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Reopen NY: High school fall sports considered high-risk delayed until spring

ByEyewitness News WABC logo

Thursday, September 10, 2020

NY high school fall sports considered high-risk delayed until spring

Officials in New York are pushing back the start of some high school fall sports to spring which will cause spring sports to be delayed as well.

NEW YORK (WABC) -- Officials in New York are pushing back the start of some fall sports to spring which will cause spring sports to be delayed as well.

The New York State Public High School Athletic Association announced that football, volleyball and competitive cheer seasons will now start on March 1.

Those sports are considered high risk.

"We've spent two days speaking with nearly 500 athletic directors across the state and it's clear that administering high-risk fall sports during the COVID-19 pandemic presents a significant challenge for our member schools," said Dr. Robert Zayas, NYSPHSAA Executive Director. "These are unprecedented times and unfortunately, difficult decisions will have to be made to address this ongoing crisis. We continue to stay committed to providing support to our member schools and quality participation experiences for the students we serve."

The scheduling change will also impact spring sports, which will now start on April 19.

Other fall sports with lower risk factors will begin practices on Sept. 21 as planned. Regular season games can begin for low and moderate risk fall sports (girls tennis, cross country, girls swimming/diving, boys soccer, girls soccer, field hockey) once student-athletes have participated in the required number of practices as per NYSPHSAA bylaws.

In Connecticut, student athletes are protesting the decision to cancel the high school football season. The decision was made by the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference last week after previously announcing the season would start on Sept. 21.

Officials said the decision was made because football is a full contact sport, making it higher risk.

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