University High School announced its resolve to move football, volleyball and cross-country to an intramural season for the fall due to considerations of the COVID-19 pandemic, while competing in girls’ golf and child tennis as planned.
The university’s athletic director, John Walls, shared the resolution with the fall sports athletes at the University, a personal school in Carmel with a staff of 327 students. Walls’ was published Friday on the University’s sports website:
“As we near the end of July, we are inching ever close to the official start of the fall sports season in the state of Indiana. The protocols University High School has implemented this month with the return of athletes have gone smoothly, and we have felt confident in the level of safety we have provided for our athletes. As we have looked toward the next phase of the season, which involves competition with other Indiana schools, we have faced growing unease with the idea that we could be putting our athletes in situations and environments with high possibility for COVID-19 spread.
“The sports department, management and the fall training team at the university high school made the difficult decision to cancel UHS participation in IHSAA inter school competitions in 3 of our five autumn sports: football (boys and girls), volleyball and cross-country (boys and girls).
“These sports will move to an eight-week intramural season (UHS only) in order to continue to provide a full and competitive sporting delight for those athletes. The internships will take position after school, as they would in a typical year, and each team will expand a schedule of competencies on the site, which will be structured as sports competitions typical of the best schools, with officers, scores, timeline, social media coverage, etc. However, all competitions will be college athletes to restrict our outdoor exposure.
“Many points were taken into account, however, the resolution was finally made due to the threat point inherent in each of those sports, the lack of clarity about the component of IHSAA in the changes to protect student-athletes and the lack of consistency in safety, precautions implemented in our competing schools. runners in close contact. Volleyball takes position inside and reaches a safe proximity as well as shared equipment.
“In those sports, the summer education program will continue for the next two weeks. Coaches will officially begin their eight-week season on the first day of school (Monday, August 17), instead of Monday, August 3. Coaches of those sports will talk more main points with their athletes and parents in the coming days. Physical occasions and other bureaucracy are required for athletes competing intramural, and must be delivered before the first day of school. Player packs will be distributed on or before August 17.
“Finally, we have shown IHSAA that this resolution will not be our position or ability to participate in the upcoming seasons of IHSAA.”
“Making an intramural game still involves threats, but it’s more controllable across college. Also, while we’re in hybrid learning, our intramural festival doesn’t replace the threat to other students. If an athlete hires COVID-19, other athletes may want to quarantine, but the threat does not extend to other members of the network in our hybrid classes.
“Because tennis and golf are low-threat outdoor sports with minimal shared gadgets and the ability for the competition to maintain sufficient physical distance, college high school children’s golf groups will participate in the IHSAA season as planned. We take additional precautions during these competitions to reduce the already low transmission threat, and we will delay or cancel competitions if epidemics spread in our competing schools.
“The first day of the IHSAA season for women’s golf is today, and the first day of the IHSAA season for men’s tennis is Monday. Both sports will have normal workouts next week. For these athletes, IHSAA’s bureaucracy and physics are due before the first day of practice: player packages for those sports will be distributed as soon as possible.
“While I think this resolution is the most productive for our school in those complex times, I also sense the emotions of sadness that some athletes and families would possibly feel about wasting their IHSAA festival season. I’m sorry about that loss, too. I know that’s vital for us to give our athletes a memorable, fun and competitive fall season, even if they compete with each other. The physical and intellectual benefits of the game in a typical year are many, but they are even more for our student. athletes right now.
Call star journalist Kyle Neddenriep at (317) 444-6649.