WIAA Moves High School Soccer, Volleyball, and Women’s Soccer into Spring 2021

High school football in Washington will have to wait until spring.

The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association announced radical changes to its 2020-21 sports calendar on Tuesday due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Some low-risk sports, such as cross country, tennis, and golf, will tentatively take place as scheduled for the fall, with first practices beginning on September 7.

But higher-risk soccer and other sports will occur later in a new four-season calendar released by WIAA on Tuesday.

Soccer, women’s soccer and volleyball, which are usually played in the fall, are now slated for spring in the new WIAA Season 3. A seven-week regular season will begin on March 8, followed by two postseason weeks for soccer and one week for volleyball and soccer. .

Winter sports like basketball, wrestling, and gymnastics are still slated for winter as part of Season 2. A seven-week regular season will begin on January 11, followed by a postseason week.

Traditional spring sports such as baseball, softball, and athletics will begin later than usual in Season 4. A seven-week regular season will begin on May 3 with postseason events taking place the last weekend of June. .

But even the schedule released Tuesday is tentative. WIAA said participation in any fall sport will depend on the progression of counties through reopening phases established by Governor Jay Inslee’s Safe Start plan.

WIAA Executive Director Mick Hoffman said the State Department of Health guidelines require counties to be in Phase 3 of the Safe Start plan for low-risk sports to occur.

Currently 22 of the state’s 39 counties, including Clark County, are in Phase 2 or lower. Any change in phases freezes through July 28 due to the increase in coronavirus cases across the state.

“Please understand this is an incredibly fluid situation,” said Hoffman. “It could change tomorrow. When you look at the dates, they are definitely written in pencil. ”

The WIAA Executive Board will create benchmarks on July 28 that will be met for WIAA Season 1 to take place. If the benchmarks are not met, the board will plan to carry the rest of the fall sports into WIAA season 3.

Executive Board President Greg Whitmore said those benchmarks could include things like the number of counties in the state that are in Phase 3 to reopen and the number of schools that choose to team up in fall sports.

WIAA Season 1 includes cross country, slow pitch softball, along with golf and tennis for children. The feasibility of girls swimming and diving as season 1 sports depends on more information from the State Department of Health, the WIAA said in a statement Tuesday.

Hoffman said that, along with keeping people safe, finding a way for students to play sports in 2020-21 was a priority. Hoffman cited a Wisconsin study that measured the effects on students who were unable to play in the canceled spring 2020 season.

“First of all, we want to offer opportunities for our students,” said Hoffman. “We have been working diligently to try to find a way.”

Hoffman left open the possibility of sports taking place in school districts where in-person learning is not happening. She said districts and superintendents would have input on that decision.

Hoffman said it is unclear what the postseason competition will be like. Contests may be limited to schools in the same region of the state to minimize travel.

With the possibility of some sports overlapping, athletes who play multiple sports will be accommodated. That includes meeting some preseason practice requirements while playing a sport in the previous season.

“I hope we have some athletes from four sports,” said Hoffman.