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.

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 competition limits from five to seven contests.

2026 State Music Festival Preview | Dates, Locations & Details

This 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 rules, out-of-state adjudicators, volunteer needs, lodging/parking planning, and a centennial-year featured National Anthem moment on Lowry Mall around 12:15 with an honor guard and musicians.

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 schools build programs for competition.

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 role. We thank every official who makes sports possible and encourage others to join - we welcome you with open arms!

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!!