The Kentucky High School Athletic Association (KHSAA) has issued guidance for fall sports activities amid the coronavirus pandemic. Teams can begin holding practices August 24th and games will begin September 11th.
Christian County Public Schools Athletic Director Kerry Stovall says Tuesday’s announcement brought a lot of hope to his district’s coaches and players
“We got a starting day for practice, we got a starting date for our first games, for our first competition, that excites me,” Stovall said. “I mean, all the uncertainty that lies ahead, to be able to give them kind of a light at the end of the tunnel, and something to hope for.”
Although Kentucky High School Sports now have some guidance for fall seasons, guidelines for spectators are still vague. This is leaving some Western Kentucky athletic directors worrying for their department’s revenue.
Stovall said without a crowd of ticket buyers attending the games, he worries schools won’t be able to sustain their athletic departments.
“Is it going to be a financial hit on our district, if we can't have spectators at our competitive games? Yes, it will be. It definitely will be,” Stovall said. “That's a huge deal
for any district or any college, to not be able to kind of pay for itself.”
Christian County High School Athletic Director Steve Lovelace said if a team member tests positive and the team must quarantine for 14 days any scheduled games missed will not count against the team as forfeits.
Stovall and McCracken County Athletic Director Geno Miller said students in their schools participating in either online or in-person learning are eligible for any sports and NCAA eligibility.
Miller said the only difference between online and in-person student athletes is the time of day they’re able to practice.
“The only thing we've made clear with any of our athletes that choose virtual learning is that practice opportunities will start after the school day ends,” Miller said. “So, an example is
if we have a sports specific weightlifting class during the day, those kids will not be allowed to come on campus and take those.”
According to Stovall, student athletes in the virtual learning academy can also be accepted by the NCAA.
Stovall said he expects to have guidelines from KHSAA on spectators towards the end of August. The KHSAA Board of Control has an upcoming meeting on August 21. Christian County will have a district wide meeting for athletic directors on July 30 to discuss local health department guidelines for practices.
