The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Lorain cancels football, all fall contact sports
Fall sports teams at Lorain City Schools received the worst news they could have hoped for this week.
Several of Lorain’s fall sports teams, including football, received the worst news they could have hoped for Aug. 10.
Their seasons were canceled due to continued concerns about the safety of contact sports during the novel coronavirus pandemic.
The decision was announced at a Board of Education meeting Aug. 10 by CEO Jeff Graham. It came after the district had announced it was suspending fall sports Aug. 4.
“I’m not convinced there’s a way we can do it safely,” Graham said. “I’m not sure how you can play football without getting within six feet of each other and breathing heavily on each other. In volleyball, there are collisions at the net, in soccer there’s a lot of huddling, mingling and slamming of bodies.
“After a lot of thought and discussion and talking with many experts, I am not convinced we can keep our children and therefore their families safe.”
With the decision, Lorain becomes the first high school in the county to officially cancel its fall sports season.
“Consulting over the course of the last few months with various health professionals and other individuals, we have yet to talk to anyone that has given us any assurance that contact sports are safe,” Athletic Director Bryan Koury said.
“I’m not sure how you can play football without getting within six feet of each other and breathing heavily on each other. In volleyball, there are collisions at the net, in soccer there’s a lot of huddling, mingling and slamming of bodies.” – Lorain Schools CEO Jeff Graham, on canceling fall contact sports
“And we all know that from the data that has come out with kids that are high school or middle school aged, that the adverse effects to them is not as serious as it is to the elderly and people with compromised immune systems.
“So the concern is kids passing among each other and taking it home to their parents or grandparents.”
Several Cuyahoga County schools in The Morning Journal’s coverage area postponed athletics and extracurriculars within the first week of August. As of Aug. 10, all had returned to some form of practicing.
The Titans’ football, volleyball and boys and girls soccer teams all began their official fall practices in the three days before the district postponed athletics.
“Ultimately, there’s a reason that contact sports have been closed for as long as they have,” Koury said. “If (medical professionals) would have felt comfortable with contact sports commencing, we would have been having them over the last few months.”
Final decisions have yet to be made on cross county and golf, despite cross country being deemed low-contact by the governor’s office and the state’s Department of Health. Koury and other decision makers at Lorain are still waiting for more information.
“For cross country, we’re still evaluating that situation because a lot of it will come down to how meets are run,” Koury said. “We just don’t have enough information at this stage. We know that cross country training is safe, but whether or not the meets will be is to be determined.”
As of Aug. 11, non- and low-contact sports are still permitted to play as several area schools have already participated in golf invitationals since the opening of the fall sports season Aug. 1.
“Ultimately, there’s a reason that contact sports have been closed for as long as they have.” Lorain AD Bryan Koury