Have Under Armour High Performance Sports Face Mask ...

[BillyMac]

Have Fox 40 Electronic Whistle, Will Travel ...

The Connecticut Department of Public Health and the CIAC (our state interscholastic sports governing board) have come up with COVID-19 guidelines for 2021 winter sports season, including basketball:

- Practices will begin January 19, 2021
- 12-game regular season for basketball
- Players will wear facemasks while competing
- Officials and coaches and will wear facemasks
- Multiple mask breaks will be instituted
- Individual schools or school districts can completely cancel winter sports (as some have already done)
- Fans should be prohibited at contests, but the decision belongs to individual schools or school districts
- High-risk sports of wrestling, competitive cheer, and competitive dance will not hold any competitions or matches

These guidelines came out after the Connecticut Department of Public Health reported that contact tracing discovered only seven Connecticut student-athletes had tested positive for COVID-19 as a direct result of participation in a school sports events (practices and games) during the fall sports season, producing an estimated transmission rate of 0.021 percent.

[BillyMac]

Last minute changes today by the CIAC Board of Control:

- Canceled state championships (cuts down on long bus rides)
- All games within leagues (cuts down on long bus rides)
- Games may start no sooner than February 8, 2021
- The elimination of state championships allows schools to return at a time when they are comfortable, and play a maximum of games prior to the end of the winter season, which will be March 28, 2021
- No traveling outside Connecticut for games, and no hosting teams from outside Connecticut

[Kansas Ref]

Enjoy your season; will you also be wearing long sleeved black shirt under your ref shirt? Our director said that we could do so; however, I have not done that--I'm just using my neck gaiter continuously.

[BillyMac]

I've made the following suggestions to my local board:

1) Encourage the use of electronic whistles, since we'll all be masked there probably isn’t a need for whistle pouches, bags, or shields.
2) Come to the gym dressed in uniform, suspend the business casual rule, many schools will not be making locker rooms available to officials.
3) Game jackets should not be worn, jackets that would usually be taken off and handled by table personnel.
4) No getting to the gym early, or staying late, to observe previous, or subsequent games (possible exception for Observation and Mobility Committee).
5) Partner pregame conference on the court, not in the locker room, six feet apart, halftime conference also on the court, many schools will not be making locker rooms available to officials.

I was disappointed that, unlike other states, rule changes were not approved such that officials would never handle the ball (free throws, throwins, we will have jump balls), and that the pregame captains/coaches meeting wasn’t completely eliminated (we're going with only the referee, the head coach, and only one captain), but that was probably outside the scope of our local board, or the state board, and more of a CIAC decision.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by Kansas Ref

... will you also be wearing long sleeved black shirt under your ref shirt?

Haven't heard anything regarding that. We have a local board Zoom meeting on Sunday, January 17 when we'll "officially" hear about all the specifics and particulars.

[SNIPERBBB]

Only because the guns De empty can electronic whistles work. Worked with a guy last night that used one. It'd never fly in a loud gym setting.

[ilyazhito]

I stopped using one because coaches were complaining that they could not hear it. Now, I use a Fox 40 whistle mask instead.

[Stat-Man]

Even though it's for volleyball, NFHS released a video on how to use an electronic whistle effectively.


https://nfhs.org/articles/nfhs-learn...in-volleyball/

[BillyMac]

Update. Everything is fluid. Protocols may change as we approach the season and during the season.

Mask breaks: A one-minute mask break will occur at the first stoppage of play at or after the 4-minute mark of each period. Mask breaks should not be used as a time out with coaches offering instruction. Additionally, a game official has discretion to stop the game at any point during the contest to address mask concerns. Such concerns may include but are not limited to: a player’s mask comes off during play; a player’s mask is observed to have slipped below the player’s nose; the official is experiencing an issue with his/her own mask, etc.

Maximum number of games per week: Two (2). Three (3) games can be scheduled in a week twice during the regular season.

Pregame Protocol: Limit attendees to (only) the referee and the head coach from each team (no captains) with each coach standing on the center circle on each side of the division line. All individuals maintain a social distance of 6 feet or greater at the center circle. Suspend handshakes prior to and following the Pregame Conference.

Team Benches: Social distancing should be practiced when possible. Some suggestions: Limit the number of bench personnel to observe social distancing of 6 feet or greater. Place team benches opposite the spectator seating. Additional chairs or rows may be added to allow bench personnel to observe social distancing of 6 feet or greater. Create separation between the team bench and spectator seating behind the bench.

Table: The host should sanitize the table before the game and at half time. Place officials table sufficiently away from the sideline to allow for additional space for substitutes. Limit seats at the table to essential personnel which includes home team scorer and timer with a recommend distance of 6 feet or greater between individuals. Other personnel (visiting scorer, statisticians, media, etc.) may not be deemed essential personnel and consider an alternate location for them.

Pre and Post Game Ceremony: Suspend the pregame introduction handshakes. Suspend post game protocol of shaking hands.

The host school should ensure that the ball is sanitized during time-outs and between quarters.

Officials Uniform and Equipment: Long-sleeved shirts are permissible. Officials should not be required to wear jackets during pre-game court/player observation. Electronic whistles are permissible. Gloves are permissible.

The CIAC recommends that spectators should not be allowed. Schools may have varied rules for spectator attendance. All event attendees including coaches, athletes, school personnel, athletic trainers, and spectators are required to wear face masks.

Locker rooms should be used as little as possible. Officials should come contests dressed for contests whenever possible.

[BillyMac]

Wow! Discovered that 1/3 of the members of my local board (of 300 total members) have opted out of officiating basketball this upcoming season (games may start February 8, 2021).

I haven't decided yet. Will wait until after a Zoom meeting on Saturday, January 23, 2021, when all COVID-19 protocols will be "officially" established.

[ChuckS]

I thought it would have been higher than 1/3. I decided a few months ago to opt out. Regardless of all these rules modifications and other precautions, officiating an indoor HS basketball game is a risky event. And the fact that CT is using stats from the fall season, where most sports are outdoors, to justify proceeding with the basketball season, is dubious. (unless I am inferring a cause and effect that was not actually there).

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by ChuckS

... officiating an indoor HS basketball game is a risky event. And the fact that CT is using stats from the fall season, where most sports are outdoors, to justify proceeding with the basketball season, is dubious ...

Agree. The only indoor sport in the fall was girls volleyball, and players (even while participating), coaches, officials, and spectators (if allowed by individual schools) all wore masks.

[LRZ]

What I see here (SE PA) is that many players ignore the strict COVID-19 protocols, either fully or in part, e.g., wearing a mask below the nose, wearing a gaiter around the neck. I would hope that other jurisdictions are better at adhering to the guidelines.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by LRZ

What I see here (SE PA) is that many players ignore the strict COVID-19 protocols, either fully or in part, e.g., wearing a mask below the nose, wearing a gaiter around the neck. I would hope that other jurisdictions are better at adhering to the guidelines.

That's a question that I have here in Connecticut. Are these protocols enforced by the game officials, or the school officials?

As a game official, I don't want to be the "Mask Police", I really don't, but I could probably do a better job than some coaches, athletic directors, or principals, treating the mask requirement as I would an untucked jersey, earrings, or a wrong color undershirt. "Take a seat on the bench".

[LRZ]

In the latest PIAA bulletin (1/14/21), we have been instructed by PIAA that COVID-19 protocols are to be enforced by game administration, not referees:

Officials should not concern themselves with non-compliance of COVID issues but should instead alert game management and have them handle those issues when they come up. Officials must only concern themselves with issues related to the rule book.