05/23/2020
Parameters are set for the return of high school sports
By Drew Markol
Posted May 20, 2020 at 1:30 PM
The National Federation of State High School Associations, which released a 16-page document to serve as a guideline for a return to normalcy in a COVID-19 world.
In an effort to provide direction for bringing back fall sports during the coronavirus pandemic, the National Federation of State High School Associations released a comprehensive document on Tuesday outlining what it would take.
The NFSHSA, the governing body and rule maker for the majority of high school athletics nationwide, provided a list of precautionary measures that must take place before any contact play could resume. Until a valid treatment or vaccine is available, or herd immunity is reached, preventive measures such as social distancing and face covering should be used if practices or games are to take place in the fall.
The remainder of the Pennsylvania high school spring sports seasons were officially canceled on April 9 after being postponed in mid-March. The state basketball playoffs were also canceled that day after being postponed before the quarterfinal rounds began.
The federation recommended that athletes wear cloth face masks in order to prevent the spread of the virus and also in the event of an outbreak, teams would need to prepare to self-isolate for two or three weeks during the season.
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“We will do whatever needs to be done in the hope that the kids just get a chance to play,” Conwell-Egan football coach Jack Techtmann said. “Like everybody else, we’re just waiting to see what happens and have our kids working out on their own trying to stay in shape.”
The NFSHSA introduced three phases that should be reached before a full return to sports could be made and also split up all high school sports into three categories based on risk: Lower Risk, Moderate Risk and Higher Risk. Recommendations from health and government officials will be used to determine movement through each phase.
* Lower Risk sports are defined as “sports that can be done without social distancing or individually with no sharing of equipment or the ability to clean the equipment between use by competitors.” Examples: individual running events and cross country, and individual swimming and golf, among others.
* Moderate Risk sports are those “sports that involve close, sustained contact, but with protective equipment in place that may reduce the likelihood of respiratory particle transmission between participants or intermittent close contact or group sports or sports that use equipment that can’t be cleaned between participants.” Examples: basketball volleyball, baseball, softball, soccer, gymnastics, ice hockey, field hockey, tennis, swimming relays and girls lacrosse.
* Higher Risk sports are “sports that involve close, sustained contact between participants, lack of significant protective barriers, and high probability that respiratory particles will be transmitted between participants.” Examples: wrestling, football, boys lacrosse, and competitive cheer and dance.
“Everybody would have to do their part to make this work,” Palisades football coach Ramie Moussa said. “I’m optimistic that it can happen. If we listen to the authorities and do what we need to do I think there is a great chance we play.
“The science and everything else will tell us if we’ll be able to, but we need everyone involved doing the right thing.”
It’s possible some fall sports could be played while others aren’t.
“We’re all in this together,” said Council Rock South boys cross-country coach Paul Wilson, who was the longtime coach at Central Bucks East.
“It’s incumbent of us to support each other rather than strike out on our own. If it is safe for one of us it should be safe for all of us.”
Here is the breakdown of the three phases:
Phase 1: The NFHSSA recommends zero equipment sharing and other shared equipment, such as balls, should be properly cleaned after each usage. Balls should not be passed between athletes, and students should remain six feet apart. Gatherings of no more than 10 people are required and locker rooms will remain closed.
Phase 2: This allows up to 50 people to gather outdoors and 10 people indoors with social distancing for workouts. Locker rooms can reopen at this stage. All participants will have to be screened for symptoms prior to practices or workouts in the first two phases. At this point, Lower Risk sports will be allowed to resume. Modified practices for Moderate Risk sports can begin.
Phase 3: This allows gatherings of up to 50 people for outdoor and indoor activities. Athletes should maintain 3-6 feet apart when not involved in competition or workouts.
Moderate Risk sports may resume, while Higher Risk sports will be allowed to hold modified practices.
A reassessment of epidemiology and the experiences of other levels of competition would determine when Higher Risk sports could fully return.
Athletes, coaches, officials, event staff, medical staff and security are considered “essential” personnel while media is characterized as “preferred.”
Spectators and vendors are considered “non-essential.” Only essential and preferred personnel will be allowed at events until restrictions on mass gatherings are lifted.
“There are so many questions that need to be answered about health and safety with all of this,” former Archbishop Wood football coach Kyle Adkins said. “That is obviously the main thing for everyone involved.
“But if you just look at the games and what could happen there are also a lot of questions. What happens if you have a player that is affected and you have to quarantine everyone for two weeks? What happens to those games you were supposed to play? Do you have to forfeit? Does it become a case of the last team standing at the end wins?
“There are just so many things that have to be figured out.”
The National Federation of State High School Associations, which released a 16-page document to serve as a guideline for a return to normalcy in a COVID-
