A six-month wait for the return of high school sports in Central New York is near an end.
Section III’s executive committee approved on Friday afternoon the ability for schools to have a fall sports season, though it is only composed of sports deemed “low-risk” to spread COVID-19 and will not include any post-season competition.
This decision was made after the section sent out surveys to all of its member schools. Of the 97 that responded, 58 percent of them indicated a desire to have fall sports and 42 percent wanted a delay until the start of 2021.
Some Section III schools – Cooperstown, Indian River, Remsen, Watertown and Waterville – have announced that they would not have fall sports, stating both safety reasons and concerns about the effects of state budget cuts.
““We understand the challenges many schools face and the difficult decisions superintendents, principals, and athletic administrators are being required to make,” said Section III executive director John Rathbun.
“We recognize the issues of equity and access this decision will create for schools and leagues within our section,” said Section III president Joseph DeBarbieri. “Some school districts may opt out of our fall sports season (but) we respect the individual district decision.”
For those schools that do go ahead, on Sept. 21, practices will start for boys and girls soccer, field hockey, boys and girls cross country, girls tennis, girls swimming, boys golf and gymnastics.
As mandated by the New York State Public High School Athletic Association, teams must have 10 practices before having contests, but must restrict itself to games against schools in its own section and region until Oct. 19.
Those deemed “high-risk” sports – football, volleyball and cheerleading – were moved earlier in the week by NYSPHSAA to start March 1, 2021, and run through the end of April.
In choosing to go ahead with low-risk fall sports, the section said, while keeping the health of everyone a top priority, they wanted to maximize participation in sports and support the physical, mental and emotional well-being of students while keeping schedules local and flexible if circumstances should change.
Due to all of the decisions made in recent weeks, the start of winter sports has been pushed back to Nov. 26 and the start of spring sports also moved back to April 19.
As of now, sectional and state championships are still set to take place in the winter and spring, but plans for all sports are subject to changing circumstances, with the section saying they will continue to monitor what guidance the governor’s office, along with the state Departments of Health and Education, will give to them in the weeks and months ahead.
