Anytime news comes out on a late afternoon, it is usually not good. In case of the Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association and the sports of basketball and wrestling, the news wasn’t good this past Friday.
Both sports were schedule to start practice on Jan. 2 and start games on Jan. 14.
However, those dates have come and gone. The shortened six-week season is on hold because the sports are on the governor’s “no play” list.
Directive 034 summary states the guidance does not pertain to professional sports leagues or college division level sports.
The NIAA retains authority over when high school sports will resume and the guidelines under which competition will resume, consistent with Section 7 of Directive 028.
Sports practice, training and play for specified non-contact and minimal-contact sports statewide for all youth and adult sports, including, but not limited to travel clubs, private leagues and clubs, recreational leagues and centers, and park district sports programs for certain groups are permitted under Directive 034.
All sports will have to abide by a number of health and safety protocols in the guidance, including screenings for athletes, coaches, and staff, limited equipment sharing, strong requirements for disinfecting and sanitizing equipment, and cooperating with local health authorities on contact tracing.
These sports may only take place on a limited basis for athletic conditioning, drills, practices in which dummy players, sleds, punching bags and similar equipment is used, but athletes may not come in contact with other players.
Training and conditioning, such as weightlifting, running drills and intra-squad scrimmaging, cannot include full contact of any kind. Minimal contact and non-contact sports are allowed to resume practices, games, competitions and tournaments, indoors and outdoors, if social distancing and all requirements can be met.
“This office has been assured that a review of those prohibitions will be a part of the considerations in ending the pause,” said NIAA Executive Director Bart Thompson. “Based on the communications, there will not be a lifting of the prohibition until the ending of the pause.”
The only sports currently being played are girls flag football in southern Nevada and skiing in northern Nevada.
On Friday, the NIAA canceled all postseason events that were scheduled for basketball and wrestling. The NIAA recommended that schools vacate 2020-21 league schedules for basketball and wrestling.
NIAA schools would be allowed to schedule contests in basketball and wrestling if the no-play sports were allowed to play.
However, practice would have to start before Feb. 15, for a game to be played by Feb. 20. Feb. 20 is the drop-dead date for winter sports to be completed in the shortened six-week schedule.
“Certainly we don’t have much optimism that a winter season for basketball or wrestling is going to take place,” Thompson said. “I wish we had better news to give.”
The fall sports season of volleyball, boys and girls cross country, boys and girls soccer and girls golf are set to begin practice on Feb. 20, with the first contests on March 5. All of those sports have been approved to play.
“Moving forward for a possible fall season, we are in complete support of NIAA’s efforts to move forward as best we possibly can,” said Lander County Superintendent Russell Klein..” Lander (County) will host all sports that are allowed under the governor’s conditions. We plan on moving forward with volleyball, soccer and golf and hope that they can somehow find a way to allow football as well. We know there are many, many students in our schools who find motivation and purpose through sports. It has been a help for years in getting students to care more about academics in order to participate in sports. Sports helps students physically as well as mentally. It creates cohesive social bonds with others.”
Football is set to begin practice on Feb. 13, but is on the no-play list as well. It would have to be removed in order to play its six-week schedule.
“We had strong input from our schools across the state,” Thompson said. “We will not move sports on top of other sports.”
It was worse for Clark County students on Friday, as the Clark County School District canceled all fall sports for the school year, surprising the staff of the NIAA.
“I was shocked,” Thompson said. “We got that just before we came on. We don’t speak for them. That was an announcement on their part and did not have any impact on what we talked about (during the briefing with reporters on Friday).”
Klein is hopeful that all involved can come together and allow the kids to play.
“We are hopeful that those people in decision making positions at the state level can find agreement in allowing Nevada students to play sports safely,” Klein concluded.
