Michigan High School Sports Practices May Begin
Now that professional sports have been returning to action, high school athletes across the state of Michigan have been cleared to begin practicing.
There are still a lot of unknowns regarding students returning to school in the fall and how all that is going to look and take place.
As far as high school sports go, According to FOX 17, low risk sports can begin practicing on time while moderate and high risk sports will be able to practice as well but a decision on game schedules has yet to be determined.
Early on there were talks of high risk sports waiting until spring to play and low risk sports would initially start in the fall but it looks like schools will be keeping the seasons as they originally were.
The Michigan High School Athletic Association is calling the shots on sports and creating the rules for practicing and game play.
The MHSAA have hinted that sports like boys football, boys soccer and girls volleyball will be restricted from playing in tournaments. Boys football is getting the most restrictions put in place with no pads the first week when normally three of the five days are in pads.
I would hate to see the kids get cheated out of their seasons but I hope the MHSAA are paying attention to what is going on in professional sports. The Miami Marlins have already had their season postponed after a couple games when 16 players and staffers tested positive for COVID-19. The NBA and NFL both have already had players test positive.
I know that kids are less affected by the virus but they still have older coaches, school staff and family members to return home to and if you look at who is transmitting the most cases these days, and that's younger people who have been gathering in large groups.
Another hill to get over is that indoor facilities cannot be used at this time under phase four of Michigan's reopening plan. Gyms and pools that are located in the Upper Peninsula and Northern Lower Michigan are open for use but they have way fewer cases of the coronavirus than the lower half of the state.
The MHSAA has ruled out scrimmage games for fall sports and there will be limits on how many teams will be competing in each division and season tournaments.
Most schools will know the fate of their schools sports for the fall when the MHSAA make their final decisions on August 20.