When the strangest and most attractive year of our lives ended in the strike on Friday morning, a quick reminder was issued that we are nowhere near leaving the woods, not even when it comes to sports.
“At this time, there is no definitive schedule to allow high-risk sports to resume competition,” New York State High School Athletic Association executive director Robert Zayas tweeted Wednesday night.
Basketball, wrestling, cheerleading and ice hockey are suspended indefinitely, winter sports are considered “high risk” for COVID-19, and to the great dismay of those involved. When those sports can begin, we will decide through the Department of Health and Governor Andrew Cuomo.
One positive sign, however, is that “low-risk” sports get the soft green light to start Monday. Throughout Sections 1 and Nine, peak athletics, kids, swimming, gymnastics, skiing, bowling, and fencing groups will begin training, with the festival for some beginning as early as the week. following. Section nine had postponed its fall season entirely and those sports will be the first of the school year.
Of course, there will be restrictions, as noted in the fall sports season in segment 1. Masks and social distancing regulations will apply, spectators will be banned, and there will be travel limits. , which according to the directors will impose stricter regulations.
► Varano and Kohut lead N. Rockland’s daughters to the consecutive bowling title
► FDR’s Sarah Trainor wins gold in state runner and boxing competition
► Lee and DiSanto lead Section 1 in the National Swimming Championship
► Caitlin Pellegrino dominates the section 1 gymnastics championships
Some sports will compete virtually. Plexiglass walls will be installed on the bowling alleys, while athletic organizers will have the option of taking their season indoors outdoors and in the cold.
Among the low-threat winter sports, swimming will probably be the top this season with virtual competitions. In Sections 1 and 9, each team will swim on their occasions and will be timed through the officials, and the times will be compared to their conflicting parties on the scoreboard.
This is in addition to the distancing requirements, which the coaches will be guilty of enforcing. Swimmers will have designated stations on the pool deck and will be allowed out. There they will wait while they prepare their event.
“We’ve had an assembly with the kids before and I emphasized what this is like,” said North Rockland swim coach Dave Holmes. “I think they can adapt very quickly. It is the least restrictive environment and allows us to adhere to the mandate of the state. “
The shortage of places to swim was a factor that increased last summer and fall and led to the postponement of the women’s swimming season until March. This remains a fear as the high and middle school pools remain closed.
According to Holmes, the amenities are “rare. ” But the expectation and hope of the coaches is that some pools will open in January. SUNY Purchase and Westchester Community College are now expected to host several meetings.
“But if they don’t open,” Holmes said, “many groups will have nowhere to swim. “
North Rockland’s most sensible swimmer is Tim Engel, a Cal State-Bakersfield entry who finished fourth in the 100 freestyle at the state championships last year and sixth in the 50 freestyle. The senior would be a favorite to win. any of the Section 1 occasions this season, but NYSPHSAA has already canceled its state tournaments.
A challenge in the virtual festival is the option to reduce the fervor when seeing an opponent in the adjacent lane. The races, in essence, are against the clock and the festival comes later in the comparison of results.
“It’s another motivational approach,” Holmes said. “They are going to lose the tension of last season, with the last player jumping in and catching the user in front of him. It will be more of an individual motivation: you oppose your time. “
Conducting the Section 1 cross-country season last fall was praised by various running backs and coaches as the game least affected by COVID-19 protocols.
This is drastically adjusted for winter as the indoor track season looks so different.
“They don’t even need other people to eat internally, so create a group of groups that come in internal combination to compete,” said Arlington coach Steve Arnett, 70. Building. “
Venues like The Armory in Manhattan will restrict the number of participants in competitions, eliminate giant invitations, and host no more than five groups at a time. Masks will be required and athletes will stay away from their conflicting parties when not participating. For the throwing and jumping events, the athletes collected the apparatus themselves.
The option of an outdoor festival was also discussed, the trainees said. The plans have not been finalized, but state regulations would allow it. Hen Hud’s coach Marcia Bailey has said she is open to the concept of doubles.
“At the local level, if the day is expected to be good, call a nearby school and organize an assembly with rules that are appropriate for both of you,” he said. “He acts like he’s off-road. “
Most in Section Nine have agreed to compete outdoors, unless inclement weather prevents it, said CEO Greg Ransom.
Arnett said Arlington exercises outside the home and would not be very compatible with its groups if Section 1 followed suit.
Under NYSPHSAA rules, athletic groups cannot go outside if the wind temperature drops to -11. Beyond that, athletes wear appropriate warm clothing and hydrate properly.
Most groups are expected to begin education on Monday, and the first meetings, Arnett said, will be Jan. 17. Administrators will meet in the next few days to continue planning, he added.
“I know there are parents and children who are concerned, but there haven’t been a lot of negative comments,” Bailey said. “Our children who participated in the fall have a concept of what it will be like. The attitude is like, “Outdoors is smart and if we have a chance to compete indoors, that’s great. ” “
While Section 1 intends to maintain its foundational style for bowling matches – no spectators, no concessions and no physical contact – neighboring Section Nine will compete in virtual competition.
Teams will perform alone in one lane and statistics will be compiled and compared to their opponent’s scores for a winner.
“That’s what the districts and the leagues have decided,” Ransom said. “They see it as, ‘Half a bar is nothing. ‘
Two leagues make up Section Nine and are allowed to govern themselves in some way, Ransom said. Practice begins Monday for groups in the Mid-Hudson Athletic League, while the Orange County Interscholastic Athletic Association has postponed their sports until January 1.
In Section 1, some bowling groups begin education on January 4 and others the following Monday. Your groups will face each other in person, there are security restrictions.
Each team will play on its own pair of lanes, the balls will only be touched through their owner, a mask will be worn and there will be a Plexiglas divider between the teams. The hallways will also disinfect the courts and apparatus after use.
For their part, bowlers will also be invited to curb some of their enthusiasm. Yelling, hugging, and high-fiving from lane teammates will be limited.
“Some schools, adding ours, are experiencing bus problems,” said Beacon coach Brian Mahon. “There will be days when you can’t take a bus until late. If each team can play a dozen games, we will be happy.
Fencing Section 1 has two leagues, North and South, with all nine groups competing in weekend circular robin tournaments throughout the season, with the most sensitive players in each league competing to find a champion.
In a year.
“We hope we can do it, but I doubt it due to the restrictions,” Ardsley coach Diane Reckling said. “We will have two league champions and that will be the end. “
Tournaments will also be paired and split to restrict indoor gatherings. As a general rule, the team brings 16 fencers, 8 in epee and foil. This will be halved as foil and sword fights will take place in other competitions. Four officers will be provided instead of 8, and the shooters’ apparatus will be separated by several meters.
“Everything and everyone will be spaced out,” said fencing coordinator Kathleen Reckling. “Even handshakes will be allowed after a match, which is a tradition. Just a nudge.
There’s possibly not much more to Gymnastics than social distancing sites and app. The teams will compete in user and the maximum competitions will be held through the gymnastics clubs.
Odyssey Gymnastics in Mahopac, Dynamic Gymnastics in Mohegan Lake, and Galaxy Gymnastics in Orangeburg are some of the expected hosts, Vin Collins, President of Section 1 Gymnastics.
The occasions will be executed regularly and the judges will be present, the gymnasts not interested in one occasion must remain transparent of this apparatus. Not all planned amenities have virtual capacity, so this will be reserved as a backup option.
“For gymnastics, it’s not as undeniable as holding up an iPad to show a recording,” Collins said. “The groups will compete opposite each other at the same time so that the judges can mark the routines and have them as close to the general as possible. “
Temperature checks, questionnaires, and basic COVID-19 screening will be required before entering.
Skiing would be one of the less dangerous and “low risk” winter sports, however this season enough open sites will be located for the reception.
“We’re still at it,” said Bronxville coach Jim Agnello, whose team begins practice Monday. “Finding genuine properties in the mountains is difficult in those days.
Some of the ski areas, aside from Campgaw, longtime Mahwah’s host, are no longer available. Bronxville will be among the Thunder Ridge groups in Patterson, New York, and the league hopes to reach an agreement with the Winter four Kids in Vernon Township, New Jersey.
There will be regulations to follow, of course. Thunder Ridge, for example, is limited to one hundred skiers, so they will participate in flights. There will be no conversion rooms and only one skier at a time to the restrooms. Most schools do not allow food in the shelter.
“It will drastically affect our schedule if we can’t locate another location,” Agnello said. “We would try to regroup 3 leagues in the same places. “
There is some relief, he says, in the fact that there may not be a postseason championship. Since there is nothing to qualify for, some tension is relieved by making plans for the season.
“We are grateful to be one of the sports that has been given the green light,” said Agnello. “We can do it safely and we are excited to bring some normalcy back to our children’s lives. “
Stephen Haynes: shaynes@poughkeepsiejournal. com; 845-437-4826; Twitter: StephenHaynes4