Schools second-guessing fall sports

             Last week’s action by the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Board of Control has area schools re-thinking if they will participate in athletics this fall and it definitively changed what the winter and spring sports seasons will look like.

            The board voted in July to provide schools the flexibility to participate in the spring, but it wasn’t until last Friday that they gave member schools a better idea of what that would look like. Specifically, the board carved out a roughly two-month window by shortening both the winter and spring sports seasons. That decision has led to area schools reconvening to determine if they will participate in fall sports or the alternate fall season in the spring,

            Coulee Conference officials met on that topic on Monday, but did not make any final decisions. Arcadia Athletic Director Bruce Schweisthal said schools were divided on what to do with some sports. He said they will wait for a document from the health department and reconvene this coming Monday. Dairyland Conference officials will meet on Aug. 26 to determine if they will participate in fall sports or hold off competition until the spring. 

            The county health department said on Monday that they would be advising schools to use the alternate fall schedule.

            Under the approved alternate fall sports season, cross country would begin March 13 and end May 3, football would run March 8 to May 3, girls golf would be March 29 to May 17, boys soccer would be March 22 to May 10 and volleyball would be Feb. 22 to April 12.

            Schools have until Sept. 1 to notify the WIAA of their intent, although they could begin a traditional fall sports season and still switch to the spring should they complete less than half of their schedule, another recommendation that was approved by the board of control last week.

            Whether schools participate in the traditional or alternate fall season remains to be seen, but what was determined is that both the winter and spring seasons will be shortened. 

            With the new calendar, boys basketball will run Nov. 30 to March 1, girls basketball, Nov. 23 to Feb. 22; wrestling, Nov. 30 to Feb. 15 and gymnastics, Nov. 16 to Feb. 22. 

            In each case, the season will start later and end sooner than previously scheduled. Girls basketball and gymnastics were both set to begin Nov. 9 with the former ending March 13 and the latter March 6. Boys basketball was previously set to begin Nov. 16, wrestling Nov. 18, with basketball ending March 20 and wrestling March 7.

              The spring sports seasons will all begin and end later. Baseball, softball and track and field are all slated to run their seasons between April 19 and June 28 while boys golf is also slated to begin April 19 and run until June 21. Previously, baseball, softball and track were supposed to begin in March with baseball ending June 18, softball June 11 and track June 9. Boys golf’s previously scheduled season was April 6 to June 16.

            “I am glad they did not try to do something drastic at the last minute and shift spring sports to fall because I would be very afraid that we would lose our season again if schools are made to go all virtual because of a spike in cases,” Greg Bratina, Blair-Taylor softball coach said. 

            Both Bratina and Arcadia coach Dave Bjorge said they weren’t happy to see their seasons shortened, however. 

            “We lost our spring season last year and should not be penalized this year with a shorter season,” Bjorge said. 

            Bratina said the lost time will cost his team some non-conference games. 

            Bratina added that he’s happy his team’s season is scheduled to begin in April and not May because it won’t interfere with the traveling club softball seasons. 

            While he expected that Arcadia would move forward with the fall season being in the fall, Arcadia track and field coach Tim Braunschweig expressed concern over the schedule. 

            “There is a huge gap between winter and spring seasons,” Braunschweig said. “Hopefully, our students can use that time for recovery and off-season training for the upcoming spring season.”

            Braunschweig did say he liked the idea of a later spring season because the weather should be more favorable.  

            Bjorge noted a potential conflict with girls golf and softball possibly being held at the same time, but said he’s happy with the WIAA’s process.

            “The WIAA really has some good discussion and are doing the best they can in a very difficult time we are going through right now,” Bjorge said. 

               WIAA Executive Director Dave Anderson indicated that a state championship series might be unlikely, but the board approved a proposal that would allow the WIAA staff to wait and make a final determination while the season is still in play. WIAA officials will determine what a championship round will look like 30 days before the end of any given season.

            “As we have said all along, if we are able to do state championships, we are very eager and willing and would be happy to do that,” Anderson said. “I think the reality of this year is that we better get a little bit further along and a little bit closer to the end of any given season and then make that determination for planning purposes.”

            The board heard a report from the Wisconsin Athletic Directors Association which favored a regional tournament over a state tournament for the 2020 fall sports season.

            The board also heard from sports medical advisor Dr. Tim McGuine of the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, who said that the benefit of offering sports outweighed the risks related to COVID-19, due to the depression rates amongst teens.

              “Two things killed kids more often than COVID-19: Depression and opioids,” McGuine said.

              McGuine said that high school sports shouldn’t use college sports — including the Big Ten, which postponed its fall season to the fall — as an example. He sited higher BMIs in collegiate athletes as well as the differences in living arrangements and the likelihood of high school athletes to take part in large social gatherings compared to college-aged athletes.

              McGuine also made note of experiences in Iowa and San Diego, Calif. that showed no transmission of COVID-19 between athletes during competitions.

            “High school sports should be offered by schools as a crucial and necessary intervention to help kids stay safe and healthy during and after the COVID-19 pandemic,” McGuine said.