By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
Limited practice restrictions placed on Kentucky high school sports teams due to the coronavirus pandemic will remain in effect through Aug. 2, but golf season can proceed as planned.
Those are two recommendations approved by the Kentucky High School Athletic Association Board of Control on Friday during a meeting in Covington. The voting members included Mike Clines, superintendent of education for the Diocese of Covington, and Matt Wilhoite, executive director for the Northern Kentucky Athletic Conference.
Julian Tackett
Golf got the go-ahead because it’s a non-contact sport where social distancing is not a problem. Golf teams are permitted to begin practice on July 15 and start competition on July 31.
The other fall sports — football, volleyball, soccer, cross country and field hockey — all involve some degree of contact or shared equipment. Those teams will remain restricted to conditioning drills and non-contact workouts in small groups while following preventive guidelines, including coaches wearing masks, temperature readings for participants, hand washing and social distancing.
Athletes in all fall sports will also be limited to six hours of practice time per week through Aug. 2 to limit their possible time of exposure to the COVID-19 virus.
KHSAA commissioner Julian Tackett said the current measures are in accordance with the Center of Disease Control and Prevention guidelines for youth sports that were adopted by the governor to minimize exposure to and spread of the virus.
“Our goal with this delay or shifting of the dates is starting school on time, not getting ready for championship play,” Tackett told board members before the vote. “Now you all can amend it, but I think we’ve got to keep that as our focus. That’s what we would encourage our schools to do.”
The Board of Control plans to schedule a meeting during the last week of July to discuss starting dates for competition in fall sports other than golf. The original starting dates are Aug. 10 for soccer, Aug. 17 for volleyball, cross country and field hockey and Aug. 21 for football, but it’s likely they will be pushed back.
Delaying the start of regular practice sessions in those sports gives the KHSAA more time to collect and assess data on how the pandemic is affecting Kentucky.
“If we can get some more data, you all will be better able to plan your school year and we’ll be better able to plan a sports year,” Tackett told board members. “I think that’s the intent.”
The board did pass a motion that there will be no penalties for schools that must cancel competitions for COVID-19 related issues.
