The Great Plains Schools for the Deaf conference, which involves eight neighboring state schools for the deaf. GPSD – Arkansas School for the Deaf- ASD, Iowa School for the Deaf – ISD, Kansas School for the Deaf – KSD, Missouri School for the Deaf – MSD, Minnesota State Academy for the Deaf – MSAD, New Mexico School for the Deaf – NMSD, Oklahoma School for the Deaf – OSD, and Wisconsin School for the Deaf – WSD. Great Plains School for the Deaf’s athletic conference was established in 1989.
In 1925, Mr. Arthur Norris, Vocational Principal of the Missouri School for the Deaf, along with his father, Arthur Norris, Sr., Dr. O.M. Pettenger, and John Travic, organized a basketball tournament to be known as the Central States Schools for the Deaf (CSSD) Tournament. This first tournament was held at the Indiana School for the Deaf.
The popularity of the CSSD tournament soon led to other regional tournaments such as the Mason-Dixon, Eastern, Midwestern, and New England tournaments. The winners of these regional tourneys would then meet to determine a national champion. The National tournament has been discontinued because of restrictions from State High School activities Associations, in which all schools are members.
The CSSD tournament is the oldest regional tournament among schools for the deaf in the world. It was suspended in 1941 because of WWII. The tournament lay dormant until Illinois School for the Deaf, coach Mike Moore brought back to life in 1971. Girls’ teams were added to the tournament for the first time in 1980 at Missouri School for the Deaf.
In 1989, the tournament was divided into an eastern tournament; retaining CSSD name, and a western tournament; to be known as the Great Plains Schools for the Deaf (GPSD) tournament.
The GPSD girls’ volleyball tournament was first formed in 1989, and Minnesota State Academy for the Deaf was the first host on (October 6-7, 1989) The five participating schools in this first tournament included Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska. .and Kansas School for the Deaf won the first volleyball championship.
The first GPSD Basketball tournament was held at Kansas School for the Deaf in Olathe, KS on January 25-27,1990. The eight (8?) participating schools in this first tournament included Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Oklahoma, Kansas School for the Deaf won the first girls championship and Oklahoma School for the Deaf won the first boys championship.
The first GPSD Track & Field was held at the Missouri School for the Deaf in Fulton, MO on April 28, 1990. The seven participating schools in this first tournament included Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, and Wisconsin. Missouri School for the Deaf won the first girls Track & Field championship and Wisconsin School for the Deaf won the first boys Track & Field championship.
The cheerleading competition were added in 1991 at Nebraska School for the Deaf and Oklahoma School for the Deaf won the first Cheerleading Championship.
The first academic bowl was held at Missouri in 1993 then added Biathlon , now triathlon with ASL and Academic Bowl.
The current GPSD membership is comprised of 8 schools for the Deaf, Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Wisconsin.
