Concord — Efforts by the New Hampshire Interscholastic Athletic Association intended to make golf more appealing, preseason football safer and cheerleading open to more participants were among the announcements on Thursday at the organization’s annual media day.

Executive director Jeff Collins said NHIAA golf teams in Divisions II, III and IV will pilot use of the Stableford scoring system this autumn. Instead of stroke play, which rewards the lowest score, the goal in a Stableford competition is to have the highest number of points.

Stableford scoring results in 6 points for a double eagle, 5 for an eagle, 4 for a birdie, 3 for par, 2 for a bogey and 1 for double bogey. Above that, a golfer picks up his or her ball and earns no points.

“This came from our coaches on the golf committee,” Collins said. “We’re starting to see lower numbers (of high school golfers) and they felt we had to do something to keep kids from being discouraged, to help them feel like they’re part of the team.

“This way, one bad hole’s not going to kill you. You can pick (the ball) up and still contribute.”

Collins said the new method also will speed play, which will be helpful for matches later in the fall, when encroaching darkness becomes an issue. The system is named for Dr. Frank Barney Gorton Stableford, who invented it in the late 1800s. It was first used in competition in England in 1932.

The NHIAA this year implemented a football practice start date that, depending on a school’s schedule, was three to five days later than in past years. It’s also using a 14-day acclimatization requirement that spreads contact practices out over a longer duration.

“Cutting those days off reduces the amount of concussive hits student-athletes are exposed to and helps with heat-related illness at the beginning of the season,” Collins said. “We’re following recommendations from the National Athletic Trainers Association.”

Some Upper Valley football coaches have wondered aloud if the loss of practice days inhibits players from learning proper contact form and leaves them less prepared for the start of the season. They contend such a situation can add to safety concerns, not reduce them.

“We’ve heard that … and we’ll have some ongoing dialogue,” Collins said. “Everyone’s got the same amount of preparation time and they’re going to have to do a lot more teaching in the classroom before they implement it on the field.”

This season’s NHIAA championship football games will take place over the course of two weekends at the University of New Hampshire. The Division IV title clash will be on Nov. 10 and Divisions I, II and III will stage their championships on Nov. 17.

NHIAA teams compete for annual titles in fall and winter cheer, which involve choreographed dance and acrobatic moves set to music. Collins said the organization is now sanctioning a different discipline called game day cheer.

“It’s really focused on old-school cheerleading and takes away the cost of copyrighted music and a choreographer,” he said. “Some teams can’t afford that and some don’t have a coach qualified to teach these stunts.”

Collins said there will be no championships for game day cheer, but that students from a school may compete in both styles. Maine and Rhode Island have introduced similar, pilot programs, he said, and Vermont and Massachusetts have more established versions.

Notes: The NHIAA has stopped charging radio and streaming outlets $50 for each game they want to broadcast. … The organization’s annual meeting is on Sept. 17, and former New Hampshire chief justice John T. Broderick, Jr., will speak about lessening the stigma of mental illness. … The state’s outdoor high school track championships will be held at UNH during a two-day period. The Division I meet will be on a Friday night and the smaller classifications will be staged the next day. … The 2018 class for the NHIAA Hall of Fame will be inducted Nov. 18 at a Concord conference center. Longtime Exeter football coach Bill Ball headlines the group. … Kingswood High has installed a system of automated and unmanned cameras in its gymnasium and on an outdoor field. These allow coaches to record practices and games and for competitions to be streamed live, albeit without commentary, graphics and zoom features. Collins said the National Federation of High Schools is helping members obtain discounts on such systems. Word at the meeting was that more are coming to other Granite State schools in the near future.

Tris Wykes can be reached at twykes@vnews.com or 603-727-3227.