SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — The Illinois High School Association has announced its schedule for the rest of the 2021 sports season and the safety guidelines to accompany it.
“Ultimately, the Board adhered to its stated goals throughout the pandemic: providing an opportunity for every IHSA student-athlete to compete safely this year and maximizing opportunities for traditional IHSA spring sports after they lost their entire season a year ago. I recognize that many schools and coaches could likely offer a tweak here or there that would have, in their opinion, made it ‘better’ for their school or sport. Our Board faced an impossible task with a litany of factors," said IHSA Executive Director Craig Anderson. "They were conscientious in considering every possibility and I believe their decisions today are a positive step for the mental, emotional, and physical well-being of our students. We are excited to channel our energy into creating as many positive experiences for Illinois high school students as we can between now and the end of this extraordinary school year.”
The IHSA Sports Medicine Advisory Committee also recommends to pay extra care to acclimatize back into the sports lifestyle, stressing the need to be vigilant academically and put extra time into conditioning, among other academic and health needs.
IHSA guidelines are still requiring all athletes and game personnel to wear masks and adhere to social distancing as much as can be done, with the exception of swimming/diving, gymnasts on an apparatus, and outdoor events where distancing can be easily facilitated.
“We still have regions of the state that need to make strides in order be able to play basketball this winter,” said Anderson. “That underscores the importance of our schools following all the mitigations and precautions. We need to maintain a positive trajectory not only to get winter sports going, but to make sure we do not have any regions regress before spring and summer sports have their opportunity. We can all do our part by wearing a mask and socially distancing.”
You can find more information on specific sports, dates, and policies, on the IHSA website.