WILSONVILLE — The high school fall sports season is going to look different this year, much like the return to school for Oregon students. That was the message from the Oregon School Activities Association on Wednesday after a three-day work session for the organization’s Executive Board.
The OSAA made the decision to move back the first contest date for cross country, volleyball and soccer by nearly a month. Competition was originally scheduled to start on August 27 for all three sports, but now will begin on September 23.
Practices for these sports will still be allowed starting August 17, giving schools plenty of flexibility to schedule practices as they develop and implement their return to school plans.
As for high school football in the fall, the season is currently on hold. Football is considered a full-contact activity and is therefore prohibited under guidelines from the Governor’s office and the Oregon Health Authority. The OSAA says restrictions on full-contact sports will need to be lifted by no later than September 28 in order to have a modified regular season this fall.
Cheerleading and dance/drill are also considered full-contact activities and are currently prohibited. The OSAA is seeking clarifications from the state to find ways it may be possible to modify these activities to allow them to take place this fall.
If fall activities aren’t able to be held in the fall season, the OSAA Executive Board says it is committed to working through all available options including shifting, condensing, or stacking seasons to get them played.
The OSAA Executive Board is scheduled to meet again the week of August 3.
Two changes for the 2020-21 school year were adopted after recommendation from the OSAA Sports Medicine Advisory Committee. The Executive Board will prohibit multiple practice sessions on the same day this year. No single practice session shall be longer than three hours, including warm-up and cool down. On days with a single practice session, students are limited to a maximum of one hour of weight training either before or after practice but not both.
The second change mandates a minimum of nine practice days for any student participating in a Fall sport or activity.
The OSAA also clarified academic eligibility for student-athletes during the fall season. For a full description of the OSAA’s latest update, read the full release HERE.
View this profile on Instagram1490 The Score (@1490thescore) • Instagram photos and videos