The Washington State Interscholastic Activities Association’s (WIAA) executive board voted to amend its schedule January 6, moving the traditional fall sports season to begin February 1.
The season is planned to be seven weeks long, culminating in March with regional championships. It includes cross country, football, golf, softball, girls and 1B/2B boys soccer, swim and dive, tennis and volleyball.
Districts and leagues are also permitted to submit a request to the WIAA if they want to adjust any sport schedule to accommodate local needs.
The schedule change allows sports to begin competition in February, assuming Covid-19 guidelines are met under governor Jay Inslee’s new “Healthy Washington” plan.
In phase 1 of Inslee’s “Healthy Washington” recovery plan, which went into effect January 11, low- and moderate-risk outdoor sports will be permitted to practice. Competition for all outdoor sports, and moderate-risk indoor sports, will be allowed in phase 2. All fall outdoor sports, except football, are considered a low or moderate risk. Spectators can also return beginning in phase 2. A maximum of 200 people, athletes and spectators, will be allowed at any sporting event.
However, there is still no plan for high-risk indoor sports to return, such as basketball, cheer, dance and wrestling, according to WIAA.
A January 8 report by the Washington State Department of Health said the north region, which includes Whatcom, Island, San Juan and Skagit counties, is currently in phase 1.
To move to phase 2, the four guidelines are:
• 10 percent decreasing trend in two-week case rates;
• 10 percent decreasing trend in two-week Covid-19 hospital admission rates;
• ICU occupancy (both Covid and non-Covid) less than 90
percent;
• Covid-19 test positivity rate lower than 10 percent.
There are currently no athletics happening at Blaine High School. District athletic director Sean Linville said he hopes the school can begin fall sports next month but much of the pathway forward remains unclear. Plans for health precautions, amid a return, are still in the works, Linville said.
“Like everything else right now, the plan is written in pencil,” he said. “It’s tough, but for the first time in a while it feels like we’re turning the corner to some stuff coming back.”
In October, the WIAA and the governor’s office introduced return to play guidelines based upon county cases per 100,000 residents, identifying high, moderate and low transmission risk sports. The transmission risk identification scale will remain the same under the new plan.
Winter sports were supposed to begin December 28, based on an adjusted schedule created by the WIAA in July.
The board plans to examine winter and spring sports at its January 19 meeting.
To read WIAA’s full announcement, visit bit.ly/38qikg0.
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