As fall sports lead to winter sports, there will be requirements to attend events
While it had been unclear at the beginning of the school year if fall sports would get the green light, the past several weeks have proven that athletics can be conducted in the era of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).
As the fall sports schedule begins to draw to a close, winter sports are on deck. For basketball and wrestling to take place in Carbon County School District No. 2 (CCSD2), some of the more stringent requirements from the Wyoming High School Athletics Association (WHSAA) will need to be enforced.
Indoor fall sports, regardless of location, have been subject to the gathering limit put in place by Governor Mark Gordon which caps at 250 people. With football and cross country taking place outside and volleyball not quite meeting that 250 limit, there has been little reason to enforce that policy until recently.
All three high schools now require masks to be worn throughout the entirety of the game. Attendees to the recent matchup between the Encampment Lady Tigers and the Saratoga Lady Panthers experienced this firsthand.
"The number of fans that come for volleyball is not compared to what we see for basketball games and that's why there really hasn't been a big 'We've got to limit the numbers'," said J.D. Johnson, principal of Saratoga Middle High School (SMHS). "We did that down in Encampment because that's always been a big gathering, big match, and we wanted to be prepared in case those numbers would reach that capacity for Encampment."
SMHS has been able to get away with providing a fair amount of space between spectators. With a gym that can house nearly 1900 people, the limit of 250 people wasn't an issue. Encampment and Hanna, Elk Mountain, Medicine Bow (HEM) schools, however, don't have that same capacity.
"Depending on the rest of the season, any of the three schools in our district could host a first round regional volleyball game. For that to take place, these things are going to come into place. For our gym, it's different because of the capacity. Encampment and Hanna both, their capacities are so small they could not distance and even fit the 250 in," said Greg Bartlett, SMHS activities director.
Attendees to the most recent volleyball games at SMHS will likely have seen a sign informing them that masks are required at all times. Similar signs are at Encampment and HEM schools as well. The goal is to get spectators used to these requirements before the regional tournament and winter sports.
"If Saratoga gets to host a volleyball round, we want to make sure people can understand this is what's going on," said Bartlett. "This kind of helps us in the end of volleyball and for sure as we pack into basketball."
It's easy enough to notice when someone isn't wearing a mask but how will the schools enforce the 250 limit on spectators?
Encampment school recently implemented the use of tickets that can be given to parents and family of players. SMHS is going a different direction as they will begin using a pass list. Out of that 250, however, the number available to the general public will be approximately one-fifth.
"We want to accommodate all family first, then we want to make sure we have a few spots reserved for our student body. All those account for this 250," Johnson said. "Once we have that number, we also have to give a percentage to the opposing team. A lot of people are going from 50 to 75 seats. Now you're looking at close to 50 to 60 seats available for the general public. "
If someone on the list is unable to make a particular game, they can notify the school and that will make a seat available for someone else.
When calling to be placed on the list, the school will need the name of every person attending. This will allow the school to keep a more accurate count of who will be attending the game and if they have reached their limit.
"The unfortunate thing to all this is it just requires quite a bit more from numerous people," said Bartlett. "Michelle (McWain) is probably the most overworked person in this whole building and now we're asking her to take emails and phone calls."
"Anytime you throw in something new, something different, it takes a few weeks and that's why it's important we start this with volleyball," Johnson said. "It'll give us time to also inform parents, grandparents and community members that do come for the remainder of the volleyball games."
To be on the list to attend games does come with some responsibility on the part of the spectators. According to Johnson, by putting their name on the pass list, spectators are agreeing to follow the guidelines that the schools are supposed to follow.
"If your name's on this list and we continue to have to go up and say 'put your mask on', your name will be removed from this list," said Bartlett. "It's a way for us to help protect what we're trying to do in that gym."
If people are unable to get on the list or do not feel healthy enough to attend a game, there is still the option of watching a game through the National Federation of High School Sports (NFHS) livestreaming service. All schools were outfitted with a Pixellot camera and, as of last week, all appeared operational.
To get their name on the list, spectators are asked to call SMHS at 307-326-5246 or they can email Michelle McWain at [email protected] or Greg Bartlett at [email protected].
"It's to protect our kids getting to play," said Johnson. "As an admin and as an AD, that is our biggest thing we want is our kids to play."
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