Cross country season to start tentatively Oct. 13; end Nov. 14

Meets would take place on Saturdays due to busing

Tentative plans have been mapped out for cross-country – one of the few R.I. Interscholastic League fall sports that would be able to take place under Phase 3 guidelines.

In an email sent Tuesday by Cross-Country Director Keith Lawton to high school coaches, it states that if everything checks out, the 2020 cross-country season would begin on Oct. 3 with the first of four dual meets and conclude with the state meet on Nov. 14. The first of official practice would be Sept. 14.

“The RIIL is firm in their commitment to help the cross-country community present the best and safest opportunity for the athletes, coaches, and officials,” Lawton wrote to the coaches. “As the fall progresses, some of the plans will be fine-tuned so be flexible and willing to work with us.”

One noteworthy development would be staging all meets on Saturdays, a move that eliminates the need to rely on buses during the week at a time when districts are still trying to figure out how to safely transport students to and from school amidst protocols for social distancing.

Right now, the R.I. cross-country schedule would consist of the following races: Oct. 3 – Dual Meet No. 1

Oct. 10 – Dual Meet No. 2

Oct. 17 – Dual Meet No. 3

Oct. 24 – Dual Meet No. 4

Oct. 31 – Freshmen & Junior Varsity State Meet

Nov. 7 – Varsity Class Meets

Nov. 14 – Varsity State Meets

The email cautioned that plans have not been firmed for the dual meets and won’t be until race officials receive guidance on how the actual races will be run. Another issue that needs to be resolved is the weekend availability of the facility (state park, town park, or school site) used by the host school.

“As of this moment, we hope that all dual meets will allow you to run the entire roster in one race, but we may receive instructions that we will have to run in small heats or separate varsity and JV heats,” Lawton wrote. “There have also been suggestions that larger meets like the class and state meets will be run in heats of 25-30 kids per heat. Even the method to qualify for states may be adjusted this year. Everything is on the table and nothing is decided yet.”