Fall sports scheduled to start in February

High school sports traditionally played in the fall are scheduled to begin in February. 

Indoor winter sports were originally scheduled to be the first sports played this athletic school year, but the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association Executive Board decided fall sports would be the new starting point according to a Jan. 6 announcement on their website. 

Fall sports include cross country, football, soccer, cheer, and volleyball.

WIAA allows flexibility for leagues to schedule their seasons as they see fit. 

A tentative schedule presented at Monday’s Grand Coulee Dam School District Board meeting was compiled by school athletic directors from the North Central Region of Washington, which includes 30 schools, and proposes football practice starting Feb. 16, cross country, soccer, volleyball and cheer practices starting Feb. 22, and all sports running through April 3.

The proposal is still being presented to other schools across the region. 

Under the proposal, football would have five games, cross country would have five or more meets, and soccer and volleyball would each have 12 games. 

The decision to start with fall sports rather than winter sports came following Gov. Jay Inslee’s announcement of a new COVID-19 recovery plan which outlines guidelines for indoor and outdoor sports which vary depending on the phase of the plan a region is in (see separate story on the plan).

All regions are currently in phase one of the plan. 

For indoor sports, phase one allows low-risk sports to practice but only with groups of five or fewer people. In phase two, low- and moderate-risk sports are permitted to have competitions, but no tournaments. 

For outdoor sports, phase one allows low- and moderate-risks sports to practice and train only.

Football, a high-risk sport, would be allowed to train in pods of five or less.

Phase two allows all outdoor sports to hold competitions, with 200 people allowed at the event, including the athletes, coaches, and spectators.

Low-risk sports include cross country, golf, swimming, tennis and track and field; moderate risk sports include baseball, soccer, softball and volleyball; and high risk sports include basketball, football, wrestling, and cheer. 

“The change in guidelines allow all traditional fall sports to be played in Phase 2 while we still do not have a clear pathway to the high risk indoor activities,” WIAA Executive Director Mick Hoffman said in the announcement. 

During the school board meeting, Athletic Director Tim Rasmussen said athletic directors in the North Central Region are hopeful the region will enter phase two prior to practices starting, with the region showing promising numbers related to COVID to qualify for phase two. 

WIAA is working with the state Department of Health to gain more clarity surrounding the guidelines, their announcement said. 

“We are hoping to receive more details that were not included in the Governor’s announcement, particularly surrounding indoor sports and activities,” Hoffman said. “As we continue to gather more information and evaluate the new metrics, the Board will be able to make better decisions about the remainder of the year.”

With basketball and wrestling both being high-risk sports, if a way for a winter season is not found, the North Central Region athletics proposal states that a spring sports season would be extended.