Changes for athletics in high school in Wisconsin
The WIAA has recommended changes for bankruptcy among state high schools.
MADISON – The body that governs Wisconsin’s high school sports on Friday approved a major overhaul to structure structures into the new school year, including extending games and extending seasons outside of state championship tournaments.
The Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association said the changes are designed to give athletes the best chance to play because the coronavirus threatens to compete in competition.
The plans could allow a fifth quarter in football games and extra innings in baseball and softball games to give reserves a chance on the field. Teams eliminated from postseason tournaments would be allowed to schedule additional games until the school season officially ends. In the past, tournament elimination meant the end of a team’s season.
“We want schools to plan where and when they can, every opportunity they get.” WIAA executive director Dave Anderson said. “We want to find a way to give a child a chance.”
The plan also eliminates the minimum number of games needed to qualify for play after the tournament season and allows athletes to participate in two tournaments with their club teams during their school season. Currently, they can only play one club game during their school season. Schools that choose to leave their conference to find games would not face any sanctions.
The WIAA control board took the plan unanimously with little discussion.
The board voted last month to delay the start of the fall sport, by several weeks, with low-risk sports such as golf starting Monday and high-risk sports such as football and volleyball starting September 7th.
The board also urged the WIAA to come up with a plan to move schools from the sport to the spring. Anderson presented on Friday a reduced season schedule that football has with effect from March 8th. The fall seasons would overlap with spring sports, including baseball and softball, but Anderson said athletes could play their fall and spring sports at the same time. The board adopted the scheme unanimously.
The votes came after Dr. Tim McGuine of the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine gave a presentation on how a lack of sports leads to depression and mental health issues among high school athletes, especially bad athletes who do not have other social outlet.
He said the risk of transmitting coronavirus through sports in high schools was low, but “the consequences of not playing are pretty intense.”
“These chances are limited by the school year or by the fall or spring or whatever then only these symptoms will increase,” he said. “High school sports should be offered as a crucial and necessary intervention to help children stay healthy.”
