Anyone else a little nervous.

[rbruno]

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.

[JRutledge]

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

[LRZ]

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.

[BillyMac]

From the NFHS:

Originally Posted by BillyMac

... And these decisions must be made differently than the major conferences of the NCAA, or the NBA with its bubble concept or club sports that exist outside the school setting. High school sports are first and foremost education-based programs and complete the academic work during the school day; they do not exist in a vacuum as a training ground for future levels of sport.

Out-of-the-box thinking to provide sports opportunities for as many students as possible perhaps was best exhibited earlier this week by the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF). Due to increasing cases of the virus statewide and the cancellation of in-person classes in the Los Angeles and San Diego school districts for the remainder of the calendar year, the CIF pushed back the start of sports until December.

In order to offer all of its previously planned sports, the CIF is moving from three seasons to two, with typical winter and spring sports played during the same time period. While that small percentage of parents who only have their own interests in mind responded with comments such as “Two seasons – so now they have to pick a sport, this is terrible,’’ the majority were supportive, such as this high school coach: “The guys that are truly committed and take the right mindset will turn this into a positive.”

The Iowa High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) was the first state association to turn the challenge of the COVID-19 pandemic into a positive. Although there have been bumps along the way, most schools in Iowa have been able to conduct their normal summer baseball seasons, and the IHSAA state tournament is due to be completed in early August.

By following strict safety protocols, which sometimes included teams discontinuing their seasons if anyone tested positive for the virus, the IHSAA was able to persevere and became the first state to allow students to engage in activities since the shutdown in March. While it wasn’t exactly the same, and students, coaches and parents had to embrace change, the chance to participate made all the obstacles bearable.

In some states, the current levels of positive cases may push back the start of schools and sports, but there is a general belief that the “games will go on.” Whether the schedules have to be adjusted by a few weeks or a few months, state associations remain committed to offering as many activities as possible during the 2020-21 school year.

However, it will take a resolve on the part of everyone to keep going and keep trying. Where guidelines call for masks to be worn and social distancing to be followed, everyone must be working together.

We know that when circumstances change, we must embrace change ...

... We must keep the faith that high school sports and activities remain a part of students’ lives this year – in whatever new and creative ways surface in each state.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by LRZ

I'm over 70, and the risks are too great, despite the various precautions ... I'm retired and don't need the income, and I get aerobic exercise to stay in shape by riding my bike.

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.

Originally Posted by BillyMac

Masks. Electronic whistles. Gloves. Bottles of hand sanitizer in our pockets. I hope that it doesn't come to that. Hopefully we'll be in better shape when school starts in September.

On the other hand, if things get worse, we may have bigger things, more important things, to worry about than how we'll officiate kid's games, like the delicate balancing act of preserving both our health and our economy (I'm lucky, I'm retired).

Luckily I only officiate basketball. I'll leave it up my fall sports official friends to work out any safety protocol bugs before I start officiating in late November.

Fortunately, I don't count on basketball officiating for the income, so sitting out a season, by state decision, or by my own personal health decision, won't have a major effect on my wallet.

Originally Posted by BillyMac

The "plague" will either be winding down, maybe with the help of an MRNA vaccine, or a therapeutic drug (maybe dexamethasonen), in which case we won't have to worry about masks, or it may come back with a vengeance where schools may not be in session, and of course, no games.

The gray area in between is where we may have to get creative with masks, electronic whistles, gloves, hand sanitizer, antiseptic wipes, etc.

The schools, or the state, will tell us what we need to do, we can do it, or chose not to work games, as groups (boards, associations, etc.), or as individuals based on our own health and our personal acceptable level of risk or responsibility.

If there are COVID-19 games, and if we chose to officiate, no safety protocol will be 100% perfect, there will probably always be some degree of compromise, compromising the health of the participants, or compromising the quality of our officiating.

[

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

But there are scenarios if things change as well. Might be less games or only a conference schedule.

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.

[ChuckS]

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

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by ChuckS

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

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

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

[ChuckS]

Would definitely have gotten you unesteemed!

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by ChuckS

Would definitely have gotten you unesteemed!

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

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

Connecticut is considering an opposite approach for sports ...

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.

[RefsNCoaches]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

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!

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by RefsNCoaches

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)...

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.



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.

[BillyMac]

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.

[JRutledge]

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