A recent surge in COVID-19 infections across the state may hit the winter high school sports scene.
On Tuesday, the state high school athletic association will vote on whether to push back the start of the winter sports season to Jan. 15.
Practices can continue, but the winter break moratorium would be extended from Dec. 23 to Jan. 3. Currently, the moratorium runs Dec. 23-27.
The change is being recommended by the executive board of the Kansas State High School Activities Association.
Locally, basketball and wrestling would be affected.
Other changes would include the elimination of invitational tournaments. The basketball season would be capped at 13 games, and wrestlers limited to 12 events.
If approved, competitions would be held without fans the first two weeks of the truncated schedule, until Jan. 29, after which attendance will be limited through the rest of the season. Masks will be mandatory for everyone except competing athletes and officials.
If the season is shortened, a decision on the final status of the postseason competitions would not be made before mid-January.
The KSHSAA meeting to discuss the proposals will be held virtually at 1 p.m. Tuesday.
THE EXECUTIVE board’s decision came after it met with a sports medicine advisory committee, which pointed to several factors:
— There were no findings indicating the spread of COVID-19 between athletes competing outdoors.
— COVID infections are spiking to the point hospitals across the state are at maximum capacity.
— An approaching “three-headed monster” should be noted: the rising positivity rate; competitions will be exclusively indoors for the winter; and other illness numbers such as cold and flu also are expected to rise in the coming weeks.
— While competition would be paused, practice would remain beneficial for athletes if schools strictly adhere to mitigation basics.
THE restrictions also would carry over to middle school athletics, with no competitions in December, but practices continue; no events would have more than three participating schools; and attendance would be limited to two fans per player starting Jan. 15.
