The New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) conducted two meetings today in response to Governor Andrew Cuomo’s August 24 announcement to begin preparing for the 2020 fall interscholastic athletics seasons on September 21.

The eleven section executive directors, officers and NYSPHSAA staff met this morning, while the NYSPHSAA COVID-19 Task Force met this afternoon, for the fourth time, since the COVID-19 crisis began impacting high school athletics in New York State.  The meetings were held to examine and discuss the start of the fall sports seasons and analyze guidance from state officials.  The NYSPHSAA will continue to review guidance as recommendations and considerations are developed to aide schools with the implementation of interscholastic athletic programs.

“We are encouraged and appreciative of Governor Cuomo authorizing the start of the fall sports seasons for low and moderate risk sports and affording high risk sports the opportunity to begin practicing on September 21^st,” said Dr. Robert Zayas, NYSPHSAA Executive Director. “As the governing body for interscholastic sports in NYS, our primary role will be to work with schools, coaches and parents to ensure recommended COVID-19 guidelines are practiced vigilantly for the safety and wellness of all student-athletes. Over 200,000 students participate in the fall high school sports seasons and yesterday’s announcement was certainly a positive step for all those athletes.”

“The leadership of NYSPHSAA and eleven sections realize there are challenges to overcome and questions to be addressed in an effort to provide a beneficial participation experience for student-athletes this fall,” said Paul Harrica, NYSPHSAA President and Chair of the COVID-19 Task Force. “Our primary goal is to get students back into an academic setting and then work on athletic participation opportunities.”

The NYSPHSAA’s staff, section executive directors and COVID-19 Task Force plan to meet again prior to the end of the week to continue discussions.  Decisions must be formulized to address the number of required practices student-athletes will need before participating in a scrimmage or contest, the maximum number of contests and games to be permitted during the season and the development of considerations for schools to utilize as interscholastic athletics return to schools and communities throughout the state.

No Travel Practice or Play Will Be Permitted Outside School’s Region or Contiguous Regions or Counties Until October 19 

Higher-Risk Sports May Practice but Are Not Permitted to Play at this time

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced lower-risk, school-sponsored sports in all regions may begin to practice and play beginning September 21st. However, travel for practice or play will be prohibited outside of the school’s region or contiguous regions or counties until October 19th. For the fall sports season, lower- and moderate-risk sports include tennis, soccer, cross country, field hockey and swimming.

Higher-risk sports, including those with full physical contact, may begin to practice on September 21st but cannot play until a later date or December 31st. In accordance with the Department of Health’s guidance for sports and recreation during the COVID-19 public health emergency, practices for higher-risk sports are limited to individual or group, no- to low-contact training. Higher-risk sports include football, wrestling, rugby, hockey and volleyball.

“The State has done a lot of research on how we can safely have our students participate in school sports and get the exercise they need, and the guidance we developed will allow lower-risk sports to begin practicing and playing next month,” Governor Cuomo said. “We are approaching youth sports as we have approached everything else in our phased reopening – teams are not allowed to compete outside a school’s region or contiguous region for the time being until we can gauge the effects.” 

Schools must follow the Department’s guidance for the conduct of their school sports. Schools will have to limit capacity of indoor facilities to no more than 50 percent occupancy and limit spectators to no more than two spectators per player, in addition to implementing social distancing and face coverings.

Given the continuing impact of COVID-19 on the educational environment, the NCAA Eligibility Center has partnered with the NCAA membership to identify the following changes to the initial-eligibility certification process for students who initially enroll full time in a collegiate institution during the 2021-22 academic year.

Click here to learn more about the adjusted requirements. The Eligibility Center will continue to monitor the environment and make necessary adjustments to prioritize health, safety and fairness for all prospective student-athletes.

In a series of tweets this week, NYSPHSAA Executive Director Dr. Robert Zayas said he was preparing for guidance from Gov. Cuomo regarding fall sports.

On Wednesday he said, “Governor Cuomo just stated guidance on high school sports to come out next week. Looking forward to continuing our discussions to ensure student athlete safety is paramount.”

On Thursday he added, “Preparing for guidance from @NYGovCuomo, @NYSPHSAA will utilize the following timeline once guidance is released: 1) within 24 hrs, Section Directors & Officers will meet, 2) within 48 hrs, COVID Task Force will meet, 3) within 72 hrs, Officers will make a decision “IF” needed.”

In an email to Section directors he also wrote, “As soon as the guidance is released, there will be a desire for immediate answers; utilizing a defined plan in advance, will help us to make decisions and provide recommendations that are beneficial for all student-athletes, schools and Sections.”

Section XI  will post more info once it becomes available.

Kings Park announced its Athletic Hall of Fame class last week for 2020.

The induction ceremony date is still not settled, but may take place in the winter or next spring.

• President – Scott Schuster, Longwood
• Past President – John Valente, Harborfields
• 1st Vice President – Kathy Masterson, Westhampton
• 2nd Vice President – Ryan Cox, Pat Med
• NYSPHSAA male representative – Todd Gulluscio, Shelter Island
• NYSPHSAA female representative – Deb Ferry, HHH
• Superintendent Representative – Jim Polansky, Huntington
• Superintendent Representative – Tim Eagen, Kings Park
• Superintendent Representative – Mike Radday, Westhampton
• Asst. Superintendent Representative – Patti Trombetta, Sachem
• NYSPHSAA Executive Board – Tim Mullins, Bayport/ Blue Point
• At large Representative – Ed Thompson
• At large Representatives – Erin Blaney
• Consultant – Nick DeCiles
• Counsel – Kevin Seamen
• Treasurer – Larry Light

The NFHS SMAC would like to provide you with the following updates as each state association continues to face new challenges on a daily basis.

Recognizing that uncertainty has been the only constant over the past five months, the information provided below is subject to change.

Please read the following note from NYSPHSAA Executive Director, Dr. Robert Zayas:

Southampton coach Brian Tenety has made a commitment to Special Olympics student-athletes.

His impact has been felt in his school community and beyond and was highlighted by SpecialOlympics.org.

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