>> IT LOOKS LIKE HIGH SCHOOL
STUDENT ATHLETES WILL BE ABLE TO
GET BACK OUT THERE THIS FALL IN
SOME CAPACITY.
THE FALL SPORTS SEASON WILL
BEGIN SEPTEMBER 18TH AND IT
INCLUDES SOCCER, GOLF AND CROSS
COUNTRY.
THE MASSACHUSETTS
INTERSCHOLASTIC ASSOCIATION, OR
MIAA, HAS BEEN WORKING ON A PLAN
TO ALLOW SPORTS DEEMED A LOWER
RISK TO BEGIN.
CAROLEE MCGRATH SAT DOWN WITH
TARA BENNETT, THE COMMUNICATIONS
DIRECTOR FOR MIAA, TO LEARN MORE
ABOUT WHAT THE SEASON WILL LOOK
LIKE.
>> SO WHERE WE STAND RIGHT NOW
IS THE TASK FORCE DID PRESENT AN
ATHLETIC STRUCTURE FOR THE FULL
YEAR, IT'S A FOUR-SEASON
STRUCTURE, BEGINNING ON THE 18TH
OF SEPTEMBER.
AND FINISHING, GOING THROUGH
ACTUALLY THE BEGINNING OF JULY.
AND THAT WOULD ALLOW ALL SPORTS
THE OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE A SEASON
AND TO PARTICIPATE.
SOME, MANY, WITH MODIFICATIONS,
BUT AT LEAST THE OPPORTUNITY TO
GET THE KIDS OUT AND ON THE
FIELD IS AVAILABLE.
>> TELL ME WHAT SOME OF THE MOD
INDICATIONS ARE, I KNOW THAT
CROSS COUNTRY HAS SOME STAGGERED
STARTS.
CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT SOME OF
THOSE?
>> SURE.
SO ALL OF THE MODIFICATIONS OR
ALL OF THE SPORTS NEEDED TO
FOLLOW THE EEA GUIDELINES.
BUT HAVE BEEN PUT FORTH, AND IF
YOU RECALL WE DO HAVE THE
DIFFERENT LEVELS OF COMPETITION.
SO, YOU KNOW, FOR SPORTS THAT
HAVE BEEN RECOGNIZED AS LOW RISK
SPORTS, SUCH AS CROSS COUNTRY
AND GOLF, SOME MODIFICATIONS
NEEDED TO HAPPEN, SUCH AS THE
STAGGERED STARTS, SUCH AS HAVING
THE WIDTH OF THE START AS WELL
AS THE FINISH LINE WIDER, YOU
KNOW, A DESIGNATED WIDTH.
AND ALSO IF YOU'VE EVER BEEN TO
A CROSS COUNTRY MEET, USUALLY
WHAT THEY DO IS THEY WILL
ALTERNATE SO IF THERE ARE TWO
SCHOOLS, SCHOOL A RUNNER, SCHOOL
B RUNNER, SCHOOL A RUNNER,
SCHOOL B RUNNER.
AND SO AT THIS POINT OF THAT, OR
THE SCHOOLS HAVE NOW BEEN
SEPARATED.
SO YOU DON'T HAVE THAT MIXED
START, YOU'LL HAVE GROUPING
STARTS AND ALSO AT THE FINISH
LINE, YOU KNOW, GROUP, SCHOOL A
WILL FINISH AT THIS POINT, OR
THROUGH THIS CHUTE, AND SCHOOL B
WILL FINISH THROUGH THAT CHUTE.
SO AGAIN THERE'S NOT THAT
MIXING.
SO REALLY AN EFFORT TO TRY AND
ELIMINATE THAT CONTACT AND
BELIEVE IT OR NOT, ESPECIALLY
WITH THE YOUNGSTERS, THE INTENSE
BREATHING AND REST PIR --
RESPIRATION IS VERY REAL, WHICH
IS A CONCERN FOR TRANSMISSION.
>> SO SOCCER WILL ALSO BE
ALLOWED, BUT THAT WILL BE
MODIFIED AS WELL?
>> SOCCER HAS ALSO BEEN
APPROVED.
SOME MODIFICATIONS FOR SOCCER
INCLUDES THE PLAYERS NEEDING TO
WEAR MASKS, AND THE FACT THAT
THE BODY, THE SHOULDER TO
SHOULDER CONTACT MAY NOT BE
INTENTIONAL.
SO PLAYERS ARE STILL ALLOWED TO
DEFEND ONE ANOTHER, HOWEVER THAT
CONTACT NEEDS TO BE MINIMAL AND
BELOW THE TORSO.
CORNER KICKS HAVE BEEN MODIFIED,
THROW-INS HAVE BEEN MODIFIED.
BOTH OF THOSE BEING NOW THAT
THEY ARE KICK-INS VERSUS
ACTUALLY THROWING IN THE BALL,
AND AGAIN PART OF THAT IS WITH
THE TRANSMISSION, HANDLING THE
BALLS GOING BACK AND FORTH WITH
THE HANDS VERSUS USING THE
CLEATS.
SO THOSE ARE SOME EXAMPLES WITH
SOCCER.
>> TELL ME ABOUT HOCKEY AND
FOOTBALL.
>> SO HOCKEY, WELL, FIELD HOCKEY
WE HAVE MODIFICATIONS.
FOOTBALL MODIFICATIONS HAVE NOT
BEEN MADE AT THIS POINT BECAUSE
FOOTBALL HAS BEEN DESIGNATED, IS
STILL DESIGNATED AS A HIGH RISK
SPORT, SO THEY ARE IN OUR FALL
TWO SEASON, AND THE FALL TWO
SEASON IS SCHEDULED TO RUN FROM
FEBRUARY 22 THROUGH APRIL 25.
SO MODIFICATIONS FOR FOOTBALL
HAVE NOT BEEN ADDRESSED,
APPRECIATING WANTING TO GET THE
MODIFICATIONS FOR THE CURRENT
FALL SPORTS OUT IMMEDIATELY, AS
THIS HAS BEEN A QUICK TURN
AROUND.
THAT WAS THE FOCUS LAST WEEK.
>> WHAT ARE YOU HEARING FROM
SUPERINTENDENTS AND ATHLETIC
DIRECTORS?
OBVIOUSLY THEY PROBABLY WANT
THESE KIDS TO GET UP AND
RUNNING, BUT SAFETY OF COURSE IS
A TOP CONCERN.
>> YOU SAID IT, THEY ARE EXCITED
TO SEE THEIR ATHLETES, THEIR
STUDENT ATHLETES PARTICIPATE,
THEY'RE EXCITED TO SEE THEIR
KIDS BACK IN THE BUILDING, JUST
TO SEE THE TEACHERS AND TRY TO
GET BACK TO SOME NORMALCY.
OBVIOUSLY THEY CERTAINLY WANT TO
MAKE SURE THAT SAFETY IS FIRST
AND FOREMOST, THOUGH THERE ARE
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE FALL ONE
SPORTS AND THERE ARE
MODIFICATIONS TO GO ALONG WITH
THE FALL ONE SPORTS, THE
DECISION TO ACTUALLY PARTICIPATE
IN SPORTS IS STILL VERY MUCH AT
THE LOCAL LEVEL.
MEANING THAT SCHOOL COMMITTEES,
MANY SCHOOL COMMITTEES NEED TO
LOOK AT THE PLANS THAT EACH
INDIVIDUAL SCHOOL HAS COME UP,
IN ADDITION TO THE MODIFICATION,
THE SCHOOLS WILL STILL HAVE
THEIR OWN SAFETY GUIDELINES FOR
THEIR STUDENTS, YOU KNOW, WHO'S
TAKING THE TEMPERATURE, FOR
EXAMPLE, OR HOW IS THE SANITIZER
BEING PROVIDED IS ANOTHER
EXAMPLE.
SO THOSE ARE ALL LOCAL CONTROL
IN TERMS OF EXACTLY WHAT WILL
HAPPEN THERE.
AND THEN ALSO TRANSPORTATION,
YOU KNOW, AND THAT'S REALLY A
BIG KEY BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT
EVEN FOR GETTING KIDS TO SCHOOL,
BUSSES ARE NOT FULL.
THEY ARE NOT AT 100% CAPACITY,
SO THAT SAME GUIDELINE OF HAVING
50% CAPACITY ON THE BUS FOR
GETTING THE STUDENTS TO SCHOOL
IS IN EFFECT FOR ATHLETICS AS
WELL.
SO THAT DOES POSE SOME
CHALLENGES, FINANCIALLY AS WELL
AS SCHEDULING WISE.
SO THINGS THAT ARE HAPPENING AT
THE LEAGUE LEVEL IN THE VARIOUS
PARTS OF THE STATE IS THE
SCHEDULES ARE ACTUALLY LOOKING
DIFFERENT, AND SO THERE'S A LOT
MORE LOCAL PLAYING FOR SCHOOLS
AND THEY ARE REALLY TRYING TO
CREATE WHETHER YOU WANT TO CALL
THEM PODS OR, YOU KNOW, THEIR
SMALL BUBBLES WHERE THE SOCCER
TEAM IS GOING TO BE PLAYING
THESE HIGH SCHOOLS, AND THAT'S
IT.
SO IT'S LIKE THEY'RE CREATING
THEIR OWN LITTLE SUB SECTION,
WHICH MAY NOT HAVE BEEN THEIR
NORMAL SCHEDULE.
ATHLETIC SCHEDULE.
BUT AGAIN APPRECIATING THE
CHALLENGES FOR THE SAFETY, FOR
THE STUDENTS, BUT ALSO WITH
TRANSPORTATION AND IN THE
BUDGETS, SCHOOLS ARE JUST REALLY
TRYING TO BE CREATIVE IN THAT
MANNER AND TRYING TO GET THE
OPPORTUNITY TO PARTICIPATE TO AS
MANY STUDENT ATHLETES AS
POSSIBLE.
