LANSING/IRON RIVER — The Representative Council of the Michigan High School Athletic Association on July 29 approved the next steps in returning sports for member schools, adopting a plan to phase in competition for fall sports in hopes of continuing to deter the spread of COVID-19.
The council affirmed that lower-risk sports – meaning girls tennis and cross country in the U.P. – will begin practice on Aug. 12 and will start their competitive schedules on time.
Locally, that means the West Iron County girls tennis team will open its season at Ishpeming on Aug. 19 and will hold its first home match on Aug. 20 against Kingsford. Wykon cross-county runners will compete in their first race as scheduled on Sept. 2 at North Central.
Forest Park does not have a girls tennis team or a cross country squad.
What the state has called “moderate and high-risk sports” – football and volleyball locally – may begin practice but not competition. Decisions about competition timelines for these sports will be made by Aug. 20.
Practice for girls volleyball may begin on Aug. 12. Football will delay the start of practice with full player pads and equipment until Monday, Aug. 17. The week of Aug. 10 may include football practice sessions consisting of conditioning, physical training and skill work with no other player equipment except helmets. This week of acclimatization is similar to allowed summer football activities that have been ongoing for schools since June.
“It was good to hear something positive from the MHSAA,” WIC athletic director and head football coach Mike Berutti said. “Although the plan is not entirely clear, the WIC athletes will be hitting the fields, courts and trails next week. Football and volleyball will begin preparing for the season even though our first contest date is still up in the air.”
(The Reporter was unable to obtain comment from Forest Park athletic director Lisa Olson prior to publication.)
The council – the MHSAA’s 19-member legislative body – also voted to cancel scrimmages in all fall sports for this school year and approved limitations on numbers of teams that may compete together at regular-season tournaments, invitationals and other multi-team events. The council believed eliminating scrimmages emphasized the importance of keeping teams from mixing before the first date of competition, and the regular-season limitations may lessen opportunities for viral spread while still allowing meets to be conducted.
As this remains a fluid situation, the MHSAA will release updated timelines for competition for football, girls volleyball and boys soccer by Aug. 20 dependent on how the spread of the virus is trending statewide. Plans remain reliant on sustained metrics measuring virus spread and/or progression by schools and regions across the state according to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s MI Safe Start Plan. Currently two regions, the Upper Peninsula and the Traverse City Region, are in Phase 5, which allow for limited indoor activity, while the rest are in Phase 4 and unable to host indoor training, practice or competition.
“The council, reflecting on the positive impact on their athletes this summer from taking part in offseason training, feels it’s of utmost importance to continue athletic activity moving forward,” MHSAA Executive Director Mark Uyl said. “If we take a month off, our students will find opportunities to compete through non-school entities that may not be as focused on safety. Our athletic directors and coaches can provide the safest-possible environment to return to sports, and this phased-in approach to competition will help schools continue building on progress already made.
“The council chose to make these adjustments to help ensure our athletes have a safe regular season this fall. As we continue to solidify the regular season, we can then turn our attention to building a safe postseason for our athletes.”
The MHSAA also has posted sport-by-sport guidance documents outlining increased precautions designed to limit the viral spread, plus a four-page overview with precautions that apply generally for all sports and include coverage of the following topics:
• Protocol for reporting COVID-19 infections.
• Guidance on face coverings. Athletes participating on the field/court are not required to wear face coverings but are allowed to do so. However, bench personnel must wear face coverings at all times.
• Transportation, use of locker rooms and facility cleaning.
Specific sport guidelines and the overview are available on the respective sport pages of the MHSAA Website, all linked from www.mhsaa.com/sports. Recommendations on spectator attendance will follow before the start of competition; spectators will be limited in accordance with Gov. Whitmer’s executive orders on large gatherings.
On July 17, the council approved a return-to-activity plan for the 2020-21 school year retaining the traditional calendar of fall, winter and spring sports, but allowing for the possibility that fall sports forced to halt activity during the next four months may conclude later in the school year.
“The easy way out would be to postpone all activity to next spring, and we are not taking the easy way out,” Uyl said. “But we will make wise decisions based on medical guidance. We will make these difficult decisions quickly and appropriately. If we don’t play this fall, it won’t be because we didn’t make every effort to do so.”
The Representative Council is the legislative body of the MHSAA. All but five members are elected by member schools. Four members are appointed by the council to facilitate representation of females and minorities, and the 19th position is occupied by the Superintendent of Public Instruction or designee.
The Michigan Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association issued a statement on July 29 supporting the MHSAA’s position and policies.
“We understand the decision to make the adjustments to the sport seasons and tournament plans that schools will follow for the 2020-2021 school year was made based on the best information available at this time, and was done so in an effort to meet the health, safety, social, and emotional needs of the students in Michigan ....
“Athletic administrators throughout the state and nation are entrusted to make sure they model for students by providing a safe, healthy and science-driven environment for our students to participate in the activities they love.”
MHSAA approves ‘phase-in’ for fall sports
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