SPORTS
6A — BAKER CITY HERALD
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2020
High school sports might stay closer to home
■ Oregon School Activities Association urges schools to prioritize regional opponents in scheduling for 2021 contests
By Corey Kirk
ckirk@bakercityherald.com
If high schools in Eastern
Oregon resume competitive
events in 2021 the teams
might seek to limit their op-
ponents to relatively nearby
schools to reduce travel and
make it easier to comply with
COVID-19 precautions.
This regional approach
would prioritize distance
between schools rather than
whether they’re in the same
district or league.
Athletic directors from
regional high schools, while
in the midst of the series of
three “mini-sessions” this
fall that allow teams to have
practices, are also discuss-
ing a regional approach to
scheduling for when regular
contests begin.
“We believe it is prudent to
restrict our travel to schools
closer to home, and these
schools offer us competitive
games for our players,” said
Beccy Nordvedt, athletic
director at Enterprise High
School. “Decreasing the risk
of exposures contributes to
being able to not only con-
tinue to practice and compete,
but also helps to keep our
doors open for students to
attend school in person.”
On Oct. 15 the Oregon
School Activities Association
(OSAA), which sanctions high
school sports in the state, is-
sued a memo to schools cover-
ing a wide range of topics.
The memo states that
OSAA’s “Executive Board has
determined that schools will
not be required to participate
in their assigned leagues/spe-
cial districts for the 2020-21
school year.”
The memo continues:
“While current league/spe-
cial district alignments may
continue to work for some,
many schools are forecasting
signifi cant travel and trans-
portation issues that will
impact current structures.
Availability of buses and bus
play basketball,” Somnis said.
“There is some logical, realistic
concern when you look at the
metrics, and you look at the
things that have to happen to
get to that point.”
Another potential hurdle
for the resumption of high
school sports is the state rule
— Darren Goodman,
prohibiting indoor competi-
athletic director,
tion, including basketball and
La Grande High School
volleyball, for high schools
Mike Somnis said. “Being as that have only online classes.
far out as we are, having par- That list includes many high
ents drive out to their games schools in Eastern Oregon.
isn’t feasible and isn’t safe.”
Indoor competition is al-
For sports with larger num- lowed only for schools that
bers of players, schools likely have either a hybrid schedule,
will need to employ multiple with students in classrooms
buses for each trip.
some days, or a full in-person
“You got to have at least
schedule.
3 feet (between students),
As with the ban on full-
which means that you could contact sports, OSAA has not
put one person per seat,” Gon- received a timeline from state
zales said. “Then it becomes
offi cials about the possibility
Kathy Orr / Baker City Herald, FIle Photo, 2019 a monetary issue, if you are
of the state reconsidering the
Baker’s Jake Wright battles for a loose ball against Vale in taking all 60 kids from the
indoor competition policy.
a game in January 2020.
football team, then you’re tak-
Playoff possibilities
ing three buses.”
The OSAA’s current
drivers, increased costs due to fi nalize a lot of that till early
As of now, the issue of
passenger limits and trans-
December.”
scheduling games is moot for schedule plans for a one-week
portation guidelines, and
period, at the end of each
In a year that has been far certain sports.
concerns for lengthy trips in from normal for high school
The OSAA’s Oct. 15 memo sports season in 2021, that
would allow for playoffs and,
an enclosed bus environment athletics due to the pandemic, notes that Oregon Health
were among the issues raised with most state basketball
Authority guidelines continue potentially, a state champion-
by the delegates. Schools
tournaments and the entire
to prohibit full-contact sports, ship event.
Nordvedt, the Enterprise
will continue to determine
spring sports schedule can-
including wrestling, basket-
their own schedules which
celed, athletic directors in
ball and football. The fi rst two athletic director, believes it
will likely include more
Eastern Oregon are focusing sports are traditional winter would be diffi cult to make that
happen, since playoffs usu-
cross-classifi cation contests.
on getting students back to
sports, the season for which
ally involve teams traveling
Both governing bodies were
competition safely.
starts Dec. 28.
resolute in their belief that all
from one part of the state to
“We want our kids to play,
According to the memo,
schools in the state, regard-
another. It’s not uncommon for
and we will do whatever it
OSAA offi cials have talked
less of classifi cation, will need takes for them to play,” La
regularly with the governor’s teams from Eastern Oregon
to travel to the Coast, and vice
to work collaboratively to
Grande athletic director
offi ce and the OHA “regard-
versa.
ensure that schools are able
Darren Goodman said. “If
ing the timeline for possible
“It is hard for me to imagine
to fi ll their schedules.”
we have to stay regionalized, reconsideration of these poli-
Buell Gonzales Jr., ath-
then we will stay regional-
cies but thus far has received that it will (happen in the
letic director for the Baker
ized.”
no indication of any pending normal way) due to both
increased chances of exposure
School District, said regional
With the winter sports
reconsideration.”
athletic directors are ready to season scheduled to start Dec.
and spread of COVID, but also
Somnis, the Pendleton
because across the state many
coordinate to meet the OSAA 28, another topic that could
athletic director, said that
schools have not been able to
directive.
pose a challenge is transpor- prohibition is a concern.
bring kids in to even practice
“We’ve been meeting as
tation.
“I think there is some
at this point,” Nordvedt said.
Eastern Oregon ADs and
“If we get to that point, the worry, especially with cases
But Goodman, the La
we’ve just been keeping in
assumption would be that we around the state going up
touch with one another and
would take district transpor- right now, and you just won- Grande athletic director,
remains optimistic that some
working our way through
tation so the kids are safe
der if some of these restric-
this,” Gonzales said. “We are going from event to event,”
type of playoff system is viable.
tions will be lifted so that
“I think it can be, I don’t
going to wait to probably
Pendleton athletic director
we can wrestle, that we can
“We want our kids to
play, and we will do
whatever it takes for them
to play. If we have to stay
regionalized, then we will
stay regionalized.”
think it will be in the same
form as it is, I think you could
be a top four teams in sports,
even top six or eight teams in
some sports but you can play
more than one contest in a
week,” Goodman said.
In the Oct. 15 memo,
OSAA offi cials wrote that
the playoff issue generated
“tremendous feedback” dur-
ing the organizations recent
executive meetings.
“This will hopefully include
state championship-like
events but depending on
gathering restrictions, travel
constraints and fi nancial con-
siderations for schools and
the association, a traditional
state championship event
may not be possible in many
activities,” the memo reads.
As with the scheduling
for regular-season games, a
regional approach might re-
place the normal playoff and
state championship format,
according to the memo.
This replacement sys-
tem could even potentially
include a schedule that
allows schools from multiple
classifi cations to compete for
a state championship. That
format is already used for
certain sports, such as tennis,
where players from 1A, 2A,
3A and 4A schools compete
at the state tournament.
In the meantime, with
schedules and seasons still
in fl ux, athletic directors
expressed gratitude for
the patience of students,
coaches and volunteers in an
unprece-
dented year.
“We are in such a unique
time and it’s a situation
we’ve never been through
before, as administrators, as
coaches, as athletes, as a so-
ciety,” Somnis said. “I would
say that I think people are
doing everything to give kids
a good outlet, and give kids
a good opportunity to do the
best they can academically
and athletically.”
• P R O U D LY S E R V I N G O L D E R A D U LT S F O R M O R E T H A N 3 5 Y E A R S ! •
FOR THEIR SAFETY
DQG\RXUFRQࢅGHQFH
We create a safe, enriching community where
seniors can live well, know they’re safe, and
maintain their dignity and sense of purpose.
In today’s changed world, you can rest assured:
• Everyone entering our community wears a face
mask and is screened according to CDC guidelines
• Staff are screened at the beginning, middle and
end of their shifts
• Every assisted living and memory care resident
is monitored for temperature, oxygen saturation
level and condition changes
• We work with national-level laboratories for staff
and resident testing
• We welcome PCPs (primary care physicians)
and medical specialists, as residents require, and
transport residents to medical appointments
Diligence. We follow CDC guidelines for masks,
handwashing and social distancing because we’re
determined to keep you or your loved ones safe.
Call 541-790-0120 and we’ll get started.
2895 17th Street | Baker City, OR 97814
Assisted Living | Memory Care | AL #1187984645 | MC #1712073921
WWW.SENIORLIFESTYLE.COM