The Lincoln County School District has announced it would begin four high school sports – volleyball, cross country, soccer and non-contact football – on Monday, Feb. 22.
The re-start of team sports – prohibited since schools closed last spring – follows new rules from Gov. Kate Brown and the Oregon Health Authority, allowing high school and small college sports depending on testing protocols and county-by-county risk categories.
But the Lincoln County district said Friday it will not offer contact football because new rules for counties in the “high risk” category would require on-site testing for COVID-19, waiver releases and contact tracing. On Tuesday, it clarified that statement to say that it would start contact football if the county drops to the state’s “moderate” risk category Feb. 26. It will know that decision next week.
Instead, Superintendent Karen Gray said the district will follow Oregon School Activities Association options that suggest alternatives such as 7-on-7 non-contact football, flag football, a virtual “lineman challenge” and a virtual “combine challenge.”
Whatever competition it chooses, teams would only compete within the county’s four high schools, Gray said.
Gray said Tuesday that the difference in football between “high” and “moderate” risk categories deals with not having to do on-site testing, contact tracing, concerns about student privacy with a positive test, and staff liability.
“If and when Lincoln County is classified at the moderate risk level, we will reevaluate and communicate,” Gray said in the district’s Friday news release.
Already there’s a group of Newport-area parents objecting to the district’s decision to not play contact football. Called “Let them Play Lincoln County” the group has started an online petition asking district officials and the school board to reverse that decision. It also plans a one-hour demonstration at noon Wednesday at the intersection of U.S. Highway 101 and Oregon 20 in Newport.
Since October the district has been able to work with students in small athletic pods for strength and conditioning – called Season 1 — while following social distancing guidelines and wearing masks.
The district said it would cover the cost of pay-to-play fees for all athletes this school year and provide transportation to and from events.
But, the district will also not allow spectators to attend sporting events – with the exception of immediate family members of participating seniors, who will be able to attend one contest per sport, as determined by their school.
“We know this is disappointing news, but it is necessary to meet facility capacity requirements and monitoring measures,” Gray said. “We will continue to monitor our spectator regulations as country metrics change.”
The OSAA has adopted a drastically different sports schedule because of the coronavirus pandemic. Following the optional Season 1 conditioning, it consists of three short seasons starting and ending within six weeks.
Season 2: Practice for traditional fall sports (football, soccer, volleyball and cross country) begin Monday, Feb. 22 and contests start March 1.
Season 3: Practice for traditional spring sports (baseball, softball, tennis and golf) begin April 5 and contests start April 12.
Season 4: Practice for traditional winter sports (basketball, wrestling and swimming) begins May 10 and contests begin May 17.
Gray said most Season 2 sports would be played in Lincoln County “and we will not compete against teams outside of our county considered at or above high risk.”
As high schools reopen in April, Gray said, the district will release more information on performing arts, competitive cheer and dance.
The district has created a co-ed Flash Football League open to all 7-8th grade students. It is a modified version of ultimate frisbee but uses a Nerf football. Practices will be held twice a week for one hour each with a six-week competitive season from March 6 to April 10, excluding Spring Break Saturdays. The cost is $10 per student and signups begin Feb. 22.
“It would be unrealistic to say that we won’t have challenges and changes during our athletic seasons,” Gray said. “We are committed to coaching our student-athletes through all of them, both physically and emotionally. Students, staff, and families have continued to face adversity since the closure in March.”
The school district is in the middle of a three-month process to bring students back into classrooms at least two days a week.
Kindergarten through third-graders returned to elementary schools for in-class instruction two days a week on Feb. 1. Buildings are also open for career technical education students, some special education students, and students with little or no internet capability, and Otis-area wildfire victims.
On Tuesday, Feb. 16, students in grades four through six will return to school for the first time since last March. March 1 is the scheduled return for seventh- and eighth-graders, and the district is planning to bring back grades 9-12 on April 12.
More information on guidance for athletics can be found at on the OSAA website.