League waiting on state guidelines to decide if it will go with three- or four-season model
The Independent
The Rhode Island Interscholastic League has a blueprint of possibilities and a start date for sports in the 2020-21 academic year, but no final decisions have been made about what the upcoming fall season will look like on fields and courts around the Ocean State.
The league shared its thinking on Wednesday in a virtual press conference and in a presentation titled “The Safe Return of Education-Based Athletics” that was sent to member schools. The Principals’ Committee on Athletics – the league’s governing body – has voted to delay the start of fall sports practices from Aug. 17 to Sept. 14. While the league unveiled a model for fall sports and beyond that could be implemented under current state guidelines, no decision will be made until after Aug. 17, once schools have settled on in-person classes, virtual learning, or a hybrid approach.
“We’re trying to make the best decisions for our state and the situation we’re in,” said RIIL Executive Director Mike Lunney. “I just
“I just want those kids to know that we know how important it is to them, and that we’re going to do everything we can to make it happen.”
— RIIL Executive Director Mike Lunney
want those kids to know that we know how important it is to them, and that we’re going to do everything we can to make it happen.”
Unlike its stance in the spring that contributed to the outright cancellation of sports, the league’s current plans could fit within any academic model chosen by a school, even virtual learning.
The Principals Committee on Athletics said in the spring that sports would not be played if schools were not holding in-person classes. The change reflects the differing environments between then and now, with essentially all sports around the country canceled in the spring.
“It kind of affected every single kid across the country,” Lunney said. “Even though education continued, sports were not allowed. At this point the difference is that sports are allowed based on the governor’s guidance. The ultimate decision will rest with our member schools in what sports they will support. What we’re trying to do is put together a plan that will fit any model that is out there as far as education. If it’s in-person learning, if it’s a hybrid, if it’s total distance learning, this model would fit.”
Athletes who have been participating in summer workouts with their coaches can continue that arrangement through Aug. 31 as the league announced an extension of the coaches contact period, but the finish line for that work remains undefined.
With all that’s up in the air, the league is aiming to provide a pathway for schools to follow, once larger decisions have been made.
“To date, our schools really don’t know what school is going to look like,” Lunney said. “They’ve submitted plans but they haven’t heard back on exactly what it’s going to look like, and it could look different across our state. It’s not going to be one cookie-cutter approach. Once schools know what schools look like, then they can say, ‘How can athletics be part of that equation?”
The presentation sent to schools highlighted challenges that athletic departments face and provided guidance on issues like transportation, budgets, spectators and safety protocols.
The proposed model included in the presentation, which offers a four-season framework, offers a glimpse of what the year could look like. Under the current stage of Rhode Island’s reopening plan, the only fall sports that could be played are boys and girls cross country, girls tennis and cheerleading. If the proposed model is adopted, those sports would be played this fall, with practices beginning Sept. 14 and games in a six-week regular season starting Oct. 2. Under that system, the other fall sports – football, field hockey, girls volleyball, unified volleyball and boys and girls soccer – would be moved to “Season 3” in the spring. The usual spring sports would be played in the fourth season, after the rescheduled fall campaign, a setup that would allow athletes to participate in their chosen sports without conflict from sports they may play in other seasons.
If guidelines
allow,
the sports not currently permitted could get the green light and would then follow the same fall calendar as cross country, tennis and cheerleading.
“If all fall sports are able to go, then we would not need this model,” Lunney said. “If there’s any offering in the fall that we cannot provide, we are going to be looking to go to this model.”
Whatever shape the sports calendar takes, the aim of the league’s guidance is to foster a safe and realistic return to athletics. When it comes to possible spikes in virus cases, the league will allow schools to have flexibility in managing their schedules. In the event of a positive test for an athlete, member schools would be required to follow all directives from the Department of Health and local school districts. In tandem with guidance from the National Federation of State High School Associations, the league would mandate social distancing on sidelines, masks for coaches, staff and players not involved in game play, proper sanitization methods and a limit on celebrations.
The league is recommending one game per week in each sport and the utilization of weekends for game play, which would minimize transportation difficulties. Reducing the number of games played and the length of the season should create cost savings, the league said. Spectators will be limited based on restrictions outlined by the Department of Health.
The league is also encouraging schools to educate staff through an NFHS online course.
Lunney said consideration was given to trading contact sports like football to the spring for sports like baseball and softball, but that the league decided against that approach.
“Could we move spring sports to the fall because they fit within the guidance? Yes, we could,” Lunney said. “But we don’t know where we’re going to be in a month, number one, and there’s a tremendous amount of planning that has to be put into place for everything. Our goal is to provide as many traditional fall sports as we can in the fall. But I think the most important reason we’re not looking at that model right now is that would put kids into a situation where they may have to choose between sports they play. We want to try to get every kid the opportunity to play their sport.”
Amid all the considerations and contingencies, Lunney said that remains the ultimate goal.
“My message to student-athletes would be that we’re doing everything in our power to give them those opportunities that only come around once in a lifetime for kids,” Lunney said. “Some of those decisions we had to make in the spring and even at the end of the winter were so difficult because we knew what the impact would be.”