KHSAA says winter sports still on announced schedule

As mentioned in last week’s Times-News sports section, the KHSAA’s Board of Control was scheduled to meet last Thursday, Dec. 10. The main topic of that meeting was to consider whether to stick with the amended schedule they had announced Nov. 18 concerning practice and regular-season contests by winter sports at member schools.

Some schools had already begun their 2010 winter schedules — notably in bowling and swimming and diving — before the schools were ordered to postpone all activity on Nov. 20. The action was made “in congruence with the Governor’s order issued that day.” Other sports and sports activities affected locally basketball, wrestling, competitive cheer, and dance.

But at last Thursday’s meeting, the Board voted 12-5 to stick with the previously-announced amended schedule which called for a resumption of practice in all the aforementioned activities this Monday, Dec. 14, with the beginning — or resumption — of interscholastic competitions on Jan. 4.

Following Thursday’s session, KHSAA commissioner Julian Tackett was quoted as saying, “These are extremely complex issues. Our Board has spent and extraordinary amount of time examining every aspect surrounding the resumption of sports, particularly those that are indoors and have extreme concerns from public health officials. At the same time, there is significant data being shared about the need for students to be engaged with one another in traditional settings, be they the classroom or the athletic court or field.”

“Trying to balance competing public health concerns has been a tremendous challenge all year,” Tackett continued. “Just last week, the American Academy of Pediatrics published an article on the need to get kids back involved, while at the same time, the number of positive cases of coronavirus continues to be very high both in Kentucky and in other states. Finalizing the plan for going forward allows the member schools to use some local decision-making in areas that are concerning and adopts a blueprint for the rest of the school year.”

Locally, of course, all Ohio County schools are now on virtual or at-home instruction through the end of December.

The final part of the Board’s report included a preliminary outline of updated calendars and “important dates” for other winter sports (ie. Indoor track and field) as well as spring sports/sports activities — baseball, fast-pitch softball, tennis, archery and bass fishing. The spring sports will generally begin practice for their 2021 seasons the second week of February with competition starting in early March.