June 19, 2020 at 10:38 a.m.
WIAA issues summer return-to-play guidance
Decision to participate in summer contact days up to individual school districts
WIAA issues summer return-to-play guidance
According to the WIAA, the guidelines were produced and reviewed via the collaborative efforts and contributions of the doctors on the sanction body's Sports Medical Advisory Committee, the WIAA Executive Staff, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, the Department of Public Instruction, the office of Governor Tony Evers. The recommendations are best practices when returning to summertime sports activities in accordance with state, local and tribal restrictions and guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and the National Federation of State High School Associations.
"Within what has been a rapidly changing and evolving environment, we've done our best to research, examine and assemble the best advice we could identify," WIAA Executive Director Dave Anderson said. "This mission and responsibility is larger than just sports."
The WIAA has shared these guidelines with athletic directors, principals and district administrators of all member schools.
It will be the decision of each school's district administrator to determine if athletics and other activities may operate in compliance with state, local and tribal health department directives as determined by each community's most current level of risk.
"The health and safety of student-athletes, staff and community remains the top priority in determining all return-to-play considerations," the WIAA's press release stated.
Rhinelander High School activities director Brian Paulson said a group of district administrators plans to meet with local health officials today to go over the WIAA's guidelines, as well as guidance from the Wisconsin DPI in regard to the opening of schools in the fall. The DPI released that guidance yesterday, June 22.
"We'll meet to discuss this and how the School District of Rhinelander will move forward for July 1 sports," Paulson told the River News. "It is a local decision. We will do everything we can to be sure kids are safe and have an opportunity to start to get some workouts in."
In April, when the WIAA announced it was canceling its spring sports season due to the pandemic, it said it intended to allow summer contact beginning July 1, which corresponded to the first day school facilities would no longer be closed under Gov. Tony Evers' Safer at Home Order. Though most of that order was struck down by the State Supreme Court in May, left in the stipulation that schools remain closed through the end of the 2019-20 school year, Tuesday, June 30.
In an effort to give class of 2020 seniors some closure to their high school athletic careers - which were cut short due to the pandemic - the WIAA allowed spring sports teams up to 30 contact days beginning July 1 in which individual schools could conduct practices, scrimmages and competitions. All fall and winter sports were allowed up to five contact days beginning July 1.
In May, activities directors from Rhinelander, Lakeland Union, Antigo and Three Lakes High Schools tentatively put together a condensed spring sports schedule that would afford their teams the minimum number of practice days required by the WIAA before holding a week of competitions July 13-17. The remainder of the summer was left open for fall and winter sports teams to have contact with their players prior to the start of the fall sports season. Antigo has since backed out, Paulson confirmed.
The guidance issued by the WIAA will be paired with guidance from local health officials to determine if the contact will take place, and what precautions must be in place if it does.
Guidance issued by the WIAA Thursday closely resembled a document released last month by the National Federation of High Schools, of which the WIAA is a member. The document stratifies the precautionary measures needed depending on the risk level of a particular area in terms of the spread of the virus (high, moderate, low and lowest) and further classifies individual sports in to risk levels (higher, moderate, lower) based upon how much equipment is shared and how much contact there is between participants.
"The rationale for the breakdown is associated with the amount of physical contact and duration of contact," WIAA Deputy Director Wade Labecki stated in the email to district administrators. "As an example, the interaction of participants in higher-risk sports such as football and wrestling present more of a concern for transmission of the COVID-19 than lower-risk sports like golf."
In terms of spring sports at Rhinelander High School, girls' soccer is considered "moderate risk" and golf is considered "lower risk." Baseball, softball and tennis are all considered "moderate risk," though the WIAA's document notes that each of those sports could potentially be moved to the lower risk category with appropriate cleaning of equipment and use of masks by participants.
Track and field has a mix of events in the moderate to lower risk categories though - like baseball, softball and tennis - the moderate risk events could be considered lower risk with proper sanitation and social distancing.
Under the WIAA guidelines, exactly which activities each individual sport would be able to conduct is determined by the risk category of a specific area in terms of its ability to contain the spread of the virus.
Currently the Oneida County Health Department considers the area to be in Phase 2 of its "Onward Oneida County" plan. Recommendations from the health department, last revised June 8, currently call for no more than 50 people at outdoor events and no more than 50 people, or 50% capacity, whichever is fewer for indoor gatherings.
The WIAA's guidance has slightly different terminology, defining its "moderate" risk as gatherings of no more than 10 people inside and 50 people outside, and its "low" risk category of gatherings up to 50 individuals indoors or outdoors.
The distinction local officials use will be critical in determining exactly which sports can do what and when. In a "moderate risk" area, sports that are considerer lower risk may resume practices and competitions, while sports considered moderate risk may resume practice in a modified format, but not conduct games. In a "low risk" area, lower and moderate risk sports may take part in games, according to the WIAA guidance.
However, Oneida County's guidance does not permit contact sports in Phase 2, and states "consult with local health department for best practices" for non-contact sports. What the county calls "Low-Risk Recreational Activities," including tennis and BMX, are allowed provided there are no more than 50 people and Phase 2 best practices are followed.
"We're waiting to see if the county is moving towards Phase 3," Lakeland Union High School AD Phil Updike told our sister paper The Lakeland Times Friday. "We're on pins and needles to see if we're going to get the green light."
The county moved into Phase 2 of its recovery June 9, and the Onward Oneida County document states it will, 'assess at least 28 days after implementation of Phase 2 and continue assessing weekly," regarding whether it moves to Phase 3 based on the status of 10 metrics the health department is tracking. July 7 would mark 28 days since Oneida County entered Phase 2.
The WIAA guidance strongly encourages each district to appoint a single point of contact to serve as a liaison between sports teams and the local health department. It also places the responsibility on each district to provide proper "administrative supervision," over and above a coach, to ensure compliance with its guidelines.
The WIAA guidance also addresses the progression for returning to summertime training and conditioning; team practices; competitions; disinfection of facility, equipment and implements; hygiene practices; transportation to-and-from events, and social-distancing expectations.
According to the guidance, players and coaches would be screened for COVID-19 symptoms. Those screenings would include a temperature check and any participants with a fever of 100.4 degrees or greater would not be permitted to take part in practices or games.
The WIAA's guidance says cloth face coverings are recommended, except during high-intensity aerobic activity, and that any participant who prefers to wear a cloth face covering should be permitted to do so. Plastic face shields will not be allowed. "Their use during practices increases the risk of unintended injury to the person wearing the shield or teammates," the guidelines state.
Should there be games played, there may restrictions as to who can attend the contests. The WIAA guidelines state that, "only Tier 1 and 2 personnel will be allowed to attend events until state/local health departments lift restrictions on mass gatherings." Tier 1 and 2 personnel exclude spectators and vendors. Permitted personnel includes athletes, coaches, officials, event staff, medical staff and the media.
The WIAA said additional information, including sport-specific guidelines and other best-practice resources, will be provided to member schools as they become available in the coming days and weeks, or when new information from leading health organizations requires amending.
The WIAA's guidance document can be found at the following URL: https://www.wiaawi.org/Portals/0/PDF/Health/Covid/WIAA-Reopen-School-Sports-Summer.pdf or by clicking on the link at the bottom of the online version of this story.
Information from Lakeland Times sports reporter Brett LaBore was used in this report.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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