Anyone else a little nervous.
 

So have only seen one thread on this forum about a startup of youth basketball. In Kansas I believe. There was talk about limiting fans, gloves, masks etc. I am now seeing Fox 40 adds for eletctronic whistles , whistles in masks and other types of whistles that are aimed at keeping us officials and the kids safe. I'm not ready to get in there even if they start up games (which have begun recently in NH I believe ). Feel as if basketball may be one of the worst sports for contact between the kids, coaches and officials. Its all well and good in the NBA and WNBA which are in highly controlled bubbles. But the people that run off season stuff like summer leagues and AAU are only in it for the money. I'm guessing that its business as usual for how they run their touraments. Not worth a lousy $30 per game to take a chance on contracting a virus. I'm acctually surprised that they can get enough willing officials for something like that during this pandemic. Now I'm over 65 with a respritory condition so we've been ultra careful around here. Wondering what the general feeling of the forum is about startup and safety etc. I will say I miss blowing the whistle quite a bit.

I am not understanding the question. Don't do a lot of travel ball anyway so not concerned about what is going on there. I worked a camp last weekend and it was OK. A lot of precautions for sure. I heard from one of my college assignors and they are going full force ahead with all fall sports (at this time). So that means the basketball season will start in late October. But there are scenarios if things change as well. Might be less games or only a conference schedule. I guess we will have to see. An outbreak could change everything and really it is going to be up to how the schools want to move forward as well. We just do not know at the end of July.

Peace

Not Nervous, But Cautious
 

I officiate three sports in two counties. In my county, there has been a slight uptick in positive tests since restrictions were relaxed; the numbers in the next county are worse. I'm over 70, and the risks are too great, despite the various precautions, so I am not working summer basketball or baseball. I have a full soccer schedule for the fall, but we'll see how things stand next month.

I'm retired and don't need the income, and I get aerobic exercise to stay in shape by riding my bike.

Out-Of-The-Box ...
 

From the NFHS:

Bicycle Race (Queen, 1978) …
 

At my age (66), and with three coronary stents, I'm not yet fully comfortable going my gym, even though they've been open for a few weeks, so I ride my bicycle every day for aerobic exercise.

[http://images.45cat.com/queen-bicycle-race-1978-18.jpg

Magic Bus (The Who, 1968) …
 

Connecticut is considering an opposite approach for sports, actually staying away from conference games and some of the long crowded bus rides that are needed for such and moving toward interscholastic games between adjacent and nearby towns to keep the student athletes from being crammed into crowded buses for long rides.

Connecticut is a little state but has large size urban schools, medium size suburban schools, and small size rural schools (with John Deere tractors in the parking lots) scattered all over the state. Conferences are mostly based on school size, not necessarily on distance, and schools within one conference are often scattered long distances across the state.

For example, a small rural school may have to travel by bus through many non-conference suburban and urban towns to get to their conference game against another small rural school.

https://www.thewho.com/wp-content/up...-Magic-Bus.jpg

Billy - I had that Queen album...and I distinctly remember a different image:D
(I believe it was poster inside the album sleeve)

Rated G ...
 

The Forum is Rated G: General audiences – All ages admitted.

I didn't want to take the chance of being suspended, expelled, or worse.

https://tse1.mm.bing.net/th?id=OIP.b...=0&w=309&h=186

Would definitely have gotten you unesteemed!

It's At The Top Of My Resume ...
 

That would be a gigantic disaster for me. It's the first thing I mention when I introduce myself to hot single Moms who attend my games. After they hear that I'm an "Esteemed Forum Member" women are driven right out of their minds and they can't keep their hands off of me. It's true. It's true.

https://youtu.be/jtwh3nQP5Uo

Intramurals ...
 

A very prominent pediatrician here in Connecticut is proposing that there be no interscholastic sports here in the state, replacing all interscholastic sports with intramural scholastic sports.

What good is that do? I mean, your keeping the kids "at home" by having them play at their own school, sure (i.e bubble)... but the issue of contact between kids, in say football (which isn't going to be an intramural sport, unless its flag) and basketball is simply not possible...unless you defend like I used to in basketball! :p

Leave The Driving To Us ...
 

Yeah, it's the "bubble" philosophy, makes contact tracing easier.

There are also a few advocates of families doing all the driving, thus avoiding buses, for interscholastic sports.

Many parents and most teachers here in Connecticut seem to want to start the school year with either on-line learning, or a hybrid model (both in school and online), few want to start the school year in school.

Our governor and school superintendents are going to have to make some tough decisions in a few weeks and I just don't see fall interscholastic sports happening here in Connecticut.

Keep in mind that Connecticut, while starting out the "plague" in terrible shape, is in much better shape now than most of the rest of the country. Positive cases keep going down, deaths keep going down, hospitalizations keep going down, testing keeps going up, positivity rate is now well under 1%.

And yet, we're not sure if schools (and interscholastic sports), or bars, will open in September.

https://tse4.mm.bing.net/th?id=OIP.V...=0&w=246&h=176

Things were horrible here for a few weeks, obituary pages in the newspapers were overflowing with names, everybody knew somebody who died from the virus, yet we couldn't go to their wakes or funerals because churches and funeral homes were closed.

We've learned our lesson, fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.

NFHS Update ...
 

Update from the NFHS:

In those states that have pushed back the starting date, some of the delays are a few weeks, although several states are not restarting athletics programs until December or January due to concerns about the current level of positive COVID-19 cases.

Among the states delaying until late 2020 or early 2021, California will be compressing three seasons into two, while Nevada will retain its three-season format but will conduct all sports in a January-May timeframe. Washington will divide its sports offerings into four seasons throughout the year, which will push higher-risk sports to the spring.

States that have delayed the start of sports stretch from the Southeast to the Far West. However, in the ever-changing world of COVID-19, more states may ultimately delay school sports.

In most cases where students are back in school, there has been a phased-in approach, beginning with lower-risk sports such as cross country, golf and tennis. Longer delays are more likely with higher-risk sports such as football, and in the case of five states (California, New Mexico, Nevada, Washington and Virginia) and the District of Columbia, football will not be played until the winter or spring seasons in 2021.

Illinois just moved Football to the Spring, starting on February 15 (assuming that means when team activities start, not necessarily games). Basketball was moved back as well until November 15, which usually started late October or early November.

Many Division 3 in my area completely went to a start in January.

This will be a very different year for sure.

Peace