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| Voluntary conditioning for Windham High athletes and coaches starts Aug. 24 with athletes socially distancing in groups of no more than 10. Tryouts for the fall prep season will begin Sept. 8. Above, Morgan Proulx competes in a prep volleyball match last fall. PHOTO BY MATT PASCARELLA |
By Matt Pascarella
With summer winding down, people
might be asking: “will there be a fall sports season and what will that look
like?”
While the entire state was
classified green by the Maine Department of Education (DOE) and the Maine
Center for Disease Control (CDC) on July 31, meaning it is safe to reopen
schools, a lot remains up in the air. This classification does not eliminate
health and safety requirements and change can occur at any point.
Windham athletics will begin
voluntary conditioning with players and coaches face-to-face on Aug. 24.
Athletes will practice socially distant in pods of no more than 10. Tryouts for
the fall season will begin on Sept. 8. The regular fall season will begin on
Sept. 18.
Prior to Sept. 8, the Maine
Principal’s Association (MPA) will release further guidance for the 2020 fall
season. Coaches are currently being prepped as to what socially distant
conditioning will look like.
Coaches and players must wear
masks. The only times a player does not need to wear a mask is during high
intensity aerobic activity, like being on the field or track. Masks will be
available to athletes on athletic sites.
Governor Mills has increased
the masked outdoor number of spectators to 100. The indoor amount is 50. RSU14
will follow CDC guidelines as well as recommendations made by the governor, but
at this point RSU14 athletic director Rich Drummond said he’s not 100 percent sure that fans will be able to attend
games.
RSU14 Schools Superintendent
Chris Howell said they are looking at a streaming service, that initially would
have two cameras at Windham High School. One would be on the athletic field and
one would be in the gym. A link would be provided where spectators could watch
the games in real time. Nothing is definite as of yet. Drummond is looking at reduced game schedules, and though nothing is finalized, he’s looking at the possibility of regionalized scheduling. This means RSU14 could play teams in proximity to the district with less time spent on buses (that now allow only 26 students at a time).
“We have to follow the
guidelines and directions that’s going to put us in a place where we’re healthy
enough to get kids out there,” said Drummond. “Nothing’s better in my opinion
than an athletic contest, but we have to get there.”
Drummond said it was positive
that York County and Cumberland County school superintendents gave the go-ahead
for optional conditioning on Aug. 24 and that the MPA said it’s okay to start
tryouts on Sept. 8.
Windham High field
hockey coach Cory DiDonato has been meeting with her girls on Zoom and doing
workouts together.
“I know the
athletic department is prepping for athletics to start on Sept. 8 and
we are hoping for the best,” said DiDonato. “We all know COVID-19 has created
so many unknowns and concerns. Kids need extracurricular activities and we
all know the benefits and are praying sports can happen this fall. But being
patient with the process is very important.”
The key
words for the school year and athletic season are flexibility and ability to be
nimble, said Howell.
They will receive updates from the Maine DOE, CDC and the MPA every two weeks
assessing the state level of virus transmission, so things could change quickly
depending on results.
“We’re doing all we can to make the school year the best it can possibly be for
our students; everyone’s goal is to get us all back safely,” said Howell.
Please stay tuned. We’ll do
our best to keep you as updated as possible with as much information as we can.
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