On Monday, December 28th, the Minnesota State High School League issued a press release that Winter Sports competitions will officially be allowed to begin January 14th, 2021. Practice resuming was previously discussed to be allowed starting January 4th.

Several groups of parents have been upset with the Minnesota Department of Health, MSHSL and Governor Walz for pausing youth sports but allowing intercollegiate and professional sports. One group even went as far to bring a lawsuit against the Governor which was eventually dismissed.

The decision to allow youth sports does not come without some changes compared to the fall sports. Now, unless it is a potential risk for choking or a visual hazard, facemasks must be worn not just at practices, but also in competitions. The obvious exception is swimming. Swimmers do not need to wear it while in the water, but the expectations are, when they leave the water, they dry their face and put their mask on quickly. Other noted exceptions are for wrestling, gymnastics, and cheerleading. During wrestling contact, a cloth face covering could become a choking or visual hazard. For gymnastics and cheerleading, if there are concerns of safety in regard to choking or getting caught on objects, or during tumbling/ stunting/flying, the face covering can be temporarily removed but must be worn during the rest of the routine.

There are a total of 13 pages of guidelines linked in the press release from the MSHSL. Those documents can be found here. https://www.mshsl.org/ about/news/league-news/ winter-contests-competitions- may-begin-jan-14 Here is the official press release.

–Begin- Monday, Dec. 28, 2020 Winter League-sponsored contests and competitions may begin Jan. 14 For Immediate Release BROOKLYN CENTER, Minn. — Winter sports contests and competitions under sponsorship of the Minnesota State High School League may resume beginning Thursday, Jan. 14, 2021, after updated information within COVID-19 Youth and Adult Sports was announced today by the Minnesota Department of Health. Included in the announcement was the release of a new document COVID-19 Sports Practice Guidance for Youth and Adults.

This new guidance and information is an important step as the League continues forward with a winter season model approved by the Board of Directors. This flexible model will be adapted to include the start of practice on Jan. 4 and the start of competitions on Jan. 14. The League continues to work with member schools to provide leadership and support to ensure the safest possible return to sports and activities.

“These experiences are so important to students and they have been anxiously waiting to get these winter seasons started,” MSHSL Executive Director Erich Martens said. “By implementing these safety protocols recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics and required by the Minnesota Department of Health, we have the best chance to provide safe seasons with reduced interruptions and also plan for full postseason experiences.”

The MDH updated youth sports document requires mask usage by all participants during practices and competitions with a few exceptions. Exceptions are made for those sports where wearing a mask may cause additional safety concerns and include gymnastics, cheerleading, wrestling and swimming and diving.

The League continues to work directly with the MDH and the Minnesota Department of Education in developing plans for our student-athletes to return safely to in-person participation.

“We are excited for the opportunity to start both practices and contests in this winter season,” Martens said. “The commitment to safety by our more than 500 member schools is critical to not only start our seasons, but to finish them as well.”

League Staff is engaged in reviewing the newest information and existing guidance documents and will provide updated sport-specific guidance by mid-week.

Minnesota Department of Health Resources: COVID-19 Youth and Adult Sports under Executive Order 20-103 COVID-19 Sports Practice Guidance for Youth and Adults The Minnesota State High School League: Education and Leadership for a Lifetime –End— This is exciting news for everyone involved in youth athletics, especially the student athletes and their families. Sadly, there is no guidance out regarding spectators at games. There are no spectators allowed at practices. Keep an eye on The Journal, we’ll update you as soon as word comes out.

The exciting part for us sports folks at The Journal is we get to cover these awesome kids again. The difficult part could be the condensed schedule. The fall sports season created some days where two or three different events happened for one school. Thankfully, we had some awesome parents that also dabbled in photography that assisted us in some coverage of games. For that, we say thank you, thank you, thank you.

If you are a parent that enjoys photography with a student in one of the many winter sports and would be willing to help with providing photos at sporting events, please reach out to [email protected] news. We love getting as many pictures as possible and names of the kids in the paper for all sports. Of course, we will give you photo credit!

Good luck to all of our student athletes and coaches, please stay safe and know we are all very glad you get to play again!