By Ethan Miller ‘23
On Friday, August 21, the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) voted to allow high school sports to be played, depending on schools’ decisions. Each school would be allowed to decide whether they wanted to participate in the fall sports season.
According to Dina Henry, CV’s athletic director, all systems are go for Conestoga Valley Athletics.
“Our high school varsity and JV sports will begin practicing on September 4…and our junior high sports will begin on September 8,” Henry explained.
However, this season may look a little different from previous years due to the COVID-19 safety protocols in place.
Prior to participating in any athletics, students and parents must complete a participation waiver and a COVID-19 screening form before the first workout. Both of these can be found under the “COVID-19” tab under the athletics menu on the CV website.
One main change is that all athletes must wear masks in any non-practice or competition setting. Students do not need masks while practicing or competing, with the exception of working out indoors.
Conversely, Governor Wolf decided to allow fans to attend high school sporting events this fall, with 250 or fewer for outdoor events, and 25 for indoor contests. CV has decided that the only indoor fall sport that is permitted to compete is Girls Volleyball, which will compete with no spectators.
All fans must wear face coverings if social distancing outdoors is not possible. As for football, a limited number of fans will be allowed and there will be no charge to enter games this year. It is up to CV to decide protocol for allowing spectators to attend games, including parents, staff, spectators, and media.
Even though this year may look different from others, there are still games to be played. The rules in place should keep players and coaches safe and healthy, and this fall sports season should be a successful one. Go Bucks!