Athletes must wear masks, state says
PIAA officials oppose the Department of Health order, but say they will comply
If nothing else, Pennsylvania high school studentathletes have learned to adapt on the fly this year.
Now, on the eve of PIAA semifinal and championship games in football, soccer, volleyball and field hockey, athletes across the state face the prospect of wearing masks during competition.
Months af ter saying masks weren’t required on the playing field or court, Pennsylvania’s Department of Health, faced with exploding coronavirus numbers, reversed course Tuesday and announced masks will be mandatory even during contests.
PIAA officials made it clear they oppose the state’s order, but for now are telling member schools they should follow the decree by state Secretary of Health Dr. Rachel Levine unless their individual school solicitors advise otherwise.
“The order says they’re to be wearing them (immediately),” Dr. Robert Lombardi, executive director of the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association, said during a virtual Board of Directors meeting Wednesday.
Lombardi said the PIAA, the state’s governing body for high school sports, reached out to the governor’s office for clarification on the issue. As in the past, when the PIAA sought guidance about the play of fall sports, the organization has received no word back.
“The order says people in competition need to wear masks so we’re going to follow that,” Lombardi said.
There are exceptions to the order, particularly if wearing a mask presents health concerns.
Lombardi said the PIAA is concerned that wearing masks in certain sports, such as wrestling and swimming, present obvious issues.
Even in basketball, he said, members of the PIAA’s Sports Medicine Advisory Committee have their concerns. What happens, Lombardi asked rhetorically, if a mask falls off and a player slips on it?
Melissa Mertz, PIAA associate executive director, said wearing masks in swimming presents a “serious issue.”
“I’m not sure all the sports were thought out (by the Department of Health),” Mertz said. “This is definitely something we need to get clarification on.”
Nothing was said about enforcement of mask wearing or penalties for noncompliance.
Meanwhile, the PIAA has not changed its stance on winter sports: It plans to forge ahead, with the start of official practice Friday.
“Our schools did a terrific job in the fall,” Lombardi said. “We need to be complimented that we are where we are, 10 days away (from championship games in football). We’re very proud of that. Our schools proved that this can be done if taken seriously, and it was.”
There will be changes for winter competition to be sure. Many issues, such as the size of state tournament fields, won’t be decided for weeks.
In wrestling, the Sports Medicine Advisory Committee suggested tournaments be limited to eight wrestlers per weight class, and that dual meets be conducted on multiple mats to facilitate in-match cleaning as a mitigation measure. If multiple mats are not available, then it was suggested the match be paused after six bouts for sanitation.
For indoor track, it was suggested that relays be dropped and that the 200-meter dash be added.
The PIAA will give schools the option to have virtual competitions in swimming and diving, bowling, gymnastics and rif le, again to mitigate spread of the virus. Schools would compete at their own site, then compare times or scores to determine winners.
It’s likely the basketball brackets will be reduced from 32 per class to something much smaller. The PIAA went to champions-only tournaments in the fall and adopted other measures to reduce travel. It’s expected to make similar modifications for the winter championships, should the season progress that far.
The Board of Directors discussed a rule that would require schools that are shut down and can’t practice for three days to have at least three consecutive days of practice upon return. The motion did not pass. It likely will be presented in another form at the December meeting.