After months of uncertainty regarding the viability of some high school sports in New York State, student-athletes had reason for optimism last week when Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, announced that high-risk scholastic and recreational sports could begin as early as Feb. 1, pending approval by local county health officials.
Cuomo’s Jan. 22 announcement paved the way for winter sports—including basketball, ice hockey and wrestling—that had been placed in a statewide holding pattern since the start of the winter season on Jan. 11. While low-risk sports such as bowling and indoor track have been permitted to begin their seasons, “high risk” sports have been barred from interscholastic play and limited to socially-distanced, non-contact training activities over the last several weeks.
“Effective February 1, 2021, participants in higher risk sports and recreation activities may partake in other types of play, including competitions and tournaments, only as permitted by the respective local health authorities,” Cuomo’s statement read.
The announcement comes on the heels of a flurry of increased pressure from student-athletes and coaches from around the state who have organized extensive letter-writing campaigns in order to petition elected officials to re-consider the ban on high-risk sports.
Cuomo’s acquiescence to local voices on orchestrating the restart means that the plan for high-risk sports will ultimately be dependent upon communication between athletic directors, government officials and Section I executives.
Westchester County Executive George Latimer, a Democrat, expressed excitement over the possibility of being able to provide a sports season for local high schoolers.
“[We are] working with other County Executives in the Hudson Valley for a joint announcement for HS sports,” he tweeted. “We’re all in Section One together.”
There are still questions regarding potential restarts, as safety protocols and scheduling obstacles remain regarding high-risk winter sports. Currently, the winter sports schedule is scheduled to run until March 1, at which point the Fall 2 season will be implemented, allowing those student-athletes who were unable to participate in high-risk sports in the fall—including football and volleyball—to have a shortened spring campaign.
Section I Executive Director Todd Santabarbara has scheduled a meeting with his executive committee for Jan. 25, and hopes to have more information soon. The committee will be considering local COVID-19 infection rates, the ability to comply with safety guidelines by member school districts and the added risk of a newly-discovered strain of the coronavirus as it mulls over plans.
But even though it will be up to these local leaders to hammer out the plans for a safe restart, officials—like New York State Public High School Athletics Association Executive Director Dr. Robert Zayas—maintain that the only path is through student-athletes holding themselves accountable for behavior that might threaten their chance to compete this year.
“Student-athletes, we have received authorization to start all sports seasons; how we finish the seasons will be up to you,” he said. “Please be smart, avoid social gatherings, wear your mask, be role models, listen to your coaches & parents. So excited for you to have a season.”
Contact: sports@hometwn.com
