The Alaska High School Activities Association was founded in 1957 by the territorialboard of education, when the need arose for a regulating body in local and regional basketball tournaments. By 1973, separate regions were formed for basketball competition. By 1987, ASAA became fully independent from state government control or oversight. Currently, ASAA serves as the organizing body for over 190 schools, with a combined enrollment of over 35,000 students. The current executive director is Billy Strickland. The organization is headquartered in the "U-Med District" of Anchorage.
ASAA's March Madness state basketball tournament is one of the largest yearly prep sports events in Alaska, mainly because of basketball's unrivaled popularity in rural and urban areas alike. The tournament showcases the eight best teams from 1A, 2A, 3A, and 4A classifications in standard, separate, two tiered brackets that accommodate 5th place, 3rd place, and championship games. The tournament, hence the name, takes place usually during the last half of the month of March, and has, at times in the past, taken place during the Anchorage School District’s spring break. During this event, thousands of people from all over the state of Alaska pour into Anchorage to cheer their respective local teams on, or to simply take in the basketball action. Previously, before the 2006 basketball season, the frenzied tournament action spanned across as many as three different venues in Anchorage over the course of four days with games played from as early as 8 a.m. AKST to late into the evening. However, beginning with the 2006 season and beyond, the tournament format was altered to accommodate week-long, early Monday through late Saturday play with the majority of games at all classifications played at Sullivan Arena. Sullivan Arena, primarily a hockey venue, was reconfigured to contain two full-sized basketball courts for the tournament week. Beginning in 2015, the tournament was moved into the Alaska Airlines Center, which is located on the campus of the University of Alaska, Anchorage.
High school football
The ASAA sanctions high school football at the Division I, Division II and Division III levels. Each year Alaska holds the first high school game in the nation, held usually around mid-August during summer vacation. Because of this, and the relatively short eight game season, ASAA state championship football games are played earlier than elsewhere as well, with tournament games taking place in mid-to-late October. The championship games are entitled the First National Bowl. Currently, 10 teams play at the Division I level in the Cook Inlet and Chugak conferences, while 8 teams play at the DII classification. There are 10 teams playing in the Division III classification. The Whalers of Barrow High School are the northern-most high school football team in the United States.
ASAA also regulates the statewide student government association, the Alaska Association for Student Government. This child organization includes about 150 member high schools all across Alaska. Collectively, local AASG programs serve over 25,000 young people in their home schools and statewide. The statewide organization is led by a 17-seat executive boardcomposed of students selected for either one or two-year terms.
