IHSA board approves winter sports season plan; schedule for rest of year expected Jan. 27

The IHSA met virtually with athletic directors Tuesday as the organization races to put together a clearer timeline for the winter, spring and summer sports seasons.

All winter sports are allowed to begin practices immediately for schools in regions no longer under Tier 3 COVID-19 mitigations, and winter sports, with the exception of basketball, are allowed to begin contests after seven practices.

A timeline for the rest of the school year is expected to be finalized when the board next meets Jan. 27.

The IHSA also announced that contact days for fall, spring and summer sports can begin Monday for schools in regions under Tier 2 COVID-19 mitigations or less restrictive levels, which also includes Tier 1 and Phase 4.

Also, schools in Phase 4, Tier 1, and Tier 2 can conduct weight training with masks and social distancing. Schools in Tier 3 will remain limited to one-on-one training with a coach and student-athlete.

Last week, IHSA Executive Director Craig Anderson said in a statement that he anticipated the IHSA board would set the competition start dates for lower-risk winter sports before meeting Jan. 27.

All high school sports in Illinois have been paused since Nov. 20.

On Tuesday, the IHSA updated its sports guidance at IHSA.org to include a breakdown of which activities in the lower-risk, medium-risk and higher-risk categories are allowed based on how each region is doing in the state’s tiered COVID-19 mitigation efforts.

According to the IDPH’s new guidance released Friday, different regions in the state will be allowed to resume high school sports at different times depending on how the region is performing in the state’s tiered COVID-19 mitigation efforts.

According to the state’s most current guidelines, for lower-risk sports, contests and games within a conference and region are allowed if the region is under Tier 2 or less restrictive COVID-19 mitigations.

All participants who can medically tolerate a face covering must wear a face covering when unable to maintain at least 6 feet of distance.

There are additional guidelines for certain sports listed on IDPH’s website. The guidance is subject to change as public health conditions change.

The IHSA’s lower-risk winter sports that have yet to start are badminton, boys swimming and diving, cheerleading, dance, boys and girls bowling, and girls gymnastics.

Boys and girls basketball, which are the only higher-risk winter sports, cannot hold contests or games, according to guidance from the state. Practices or training with no physical contact are allowed under Tier 2 mitigations, while intrateam scrimmages are allowed under both Phase 4 and Tier 1 mitigations.

All IHSA activities remain on pause in regions that are under Tier 3 or Tier 4 mitigations.

The remaining spring sports are football, boys soccer, girls volleyball, boys gymnastics and boys and girls water polo. The remaining summer sports are baseball, softball, boys and girls track and field, girls soccer, boys volleyball, boys and girls lacrosse, boys tennis and wrestling.

According to the state’s regional data as of Tuesday, Regions 3 and 5 are in Phase 4; Regions 1, 2 and 6 are in Tier 1; Regions 8, 9, 10 and 11 are in Tier 2; and Regions 4 and 7 are in Tier 3.

Region 1 consists of northwestern Illinois, including DeKalb, Lee, Ogle and Whiteside counties. Region 2 consists of west central Illinois, including La Salle, Kendall and Bureau counties; Region 8 includes Kane and DuPage counties. Region 9 includes Lake and McHenry counties.

A complete list of regions and COVID-19 mitigation tiers can be found on the IHSA’s website and IDPH’s website.

The IHSA adjusted its sports seasons from three to four last summer when the IDPH initially assigned risk levels to each sport: fall (Aug. 10 to Oct. 24), winter (Nov. 16 to Feb. 13), spring (Feb. 16 to May 1) and summer (May 3 to June 26).

The current list of risk levels for each sport are as follows:

• Lower risk: archery, badminton, baseball, bass fishing, bowling, climbing, competitive cheer, competitive dance, crew, cross country, cycling, disc golf, fencing, gymnastics, horseback riding, ice skating, ropes courses, sailing/canoeing/kayaking, scholastic golf, sideline spirit, skateboarding, softball, skiing, swimming/diving, tennis, track and field, weight lifting.
• Medium risk: flag football/7-on-7 football, futsal, paintball, racquetball, soccer, volleyball, water polo, wheelchair basketball
• Higher risk: basketball, boxing, football, hockey, lacrosse, martial arts, rugby, ultimate frisbee, wrestling.