By Michael Letendre
Once scholastic football comes to a conclusion, the state of Connecticut will be moving straight into to the winter season.
And that means plenty of sports played in heated gymnasiums and the return of scholastic wrestling after the cancellation of the sport in 2020-21.
And the rules about what students and spectators should expect this winter have just been released by the CIAC.
“The CIAC has collaborated closely with the Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH) and the Connecticut State Medical Society Sports Medicine Committee to develop its winter sports guidance,” according to a release from the CIAC.
Some of the featured aspects of the CIAC Winter Sports Guidance includes:
*Alignment with all DPH guidance for youth and interscholastic sports throughout Connecticut.
*Permitting vaccinated student-athletes to participate in basketball, hockey, and track running events without a mask after school is released for the winter holiday break will be at the discretion of each local school district.
*All CIAC winter sports will play a full schedule, including multi-team events and interstate competition, and culminate in CIAC State Championships.
“The CIAC is grateful for the collaborative efforts by the entire interscholastic athletic community in engaging more than 35,000 student-athletes during the fall 2021 season,” said the release. “We look forward to providing safe experiences for our member school student-athletes in the upcoming winter season.”
These guidelines will go into effect starting on November 29 and could change depending on the state of the pandemic.
“The CIAC emphasizes that this plan is fluid and in a perpetual state of evaluation,” according to the release. “COVID health metrics and data in Connecticut will continue to be closely monitored and the appropriateness of holding youth sport and/or interscholastic athletic contests can change at any time. The CIAC will continue to consult with our stakeholders and will adjust offerings as appropriate should the health metrics direct that action.”
Scholastic sports held this winter include boys and girls basketball, gymnastics, ice hockey, boys and girls indoor track, boys swimming, wrestling, and cheer/dance.