After Gov. J.B. Pritzker issued his latest edict that re-classified basketball and other high school sports as high-risk rather than medium-risk activities, the Illinois High School Association’s (IHSA) Board of Directors responded with a vote to continue as planned with the coming sports seasons.
In August, and following the guidelines that had been published by the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) regarding high school basketball being considered a “medium-risk” activity, the IHSA had decided to run Illinois’ basketball season from November through February, according to coverage by Patch.
The IHSA Board indicated that it was leaving the decision whether or not to participate in the season up to individual schools, with the expectation that schools that are still learning remotely in response to risk levels in their communities will bow out, according to Patch.
Yet, the ultimate fate of high school sports this season remains uncertain, with the board of directors stating its intent to follow the recommendations of its own Sports Medicine Advisory Committee, according to Patch.
In response to the IHSA decision, Pritzker insisted that his sudden change of classifying basketball and other sports as high-risk rather than medium-risk is what unnamed experts demand.
Elgin High School Girls Basketball Head Coach, Dr. Nick Bumbales, recently told the Kane County Reporter he was the team physician for 21 years prior to becoming coach.
“I wasn’t surprised that the IHSA went the way they did,” Bumbales told the Kane County Reporter
Prior to taking a vote, the IHSA had sent a questionnaire to Illinois coaches to find out whether the coaches wanted to proceed with the season.
“Then, obviously, we all did want to proceed with the season,” he told the Kane County Reporter. “When we were asked and given that survey, we didn’t really, necessarily, have knowledge of what the numbers would be in future weeks.”
Yet, while the decision wasn’t a complete surprise due to coach and player input, Bumbales said he was surprised the IHSA so readily split with Pritzker and the IDPH.
As a coach and teacher in a district that has had a high positivity rate throughout the pandemic, Bumbales told the Kane County Reporter that he understands concerns related to coronavirus.
So far, while Elgin High School has permitted contact days, they are not being permitted to scrimmage in any sports that were categorized as medium- or high-risk, based on a decision by the district administration, he told the Kane County Reporter.
“Given that as our base, I chose not to do anything with our girls through the contact days,” Bumbales told the Kane County Reporter. “I didn’t really feel the benefits outweighed the risks.”
Alerts Sign-up