After a successful fall athletics season at Manhattan High with no inter-team outbreaks, our school is looking towards the winter season. But the situation now is much different than in August, and indoor sports present different challenges. As COVID-19 numbers spike it’s a question of whether or not there will be a season at all, let alone what accommodations will be made.

The school has been consistent so far about one thing: if classes go remote there will be no winter sports competition or practice until it is safe to come back to hybrid. This is a district-wide policy written in the reopening plan, though Kansas State High School Activities Association rules do allow sports while in remote. 

“If we don’t have school in session and that’s what the whole district is doing, that means sports and activities, meaning music and everything else is shut down,” athletic director Mike Marsh said. 

If activities continue, there will be similar precautions taken for winter athletes as for fall, but crowd sizes will be more severely limited. Marsh is currently planning on a small lottery for students at basketball and wrestling and some parent spectators, but that may change with COVID metrics.

“We’re in a spike right now,” Marsh said. “And so [the guidelines] I put out on the website could possibly change before we actually play a game or have any form of competition.” 

Basketball and wrestling events often take place in multiple gyms, causing more people to be in contact with one another and making the competitions more difficult to contact-trace. Currently, the school is planning on admitting people to one event, for example, just girls J.V. basketball, and asking them to attend only that and then leave to mitigate the risk.

“Right now I’m looking at using wristbands, different wristband colors for different events,” Marsh said. “So when we have a basketball night people will be given a certain color wristband…  they will only be able to attend that certain game during the evening. Then expectations are that they’ll leave after that. That way we can constantly rotate people in and out and limit the number of people in the school.”

One of the biggest concerns is wrestling, which already has to take precautions to control the spread of disease in a regular year. But the team is taking precautions such as temperature checks, distancing and mask wearing to mitigate the risk.

“Certainly I am also [worried about wrestling] just because of the physical contact in the nature of it,” Marsh said. “We’re taking a lot of precautions from KSHSAA and the National Association for High School Sports, and we’ll do everything possible to keep our coaches and athletes as well as spectators safe.”

KSHSAA will announce today whether or not they will move the winter sports season back to January. After the KSHSAA decision Marsh will update the safety measures and get it approved with the health department. 

“There is a plan, we just haven’t initiated it yet,” Marsh said. “The days are constantly changing.”

“I think when we go indoors it’s a lot like fall, and certainly there’s a lot of apprehensions and worries that we all carry, leading into winter sports. But, we’re going to do what the county health department requires us to and take guidance from the superintendent and the board of education.  

“Right now we have a systematic plan that I’m not willing to reveal yet because I haven’t posted it on our own website or gotten it cleared from the health department. There is a plan, we just haven’t initiated it yet. The days are constantly changing as you well know. We’re in a spike right now, and so what I put out on the website could possibly change before we actually play a game or have any form of competition. 

“At this point, some fans. Not a lot of spectators but some potentially yes.

“Potentially we’re looking at a small lottery like we did for football games, very, very small lottery. Those numbers I don’t wanna say just yet.

“Right now I’m looking at using wristbands, different wristband colors for different levels or events. So when we have a basketball night people will be given a certain color wristband. And that color wristband they will only be able to attend that certain game during the evening. Then expectations are that they’ll leave after that. That way we can constantly rotate people in and out and limit the number of people in the school.