CHARLOTTESVILLE, Virginia (WDBJ) – TO UPDATE: The League of Virginia High Schools voted Monday morning to adopt the third model to reopen sports and activities for the upcoming school year with a 34-1 vote.
The plan involves delaying all sports seasons to a condensed schedule, which will tentatively start December 14 for winter sports and end June 26 with spring sports. The full tentative schedule for the third model can be found below.
“We all understand the physical and mental health benefits of getting our students back to a level of engagement. The condensed interscholastic plan leaves open the opportunity to practice all sports in all three seasons if Virginia moves beyond Phase III and / or the Phase III guidelines are revised and high risk activities are allowed, ”said Billy Haun , Executive Director of VHSL. “This plan also provides schools with the opportunity to open the year and start school and address issues such as schedules, academic plans, transportation, and the treatment of possible COVID outbreaks at school.
“The VHSL will continue to work closely with the best available information and directives provided by the Governor, the Virginia Department of Health (VDH), and the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE).”
ORIGINAL HISTORY: The Virginia High School League will meet Monday morning to vote on three recommended models to reopen sports and activities for the 2020/2021 school year. Sports events have been out of hours in recent months due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Check out Monday’s vote at 9 a.m. on the WDBJ7 Facebook page. You can also see here.
The VHSL Executive Committee met in special session on Wednesday, July 15 to discuss the fall sports season and voted unanimously to meet on Monday, July 27 to make a decision. The committee also voted to delay the start of fall sports until a final decision is made on July 27, and suspended the deadline from July to August for 2020, meaning schools can continue practice activities outside seasonal.
“It is important to remember that in all of these models, playing sports in the high-risk category depends on being outside the current Phase III guidelines. All of our efforts will continue to advocate opening sports and activities in a safe and reasonable manner that protects athletes, activity participants, coaches, officials and the public, “said Dr. John W.” Billy “Haun, Executive Director of VHSL…” The VHSL will continue to make judgments based on the best available information and directives provided by the Governor, the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) and the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE ) “.
Shannon Butler, chair and chair of the VHSL executive committee at York High School, said: “The goal in all of our discussions has been to provide our student athletes and activity participants the best opportunity to return to the playing fields, courts, tracks and settings during this school year in a safe environment as possible. “
She continued: “Our decision today will allow executive committee members to collaborate with the regions and groups they represent to make a decision on July 27 that is best for our students; Keep going: Our ultimate goal would be for all of our student athletes to have the opportunity to safely represent their schools on the field of play 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 – Drop all sports in the current season. The low and moderate contact risks in the sports they would be allowed to play are golf and cross country. High-risk sports that would not be played include field hockey, soccer, volleyball, and cheer. The fall activities that would be allowed is theater.
Model 2 – Change the seasons of fall and spring. Low and moderate contact risk sports that they 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 are lacrosse boys / girls. Spring activities that would be allowed are theater, coroner / 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 – December 28)
- Season 2 (Fall) February 15 – May 1 (Date of the first contest – March 1)
- Season 3 (spring) April 12 – June 26 (Date of the first contest – April 26)
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