Daily Archives: July 31, 2020

Sports

OHSAA “Fall Seasons will go ahead as Planned”

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The Ohio High School Athletic Association released a memo to administrators via twitter Friday to push ahead with practices for fall sports beginning Saturday, August 1st.

That means low/non‐contact sports and contact sports will be permitted to begin official practices tomorrow (August 1) as had been previously announced. Additional details on the fall sports seasons are below.

“It is important to keep athletic activity moving forward,” said Dan Leffingwell, president of the OHSAA Board of Directors and superintendent of the Noble Local Schools in Sarahsville. “And with that, we believe our member schools provide our student‐athletes with the safest possible environment to return to play and that our school programs are the best avenue to help students learn lifelong lessons and provide social, emotional and physical benefits that other programs cannot. Moving forward allows those students to continue to be engaged with their school coaches and teammates. Membership data also supports this decision.

“If we were to delay, our students will find opportunities to compete in sports through non‐school programs that may not be focused on safety and are not education‐based,” Leffingwell said. “Should data on COVID‐19 change and/or the Governor’s Office makes changes to our plan, we have flexibility that would allow us to look at implementing other models for our seasons.” Low/Non‐Contact Sports (Golf, Girls Tennis, Volleyball)

LOW/NON-CONTACT SPORTS (GOLF, GIRLS TENNIS, VOLLEYBALL):

Official practices may begin on Saturday, August 1st.

School vs. school scrimmages and/or contests will follow per their normal OHSAA permissible dates and regulations.

Golf – 1 scrimmage permitted any time during the season; first contest August 5th

Girls Tennis – 1 scrimmage permitted after practice begins and prior to first match; first contest August 7th

Volleyball – 5 scrimmages and 1 preview permitted after practice begins; first contest August 21st

FOOTBALL:

Official practices begin on Saturday August 1st with the normal acclimatization period in place.

No school vs. school scrimmages are permitted

School vs school contest will follow their normal OHSAA permissible dates and regulations with a target date of the week of Monday, August 24th (Note: This sate is subject to change and subject to the approval from the Governor’s Office/Ohio Department of Health and with the stipulation that COVID-19 testing will not be required).

OTHER CONTACT SPORTS (SOCCER, FIELD HOCKEY, CROSS COUNTRY):

Practices will begin on Saturday August 1st with the normal acclimatization period in place for cross country.

No school vs. school scrimmages are permitted in soccer or field hockey

School vs school contest will follow their normal OHSAA permissible dates and regulations with a target date of the week of Friday, August 21st, for soccer and field hockey and Monday, August 24th for cross country. (Note: This sate is subject to change and subject to the approval from the Governor’s Office/Ohio Department of Health and with the stipulation that COVID-19 testing will not be required).

ADDITIONAL NOTES:

If contact sports are not approved for school vs. school competition by Friday, September 4th, fall contact sports and remaining winter and spring sports will move to a condensed schedule that will take place between mid-December and the end of June. Fall non-contact sports would move forward as scheduled.

If the fall seasons begin and , for some reason, are stopped but then resume, the OHSAA has plans to move to a modified fall sports season.

If contact sports are approved for school vs. school competition, the OHSAA is prepared to set COVID-19-related requirements for schools to follow for competitions as requested by the Governor’s Office. The OHSAA will govern and issue consequences for the violation of these requirements as prescribed in OHSAA Bylaw 11, Penalties.

Conversations with the Governor’s Office/Ohio Department of Health continue regarding the status of field hockey and/or cross country being placed into the low/non-contact category. The membership will be updated if that changes for either or both sports.

The OHSAA continues with conversations with the Governor’s Office on its plans to ensure we are in concert.

The Wheelersburg defense celebrates stopping Minford’s two-point conversion to seal an overtime victory in October 2019.

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County Fairs Quickly Augmenting Plans Following DeWine Ordered Restrictions

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Following Governor Mike DeWine’s order placed on county fairs this week, limiting all fairs to Junior Fairs only during the COVID-19 pandemic, forced a handful of fair boards to amend their plans. 

The Governor’s order affects county and independent fairs with an opening day on or after July 31, 2020, will be limited to specific junior fair events.  

“We’ve seen several fairs that have been doing an excellent job to keep fair-goers safe, yet  other fairs have been connected to outbreaks; some have disregarded social distancing; and we’ve also seen a lack of enforcement of the statewide mask order. It’s just a real shame,” said Governor DeWine. “Because it is becoming increasingly clear that we cannot have a regular, safe fair in the summer of 2020, I believe we must now scale fairs back.” 

Junior fair activities such as livestock competitions and 4-H and Future Farmers of America competitions for kids and teenagers may continue as planned, but junior fairs must develop a plan that reduces crowding in barns, such as limiting entrance to only the immediate family of those actively showing their animals or projects. A 10 p.m. curfew will also be instituted for the barns, buildings, and midways. 

Harness racing can proceed with no spectators, but rides, games, and grandstand events will be prohibited to limit crowds and better prevent coronavirus spread. 

https://www.facebook.com/pikecountyfairgrounds/posts/2771890813076029

Locally, Pike Fair officials has had to work quickly for modifications with the cancellation of grandstand events like motorcross racing, the truck and tractor pull and demolition derby. 4H Clubs were to begin assembling their booths Friday with the first Horse Show scheduled for Saturday. Most all events involving livestock will go on as scheduled. 

Other county fairs feeling the immediate impact of the order include Preble (Eaton), Augilaize (Wapakoneta), Greene (Xenia), Gallia (Gallipolis), Columbiana (Lisbon), Medina (Medina) and Wood (Bowling Green). 

According to the Ohio Public Health Advisory Risk Levels released Thursday, Pike County (yellow) is at the lowest risk and Medina (red) is highest at Level 3. The other counties hosting fairs next week are at Level 2.

The Ross County Fair begins August 8, but last June, the Fair Board was proactive and voted to host a Junior Fair only.

As with any event today, check ahead before attending. Most are posting on their websites or social media sites with their latest important information for visitors.