MIAA Regulations to Affect BHS Winter Sports

November 23, 2020
The Bedford Buccaneer

Things will look and sound a little different. And few people, if any, will get to see and hear them.

But most Bedford High School interscholastic winter sports contests will begin right after New Year’s, replete with precautions and modifications designed to minimize the threat of Covid-19.

The official season opens on December 14 with tryouts and practices. That’s two weeks later than the conventional start, allowing time to digest the changes and identify any incubating post-Thanksgiving Covid-19 virus, said Keith Mangan, Director of Athletics for the Bedford schools.

Late last week the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association issued detailed guidelines for practices and games, with sport-specific protocols for basketball, hockey, skiing, and swimming. Winter track has been postponed to the new “fall 2” season beginning on February 22, 2021,  because currently there aren’t safe venues for meets, Mangan explained.

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“The main thing is that the kids are going to get to play,” said the director. “The kids worked pretty well with it in the fall and we are going to make the best of it.”

Mangan said he is sharing the details from the MIAA with coaches. A meeting was scheduled for Monday night reviewing the general rules; individual team meetings also are planned. “This is the second season in which we are playing with masks and modifications, so theoretically it should be easier.”

Also on Monday, Mangan was scheduled to confer with officials at The Edge Sports Center on Hartwell Road, home ice for BHS hockey. There are youth league games going on and rink management has already executed many of the MIAA guidelines, he said. “Coaches and kids need to know the modifications inside out.”

Mangan said the Dual County League will play a five-and-a-half-week schedule followed by a mini-tournament, with a structure similar to the fall schedule. The final day is February 20, 2021. “We are not sure if we are going to have fans. We will revisit that before games begin.” The MIAA is prohibiting cheerleaders and concession sales.

Swim meets most likely will be virtual, Mangan said, with athletes registering comparative times at each school’s home pool, monitored by an official. “We are still waiting to hear from Hanscom to see if we can use the pool,” he said. Home meets in past years have been at Shawsheen Valley Regional High School in Billerica. All events can be accommodated at the base except diving, Mangan said.

Varsity teams will play two games a week, home and away, while junior varsity games will be weekly. This is the same as the fall format. Middle school students will again be able to compete in intramural sports

The MIAA acknowledged the need to continuously consult with local public health officials and said its guidelines “partner” with rules promulgated by the state health and education departments and the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs.

Heidi Porter, Bedford’s Director of Health and Human Services, noted that her department will ensure compliance with any order or guidance emanating from the state Department of Public Health. “We regularly consult with the schools on their plans relative to Covid-19,” she added.

General MIAA rules are wide-ranging and all-encompassing, including practice sessions, pre-game activities, and actual contests. Social-distancing is a constant theme, and the association urges teams to practice in “pods” of 10 or fewer players, to facilitate contact-tracing if needed.

Locker rooms will be closed and each student-athlete will have her or his own equipment bag. The MIAA even suggests contents for the bags. Seats on benches and buses are to be assigned, there are no post-game handshakes, and the MIAA even presents protocols for pre-game player introductions and the national anthem.

“Athletes are required to wear cloth face coverings at all times,” the MIAA decreed, even adding criteria for layers and fabrics. Mask breaks for drinking or “when needed for breathing comfort” must be at least six feet away from anybody. Teams are urged to have spare masks available. Mangan said he is looking into a recently developed mask that hockey players can wear inside their face cage.

“Coaches should work to break old habits and create new ones to minimize the spread of the virus,” the guidelines state. That means discouraging spitting, nose-clearing on the field; licking fingers, and spitting on gloves are banned in practice or games. Players are urged to minimize face touching, cover coughs, and “refrain from active yelling.”

Other points include social distancing when interacting with officials, staggered departure times after contests, individualized water bottles, and other equipment. Officials must use hand-held electronic whistles.

Here are some requirements specific to hockey:

  • There are only 20 players this season, down from 22. Only one player is allowed in the penalty box; if there are matching or successive penalties, auxiliary space has to be designated.
  • Before a faceoff, skaters will be six feet apart. The official will then call them closer for the puck drop.
  • Only one offensive and one defensive player are permitted in a scrum along the boards. After five seconds, even with just the two players, it will be stopped.

There are many changes from the standard high school basketball game. Here are the major ones:

  • There will be no halftime. The interval between quarters will be two-and-a-half minutes. Each timeout will be lengthened to one-and-a-quarter minutes, providing time for hand sanitizing and social-distancing.
  • The game will begin with an inbounds, not a jump ball. Inbounding will be from the sideline, never the end line and defenders must be six feet away.
  • Officials will diligently enforce the five-second closely-guarded rule, as well as the rule prohibiting a defender from impeding an opponent’s progress without the ball.
  • “In order to avoid unnecessary contact while managing time at the end of the game, a team representative will notify the official if they are planning to foul the player receiving the inbounds pass.” Then all that will be required is a “light tag.”
  • Prohibited are: huddling on the court, helping a fallen teammate up (unless there’s an injury involved), and hand-to-hand contact during substitutions. Players entering the game must use hand sanitizer.

Mike Rosenberg can be reached at [email protected], or 781-983-1763
Click this link to learn more about The Bedford Citizen’s first community reporter.

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