The PIAA will continue with fall sports despite Gov.’s recommendations. Tom Wolf to wait until 2021.
The PIAA board of directors voted Friday to plan for the start of high school sports in the state on Aug. 24 for schools that allowed this by a vote of 25 to five. The decision comes as schools across the state continue to share the decision themselves in the coming season and many, including Harrisburg and Milton Hershey, have already called for the year.
“The PIAA Board of Directors has heard the thousands of voices from student-athletes, parents, coaches, officials and community leaders who have contacted us. We remind those individuals who have strongly advocated for athletics that they should adhere strictly to health and safety plans at school. All individuals involved in interscholastic athletic communities have a role to play in the health and wellness of all participants, ‘a PIAA press release issued after the vote.
The board also voted to monitor participation in schools in bankruptcy sports “and may pursue alternatives, if necessary,” the release reads.
PIAA Board Director Robert Lombardi stated in the availability of the media meeting that if there is an area that is not currently doing sports, “we would like to look into coming up with alternatives as it is a larger area of schools is, “which he said could mean that there might be two fall sports seasons with another coming later for those who could not participate in the original.
Lombardi said that based on current guidelines from the governor’s office, fans and spectators are not allowed to attend at the moment, but that they “continue to plead to have some spectators there, especially at least mom and dad.” He noted that media will be included in the 250 allowed for sporting events outside, but that games inside where the limit is 25 “will be difficult.”
Fall athletics was suspended for two weeks while the PIAA worked to initiate a dialogue with Wolf’s bureau on what should happen to the administration on board with falling sports in 2020. PIAA Director Director Robert Lombardi met with representatives of the office of the governor on August 14, but told PennLive that the governor’s position had not changed.
Wolf, when asked at a press conference on August 6, said that sports in high schools should be held until January 1, 2021. He later explained that although it is “a strong recommendation”, schools can “do whatever you want. ”
The position to put sports on guard is not just one shared by the governor. According to a survey of school principals by the Pennsylvania Principals Association, more than 44% of respondents agreed that sports should be discontinued until 2021. The same percentage were of the opinion that sports should be kept out of contact but contact sports such as football, field hockey and volleyball would not.
Earlier in the week, the PIAA’s Advisory Committee on Sports Medicine discussed the start of fall sports. The minutes of the meeting raised concerns about the idea of starting on Jan. 1, as it is in the middle of the flu season and there is “no guarantee that there will be better medical conditions, there are no medical or scientific reasons before January 1, and could cause staffing problems for athletic trainers and medical staff. ”
During that SMAC meeting, there was also discussion about the risks of myocarditis in high school athletes. The minutes showed discussion of a study by the American College of Cardiologists that said it was “too early to make a judgment or statement about the impact of this disease and what populations are susceptible to this disease.”
The PIAA had earlier decided to try to move forward with the start of the season back in late July with the release of Return to Competition guidelines until the governor’s announcement stops those plans. However, it was later revealed via emails that Wolf’s office had already been concerned about the restart of sports around the time the PIAA shared the guidance with the administration.
A spokeswoman for the governor’s office told PennLive on Wednesday that Lombardi had previously been made aware of Wolf’s position on a postponement of sports on July 27, despite the PIAA’s executive director later saying the answer during a press conference the governing body surprised.
– Follow Ed Sutelan on Twitter, @EdwardSutelan
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