A surprise announcement by the Section I Athletics Executive Committee last week proved to be a pleasant surprise for area student-athletes still holding out hope for a winter season. On Jan. 27, the committee officially gave the green light for “high risk” winter sports to return. Although there are still details that need to be ironed out, as of Feb. 1 local athletes can begin to train in earnest for interscholastic competition.
The announcement came on the heels of a Jan. 22 reversal by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, that put the decision to restart sports that had been deemed “high-risk” by the New York Department of Health, DOH, in the hands of local officials. Previously, guidance from the DOH had barred sports in which it was believed that contact between players could lead to increased transmission of the coronavirus.
“This is an exciting step toward some sense of normalcy for all student-athletes in Section One; we acknowledge and value the benefits that school-based sports bring to the overall educational experience,” Section I Executive Director Todd Santabarbara said. “We will be focused on supporting our student-athletes and their safe participation in these sports.”
According to the announcement, the “high-risk” winter season will stretch from Feb. 1 to March 14, overlapping with the start of the Fall II season—which will feature high-risk sports that were barred from athletic participation in the fall—by eight days. The Fall II season will run until April 25, while the spring sports season is slated to begin on April 19 and run through June 13.
Hockey and basketball teams starting on Feb. 1 will be allowed to play a maximum of 12 games this winter, while wrestling teams will be allowed to schedule a maximum of 12 dual-meets. Athletes will be required to wear masks at all times during competition, although it is still being decided whether or not the mask rule will be enforced for wrestlers. As in the fall, modified sports programs have been canceled but school districts reserve the right to offer junior varsity athletics.
One of the biggest changes from the fall sports campaign is the indoor spectator policy, however. Under Section I’s winter rules, fans will be barred from attending any indoor competitions. The lone exception will be made on each school’s designated “Senior Day,” when each home athlete will be allowed to invite two spectators.
Although sectional and state tournaments for high-risk winter and fall sports have been canceled, no decisions have yet been made to scrap state-wide postseason play for the spring sports season.
