The VHSL Executive Committee met in special session Wednesday, July 15, for the purpose of discussing the fall sports season. The committee unanimously voted (35-0-0) to meet on Monday, July 27, to vote on the three recommended models presented at the meeting for reopening sports and activities. The committee also voted to delay the beginning of fall sports until a final decision is made on July 27. The committee also suspended the July-August dead period for 2020 which means schools can continue out-of-season practice activities.
“It’s important to remember that in all these models playing sports in the high risk category depends on being out of the current Phase III guidelines. All our efforts will continue towards advocating for the opening of sports and activities in a safe and reasonable way that will protect athletes, activity participants, coachings, officials and the public,” said VHSL executive director John W. “Billy” Haun. “The VHSL will continue making judgements based on the best available information and directives provided by the Governor, the Virginia Department of Health and the Virginia Department of Education.”
Shannon Butler, VHSL executive committee chairwoman and principal at York High School, said, “The goal in all our discussions has been to provide our student-athletes and activity participants the best opportunity to return to the playing fields, courts, track, and stages during this school year in a safe environment as possible.
“Our decision today will allow members of the executive committee to collaborate with the regions and groups that they represent to make a decision on July 27 that is in the best interest of our students; moving forward, our ultimate goal would be to have all of our student athletes the opportunity to safely represent tier schools on the playing field during the 2020-2021 school year.”
The three models presented to the Executive Committee for the opening of sports/activities are as follows:
Model 1- Leave all sports in current season. Low and moderate contact risks sports that would be allowed to play are golf and cross country. High risk sports that would not be played are field hockey, football, volleyball and cheer. Fall activities that would be allowed: theater.
Model 2- Switch fall and spring seasons. Low and moderate contact risk sports that would be allowed to play in the fall are track and field, tennis, soccer, baseball, and softball. High-risk sports that would not be played for boys/girls: lacrosse. Spring activities that would be allowed are theater, forensics/debate and film festival.
Model 3- Delay all VHSL sports and adopt the Condensed Interscholastic Plan. Leave all sports in the season where they are currently aligned.
Season 1 (Winter) December 14- February 20 (first contest date is December 28)
Season 2 (Fall) February 15- May 1 first contest date is March 1)
Season 3 (Spring) April 12- June 26 (first contest date is April 26)
What does this mean?
Model 1 outright cancels fall sports outside of golf and cross country. Theater would also be allowed. So, there would be no football, volleyball, field hockey, or cheer. Winter and spring sports would go on as planned, so long as the COVID-19 situation allowed for them.
Model 2 doesn’t nix football; it switches the seasons. Spring sports would be played in the ball, and boys and girls lacrosse wouldn’t be played due to their ‘high-risk’ status. Track and field, tennis, soccer, baseball, and softball would be played in the fall.
Model 3 has gained support on social media. Football would occur in Model 3, where all sports will be played in the spring. So, there will be no high school football this fall.
If football is played, it will be in the spring. If and only if the situation with COVID-19 allows, the season will be played.
Model 3 plans for all sports to be played, but no season for any sport would start earlier than December 28.
In all models, winter sports (basketball/wrestling) are currently not in question, as the VHSL has time before deciding on these.
Now, all of these plans go by the wayside if we don’t move out of the Phase III guidelines, or if we go back to Phase II or Phase I. If schools are closed, activities are canceled.
