Some flout guidelines, but high school sports are moving forward — including basketball
Although there have been a few reasons for worry, the first week of high school football and other sports went largely without incident across the state and the Kentucky High School Athletic Association’s Board of Control on Wednesday moved forward with plans for basketball and other winter sports.
However, KHSAA Commissioner Julian Tackett told the board at its work session Wednesday that a couple of schools in south-central Kentucky are “totally ignoring any of the guidance” on COVID-19 protocols.
“We already have a couple of school systems that are, I would say, in danger of getting a letter from us that recommends they not hold any competition,” Tackett said during the board’s morning work session.
Guidance includes recommendations that players who are not in active competition and fans, administrators and officials wear masks and maintain social distancing at games.
Tackett declined to identify the offending schools. He emphasized the KHSAA will follow up on reports of schools not following health recommendations, but he said he prefers to address those situations with the schools themselves and allow them the opportunity to adapt and correct.
“The point that we really need to make here and we need to make to the audience if there is anyone listening, especially in some of our activities is the virus is not over,” Tackett said. “It’s not business as usual just because we got to play a few games last week, and we’re going to have to moderate our steps going forward.”
Early in the meeting, the KHSAA addressed the letter from the Kentucky Board of Education seeking more information about the KHSAA’s COVID guidance. In its response, the KHSAA clarified that materials issued thus far plus the KHSAA’s bylaws speak to most if not all of the KBE’s requests and reiterated its commitment to continue to work with the KBE and state department of education moving forward.
Volleyball changes
One of the biggest changes approved at the meeting was to the format of the state volleyball tournament. Normally held among the 16 region champions at one site at Valley High School in Louisville, this year’s tournament will begin its first round at individual sites based on a blind draw. Then the quarterfinals, semis and finals will move to Valley on Nov. 6-7.
The volleyball “semi-state” round will be split into draws among eight western regions and eight eastern regions, respectively, with host sites being among those schools.
Currently, volleyball teams are prohibited by the KHSAA’s COVID guidance from participating in tournament events larger than eight teams, and reducing the state tournament to eight teams on one site is in keeping with that.
Basketball changes
The concern over the overuse of gyms during the pandemic also prompted the KHSAA to delay the start of basketball practice to Oct. 26, 11 days later than originally scheduled in order to accommodate volleyball and their district tournaments, which begin Oct. 19.
The board made no changes to the basketball season. Games are OK to begin Nov. 23.
Other sports
In other action, the board:
▪ Allowed the KHSAA to consider and implement alternative sites for the boys’ and girls’ state golf tournaments as the current site, Bowling Green Country Club, remains in a COVID-19 hot spot according to state health data. There are no plans to change the site at this time. Tackett said other sites in counties surrounding Bowling Green are being reviewed. The boys’ tournament is set for Oct. 6-7 with the girls playing Oct. 9-10.
▪ Agreed to expand the state cross country meet over the entire weekend of Oct. 30 through Nov. 1 in order to better spread out the classes over those days because of COVID. The meet is normally competed on one day at the Kentucky Horse Park.
▪ Moved the start of wrestling practice to Nov. 2 with competitions beginning Dec. 7. Tackett said schools should keep wrestling meets small early in the season. Wrestling is deemed a high-risk sport, but Tackett said they are looking to get more information from some of the sport’s national bodies before making substantive changes. Those discussions are set to happen before the season starts, Tackett said.
▪ Moved the start of swimming and diving practice to Nov. 2 with competitions beginning Nov. 16.
▪ Approved competitive cheer and dance to begin practice Monday.
