FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. The Florida High School Athletics Board voted Friday to begin practice for football and other fall sports Aug. 24. And games less than two weeks later, and pushed up the advice of their medical experts, who said competition for at least should not start again six weeks because of the coronavirus outbreak.
The board of the Florida High School Athletic Association voted 11-5 to begin practice this month.
It’s a plan endorsed by its executive director, George Tomyn, though it could mean the state’s largest counties – Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach – plus some others with major eruptions may choose to delay their seasons. and forget participation in the statewide playoffs.
Football games and other leagues could begin Sept. 4, but the 67 countywide school districts plus private schools will have to resume by Sept. 18 if they want to qualify for the state playoffs.
If a district decides to delay its season and not participate in the playoffs, its teams will be allowed to extend their regular seasons. Other influential sports include girls’ swimming and diving, land, golf, bowling and volleyball.
Carlos Ochoa, a Miami-Dade board member who introduced the proposed measure, said it gives districts and schools the most flexibility. Gov. Ron DeSantis has called on schools to reopen, including the reimbursement of sports.
“Not everyone will be the same with this situation, because of what is in front of us,” Ochoa said at the Gainesville board meeting. “The reality is that the unknown has been there, he is here today and we do not know how long it will remain a part of us.”
The association’s vote shrugged off the recommendation of its medical advisory council, which asked not to restart sports until Sept. 28. No province meets all the criteria recommended by the board for the reimbursement of sports.
These include, for two weeks, having both a decline in reported daily cases and a positivity rate on tests below 5 percent.
“Until this virus gets the respect it deserves to rest, sports will add fuel to the fire,” said Dr. Jennifer Maynard, head of the medical advisory committee.
The board’s decision came shortly after Florida announced 229 new confirmed coronavirus deaths, the sixth time in two weeks it has broken the 200 barrier.
That brings Florida’s deaths to a total of 9,276 since March. Last week, Florida averaged 175 reported deaths from coronavirus per day – only Texas has a higher average, 212, but it also has 50 percent more residents.
The state reported more than 6,200 newly confirmed cases, totaling over 563,000. The positivity rate for testing remained at 12.8 percent last week.
