MSHSAA All Access Podcast

As the excitement from our recent spring activity championships and festivals starts to settle, it’s time to gear up for another thrilling season—the 2026 MSHSAA Boys Golf Championships. This year’s tournament is set to unfold at five venues across the state. Find out how teams and individuals qualify for this prestigious event along with what makes the 2-day tournament in Missouri special! Dr. Jennifer Rukstad, Executive Director of MSHSAA, joins forces with Doug Fessler, Assistant Executive Director for the sport of golf, to deliver an engaging preview of what’s to come.

Excitement is in the air! Boys' tennis is leading the charge for our spring sports championships with amazing individual and team events lined up. Mark your calendar for May 14th-16th & 21st-22nd. Be there to cheer on the future stars of tennis!Dr. Jennifer Rukstad and James Melton preview this spectacular two-part event explaining the history of the event as this year marks the 97th Championship along with important details involving the role of the official throughout the event.

This episode previews the spring season’s final activity championship, the 2026 Scholar Bowl Championships! Dr. Jennifer Rukstad and Daryl Bradley, Assistant Executive Director overseeing the event, will go over all the details! Held at the Memorial Union on the University of Missouri campus, with small classes (1–3) competing Friday, May 8, and larger classes (4–6) on Saturday, May 9, We'll explain the postseason structure beginning with 48 districts and six classes, followed by a semifinal bracket to crown district champions. Quarterfinals will determine the qualifying four teams per classification for state. At the final site, the four teams for each class play pool rounds starti...

Dr. Jennifer Rukstad, Executive Director, reviews and explains all 11 proposals on the 2026 Missouri State High School Activities Association Annual Ballot. The proposals include standardizing coach/director requirements and creating an approval pathway for non-certificated coaches; multiple transfer-rule exceptions for children of active-duty military, students of non-resident school employees, and refugee/asylum students; expanding the non-school competition exception to all sports; allowing cooperative sponsorship schools to train together out of season; adding a preseason team tennis jamboree; permitting an extra speech/debate contest after April 1 and removing Friday start-time restrictions; modernizing scholar bowl limits to competition dates; and increasing dance...

2026 State Music Festival Preview | Dates, Locations & DetailsThis episode previews MSHSAA’s 2026 State Music Festival, an evaluative “festival” rather than a competitive championship, featuring state solo and ensemble events. Associate Executive Director, James Melton, shares that the festival will be held at the University of Missouri in Columbia over three days—April 30, May 1, and May 2—with school groups rotating B, then C, then A, using multiple buildings including Memorial Union. They explain classifications, district qualification via exemplary ratings (about 45% advancing), and expected participation of roughly 4,500–5,000 events representing about 7,000 students across 31–32 rooms in seven-minute recital-style performances. They cover performance ru...

Dr. Jennifer Rukstad, Executive Director of the Missouri State High School Activities Association, interviews Alex Huck, Assistant Executive Director overseeing Speech and Debate, to preview the 2026 Speech and Debate Championships. The tournament will be held April 24–25 in Springfield at Missouri State University, headquartered in Plaster Student Union and spread across campus. They explain how the championship scoring for speech and debate events work, with placements first through fourth for the two classifications. The championship schedule is also detailed leading up to Saturday's awards ceremony. Listen in as we highlight this spectacular event!

On the MSHSAA All-Access Podcast, Executive Director Dr. Jennifer Rukstad and Assistant Executive Director Alex Huck discuss the 2026 Theater Championships as part of the spring activity championship season. The championships will be held April 22–23 in the greater Springfield, Missouri area, with prelims for Readers Theater and One Act on Wednesday at Republic High School and Ozark High School, and finals on Thursday at Stratford High School. We'll explain theatre's 2 events — Readers Theater and One Act — along with how the association is looking at the growth of this activity in the hopes to possibly increase to two classes once more school...

As we dive into the Spring Sports Season we want to take a moment to recognize some special individuals. In this episode of the MSHSAA All-Access podcast we will highlight the recipients of the NFHS MSHSAA high school Coach of the Year for MSHSAA Spring Sports and their landmark seasons. Join us as we celebrate the many individuals responsible for educating and mentoring all the interscholastic athletes in our state! We will also announce the individual that received a sectional award!

Dr. Jennifer Rukstad and Toni Hill spotlight our spring sports officiating with an interview of veteran track & field official Charley Welker from SE Missouri and new official Kennede Coleman from Central Missouri. This episode will highlight the stories and experiences of two dedicated officials, showcasing how officiating has enriched their lives and the lives of many others. We get an interesting perspective between the Veteran and the Newcomer as we take this chance to thank the larger community of officials throughout the state of Missouri that dedicate their time and energy into encouraging others through this unique and rewarding...

Dr. Jennifer Rukstad, Doug Fessler, and Scott Lunte come together once again to recap the second weekend of the 2026 MSHSAA Show Me Showdown (Classes 4–6), noting the first-time split of girls (Wed–Thu) and boys (Fri–Sat) at Mizzou Arena. Join us as they review all the results from each class of girls and boys competition all the way from semifinal action to record making plays. Who earned their third straight championship? Which team shot a Show Me Showdown record with 73.5% shooting? We'll share all the details and more!!

Dr. Jennifer Rukstad, Doug Fessler, and Scott Lunte sit down to recap the first weekend of the 2026 MSHSAA Basketball Championships held at Mizzou Arena (March 11–14), featuring a new format that grouped girls (Classes 1–3) on Wednesday–Thursday and boys (Classes 1–3) on Friday–Saturday. In this wrap-up we'll highlight all the results from both the Girls & Boys games including details on player and team statistics. Find out who made it to the top and how the teams performed throughout the tournament!

Dr. Jennifer Rukstad is joined by Daryl Bradley, Assistant Executive Director and executive in charge of Wrestling, along with Scott Lunte, Communications Assistant to recap the 2026 Boys and Girls Wrestling Championships. In this episode we get to share exciting news coming up for the 2026-27 school year as this was the final year to have both genders competing simultaneously at Mizzou Arena. Listen and find out all of the details from individual champions to how teams finished throughout the event.

MSHSAA Executive Director Dr. Jennifer Rukstad, Assistant Executive Director Stephanie Turner, and Communications Assistant Scott Lunte recap the 2026 MSHSAA Girls Swimming & Diving Championships held in February at the St. Peters RECplex. Listen as they review Class 1 and 2 team standings plus individual champions with no event records broken all weekend. We'll also spend some time listening to an on-sight interview with reflections on retiring after 26+ years with coach Steve Boyce.

On this episode of the MSHSAA All-Access Podcast, Executive Director Dr. Jennifer Rukstad and Assistant Executive Director Doug Fessler, preview the 2026 MSHSAA Basketball Show-Me Showdown Championships! Join us as we highlight the two-week high school championships held at Mizzou Arena in Columbia. Classes 1-3 play March 11-14 and classes 4-6 will play March 18-21. A new schedule feature separates girls and boys tournaments and adjustments to the trophy game schedule are just a few of the topics we'll cover as we get ready for our next championship event!

Dr. Jennifer Rukstad, Executive Director of the Missouri State High School Activities Association, explains the 2026 Annual Questionnaire process, open in the last few weeks of February for member schools, with results reviewed by the Board of Directors in March for potential by-law and constitutional changes voted on via the April ballot. In this episode Dr. Rukstad highlights the varying questionnaire topics from transfer-rule proposals to tournament seeding. Join the discussion and learn what key items the membership is looking to discuss in our governance season.

The 2026 Missouri State High School Activities Association Wrestling Championships are here!! Boys & Girls, multiple classes, and endless action will all happen at Mizzou Arena in Columbia! It's a four-day marathon of matches featuring 2, 436 bouts from the best young wrestlers in Missouri! Beginning Feb. 25th - 28th, this will be the last wrestling championship for boys and girls hosted under one roof - listen and find out what exciting news we have coming for the future of boys and girls wrestling in Missouri!

Join Dr. Jennifer Rukstd, Executive Director of MSHSAA, and Stephanie Turner, Assistant Executive Director, as they preview the 2026 Girls Swimming and Diving Championships in this episode of the MSHSAA All Access Podcast. Learn about the schedule, location, and unique qualifying process for the event, as well as special insights and tips for athletes, coaches, and spectators.

In this episode of the MSHSAA All-Access Podcast, Communications Director Andrew Kauffman, along with Associate Executive Director James Melton and Assistant Executive Director Alex Huck, invite two special guests to celebrate their selections as “Directors of the Year.” Daniel Henderson, Orchestra Director for Clayton High School, and Jordan Heart, Speech and Debate Director for Jefferson City, share their passion for mentoring students and young educators. The group discusses their impact on student success, the importance of mentorship and community support, and the value of participation in activities like the arts.

Join Dr. Jennifer Rukstad and CFO/COO Craig Long in this episode as we explore another misconception in our MSHSAA Myths series. Listen as they dive into the intricate process behind selecting championship venues. Discover the evolution from early member school hosts to utilizing collegiate facilities. Learn how vital the role of community Convention and Visitors Bureau's and Sports Commissions play in organizing and supporting these events, and the importance of creating memorable experiences for student athletes. Don't miss this insightful discussion on the logistical challenges and strategic decisions that shape the hosting of high school sports...

Celebrating 100 Years: Missouri State High School Activities Association's CentennialJoin Dr. Jennifer Rukstad, Executive Director of the Missouri State High School Activities Association, and retired Senior Associate Executive Director Stacy Schroeder as they highlight the centennial year of MSHSAA. In this special episode, they delve into the Association's history, focusing on key dates leading up to its official formation on February 4th, 1926. Learn about the origins of interscholastic competition in Missouri, the pivotal role that various teaching colleges and districts played, and the milestones that marked the foundation of MSHSAA. This episode is a part of a...