By Bobby Narang
The Illinois High School Association (IHSA) revealed last week the Stage 1 plan to restart sports in the Summer.
Since the coronavirus pandemic led to the immediate stoppage of all high school sports in early March, right before the opening of the Class 1A and 2A state boys basketball tournaments, the IHSA member schools have been in a holding pattern awaiting word for sports to resume in Illinois.
Unlike nearby states, such as Iowa and Wisconsin, Illinois will ease into a phase where outdoor workouts are being encouraged and school districts are working with their health departments and school administrations to figure out the best activities at their schools.
The Return to Play Guidelines, which were developed by the IHSA Sports Medicine Advisory Committee, were approved by the Illinois Department of Public Heath and fit the framework of the current structure of Illinois governor JB Pritzker’s Restore Illinois Plan.
“I commend the IHSA SMAC for crafting a plan that fits within the framework provided by state leadership, and refuses to compromise safety,” said IHSA executive director Craig Anderson. “The IHSA Return to Play Guidelines offer some important first steps in allowing student-athletes to re-acclimate both physically and mentally to athletics, but more importantly, they allow each school to assess their own individual situation and determine if and when they want to proceed.”
There are a number of guidelines that schools must follow, from maintaining social distancing, wearing masks, groups of 10 or fewer, sessions of only weightlifting and running and no sport-specific drills or equipment can be used that started June 6.
“Our kids have been without sports and school for over two months, which has taken a toll on their physical and emotional health,” said IHSA SMAC member Dr. Cynthia R. LaBella, the medical director at Institute for Sports Medicine and Professor of Pediatrics at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine. “We purposely designed this first phase to focus solely on strength and conditioning so that kids can gradually rebuild their fitness levels in small peer groups with coach guidance.
“This will get kids moving again with their peers in the safest way possible, which will have a huge positive impact on their physical and emotional well-being.”