The New York State Public High School Athletic Association last week released six potential scenarios for interscholastic sports discussed by the COVID-19 task force in the fall as New York reopens from the pandemic.
At this time, schools are still prohibited from any indoor activities, any in-person instruction (excluding special education), and any organized sports or recreational activities that are hosted/operated.
According to the state, the scenarios are meant to be used as a “starting point” or “framework” to assist the Task Force in providing guidance and recommendations.
There is no definitive date for a decision to be made.

The six potential scenarios include a full return to school, a hybrid education model, full virtual learning model and one with reginal differences. They also include a full return to athletic participation, potential adjustments of seasons or condensing all three seasons.
The various sports also were classified by risk assessment, as outlined by the National Federation of State High School associations.
High risk sports involve close, sustained contact between participants and a lack of significant protective barriers and come with a high probability that respiratory particles will be transmitted between participants.
Moderate risk sports involve close contact, but there is protective equipment or intermittent close contact, or group sports or sports where equipment can’t be cleaned.
Low risk sports can be done individually or with social distancing with no sharing of equipment or the ability to clean equipment used by competitors.

Scenario 1
This scenario involves school opening for in-person learning and includes athletic participation.
In this scenario, no changes would be needed, and all sports will be played as scheduled with social distancing restrictions.

Scenarios 2 and 3

Both scenarios include athletic participation. Scenario 2 describes school opening with a combination of in-person and virtual learning, while Scenario 3 covers schools opening only to provide remote learning.
Both include athletic participation.
These scenarios would call for seasons to be adjusted, calling for low and moderate risk sports to be played at the beginning of the school year with high risk sports played toward the end of the 2020-21 school year.
One proposal calls for baseball, softball, outdoor track and field, golf, tennis, girls’ swimming, girls’ lacrosse and bowling to be played during the fall season. The winter season would largely remain unchanged except for volleyball being played during the winter and no wrestling. The spring season would be home to football, soccer, field hockey, cross country, boys’ lacrosse, competitive cheerleading, boys’ tennis and wrestling.
The second proposal breaks up the fall and spring season into two 8-week blocks and leaves the winter as one season.
Golf, tennis, bowling and cross country would be played during the first fall season, while swimming and diving, gymnastics and volleyball will be played during the second. The winter season would include basketball, indoor track, ice hockey and skiing. The first half of spring season will include football, soccer, field hockey and competitive cheerleading. The second half would include baseball, softball, outdoor track, lacrosse and wrestling.

Scenarios 4 and 5
These two scenarios cover if interscholastic athletics are not included at the start of the school year.
Under Scenario 4, schools open with a combination of in-person and virtual learning, while under Scenario 5, there will be only distance learning.
The proposal under these scenarios would see sports broken up into three sessions, starting in January 2021.

The first session would include basketball, bowling, gymnastics, ice hockey, indoor track, skiing and boys’ swimming. The second would include football, competitive cheerleading, wrestling, cross country, field hockey, soccer, swimming and volleyball. The third session would include baseball, softball, golf, lacrosse, tennis, and outdoor track.

Scenario 6
This scenario addresses regional differences in start dates and learning platforms.
If schools are opened on a regional basis, sports seasons should be amended on a sectional or regional basis. Under this scenario, there would be no statewide consistency in sports seasons and no state championships would be contested.
Other items

The task force also discussed the ability of the NYSPHSAA to host state championships, which would depend on social distancing restrictions and the severity of confirmed COVID-19 cases throughout the state, the number of sections hosting tournaments and the ability of schools to travel to central locations.
Various solutions could be used, including a regular postseason, limited section participation, upstate and downstate championships, regional championships only or sectional championships.
In a survey the NYSPHAA conducted of nearly 6,000 superintendents, principals, athletic directors and coaches, fan attendance rated low in areas of importance. Student safety rated highest.
According to the task force, fan attendance will be dictated by social distancing restrictions, and local and state health department declarations.
The next Task Force meeting has not been announced as of press time.
Schools must wait until authorization from Gov. Andrew Cuomo before allowing on-campus activity.
Fall sports in Vermont will have a delayed start due to COVID-19 and Tennessee has delayed the beginning of its high school football season.
Further guidance from the governor’s office is expected in the middle of July.