships.

Football was first

In football, it was a 2022 call in a game between Sandy Creek and Cedar Grove — the winning touchdown was shown on video to have been stopped a yard short of the goal line — that spurred the GHSA into introducing video replay for the first time in any sport.

If the GHSA’s 68-member executive committee approves the latest video proposal, fans and coaches might hope that other sports such as basketball or baseball could be next. Professional and college sports now rely on video replay for most sports that the GHSA offers, including soccer, volleyball, tennis and lacrosse.

GHSA executive director Tim Scott said that there are no plans for other sports at the moment, but that he could support video review when practical. That’s a higher bar than most realize, however.

Cheer and dance have small competition areas that can be captured close-up with a single camera. Their judges can use iPads at the scoring tables and make quick rulings.

“They’re stationary on that mat, unlike basketball running up and down the court or soccer running up and down the field,” Scott said.

Football is spacious and fast-moving, but football has access to an NFL stadium equipped with video replay equipment. Schools must also consider the cost of training and employing dedicated replay officials in a scholastic setting where funding is tight.

Any video review would almost have to be in the championship games and meets, at least initially, Scott said.

“If we started doing video review, I would want it just for a playoff scenario,” Scott said. “I’d want to have control where I’d know where the video was coming from, what is the quality, what are the angles. All that plays a role in how that decision is made.”