Michigan High School Sports Council Approves ‘Gradual’ Plan for Fall Sports

DETROIT – Fall sports for high schools in Michigan will begin with a “gradual” approach, due to COVID-19, MHSAA announced Wednesday.

The Michigan High School Athletic Association Representative Council approved the following steps to return sports to member schools, adopting a plan to participate in the fall sports competition in hopes of continuing to discourage the spread of COVID- 19.

The Council stated that lower-risk sports (lower peninsula women’s golf, lower peninsula men’s tennis and upper peninsula women’s tennis, cross-country and lower peninsula swimming and diving) may begin to practice on the 12th August and start the competition on their traditional start dates of August 19 and 21.

However, moderate and high risk sports (soccer, women’s volleyball and men’s soccer) can start practicing but not compete. Decisions about the competition deadlines for these three sports will be made before August 20.

Practice for men’s soccer and women’s volleyball can begin on August 12. Soccer will delay the start of practice with pads and complete equipment for the player until Monday, August 17. The week of August 10 may include soccer practice sessions consisting of physical conditioning. training and working skills with no other player equipment except helmets. This acclimatization week is similar to the permitted summer soccer activities that have been ongoing for schools since June.

Coronavirus Risk Table: How different sports activities are classified in terms of risk of exposure to COVID-19

The Council, the 19-member legislative body of the MHSAA, also voted in favor cancel scrimmages on all fall sports for this school year and approved limitations on the number of teams that can compete together in regular-season tournaments, invitations, and other multi-team events.

The Board believes that the elimination of practice games emphasized the importance of preventing teams from mixing before the first date of competition, and the limitations of the regular season may decrease opportunities for viral spread while allowing meetings are held.

As this remains a smooth situation, the MHSAA would publish updated deadlines for the soccer, women’s volleyball and men’s soccer competition. by August 20 It depends on how the spread of the virus is trending across the state. The plans continue to rely on sustained metrics that measure the spread and / or progression of the virus by schools and regions across the state in accordance with Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s MI Safe Start Plan. Currently, two regions are in Phase 5, allowing limited indoor activity, while the rest are in Phase 4 and cannot host indoor training, practice, or competition.

The start of volleyball and swimming and diving practices depends in part on the reopening of the indoor facilities. Those sports may begin their outdoor practices if they are not allowed to be indoors before August 12.

“Reflecting on the positive impact on their athletes this summer of participating in off-season training, the Board feels it is of utmost importance to continue sports activity in the future,” said MHSAA Executive Director Mark Uyl. “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 for returning to sports, and this phased approach to competition will help schools continue to build on progress already made.

“The Board chose to make these adjustments to help ensure that our athletes have a safe regular season this fall. As we continue to solidify the regular season, we can focus our attention on building a safe postseason for our athletes. “

The MHSAA has also published sport-by-sport guidance documents that describe increased precautions designed to limit viral spread, plus a four-page overview with precautions that generally apply to all sports and include coverage of the following topics:

• Protocol for reporting COVID-19 infections.
• Guidance on facial coatings. Athletes participating on the field / court are not required to wear face covers, but are permitted to do so. However, bank staff must wear face covers at all times.
• Transportation, use of changing rooms and cleaning of facilities.

The specific sports guidelines and summary are available on the respective sports pages of the MHSAA website, all linked from https://www.mhsaa.com/sports. Recommendations for spectator attendance will follow before the start of the competition; Spectators will be limited according to Governor Whitmer’s executive orders in large gatherings.