PIAA moving forward following meeting with Gov. Wolf’s office

PIAA leadership emerged from its meeting Friday with Pennsylvania Gov Tom Wolf’s office determined to proceed with a fall sports season.

“We will continue to be advocates for athletic activities,” PIAA executive director Dr. Robert Lombardi said in a release after he and members of his staff met with representatives of Gov. Wolf to discuss a path toward a fall season.

Wolf opted not to be part of the meeting, which was requested by the PIAA.

The PIAA’s momentum ground to a halt last week when Wolf strongly recommended that there be no youth sports, including high school, in the state until Jan. 1 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

That forced the state’s high school sports governing body to delay the start of fall practice by two weeks, with some leagues opting to delay by three or more weeks.

Lombardi was looking for a more declarative statement from the governor but after his comments Thursday it appears that will not be forthcoming.

Wolf indicated during a Thursday press conference that the decision to play or not should be determined by individual school districts, not mandated by the state.

That message, according to a PIAA press release, did not change Friday.

“The governor’s staff repeatedly indicated this is a local decision,” the release said.

It also said: “PIAA is very aware of the negative impact postponement of fall sports will have upon our 350,000 student-athletes and their families.”

Wolf indicated Thursday that his primary concern is a safe return to school for students across the state and he believes that a return to the field could negatively impact that if COVID-19 is spread by teams traveling outside their local areas.

“Athletes are in close contact, not just on the field but in locker rooms and in transit,” said Lyndsay Kensinger, a spokesperson for the governor. “The virus is not stopping and spreads more easily when people are in close contact.

“We want to do everything we can to create a safe environment for children to return to school. Minimizing our exposure to COVID-19 is paramount.”

The PIAA release said that its staff “discussed many different scenarios, including schools’ health and sports safety strategies, local liability protection and options for moving ahead with fall sports.”

The release continued: “PIAA is concerned that the governor’s ‘strong’ recommendation last week and comments in (Thursday’s) press conference were not based upon Pennsylvania sports specific data and the recommendation has been perceived as a mandate by member schools.”

The PIAA Board of Directors will meet Aug. 21 to discuss fall sports. It’s expected that a final decision will come out of that meeting.

On Tuesday, the state legislature’s Athletic Oversight Committee will meet to discuss plans by the PIAA and school superintendents to resume sports safely.

“Many recreation leagues were able to function without incident over the summer,” said state Sen. Scott Martin, chairman of the Athletic Oversight Committee. “I look forward to discussing ways that we can learn from their example to ensure school sports can resume in a way that ensures the health and safety of everyone involved.”