NY Schools Shut Down Some Winter Sports

by Katherine Sumner

All over the state, COVID-19 is once again shutting down high school and college sports teams. Recent outbreaks on school campuses and rising case rates nationwide have forced many schools to cancel games or meets, even ending some athletes’ seasons early or postponing them indefinitely.

One worrying example of this comes from the SUNY (State University of New York) campuses all across the state, which have recently made the decision to cancel winter sports entirely for the 2020-2021 season. This means that sports like basketball and ice hockey are simply not happening this year, while championships for swimming and diving as well as indoor track and field have been canceled. Many SUNY schools have also moved all classes online as an additional safety precaution for their students.

But sports cancellations and closings aren’t just limited to colleges- many high schools in the area have had outbreaks that have caused athletics to be put on pause. For example, a COVID outbreak at Bethlehem a few weeks ago caused the school to temporarily switch to online learning. As a result, all of the school’s athletics were suspended, and sports teams across Section 2 had to cancel games and meets.

The most relevant example of this is, of course, Niskayuna. Due to a staff shortage, the high school recently had to go completely online for just over a week- but luckily, the school was able to do this without affecting athletics too much. Fall sports that had already been deemed “low-risk” by the state were cleared to continue, and many of Niskayuna’s teams finished out their season with a Sectionals competition over this past week.

As of the time of writing, Niskayuna is currently planning to proceed with winter sports as originally planned, with the season beginning as early as November 30th. “Low-risk” winter sports, which have been approved by Governor Cuomo, provided sufficient precautions are taken, include bowling, indoor track and field, gymnastics, and boys’ swimming and diving. It has not yet been announced whether “high-risk” sports- such as ice hockey, wrestling, competitive cheerleading, basketball, and volleyball- will be allowed to start their seasons, but based on the rate at which COVID cases are rising, it looks unlikely that they will be given clearance. However, all of this is subject to change at any moment because of the pandemic.

If you’re an athlete looking to ensure that your season doesn't get cancelled or delayed, you should be doing everything you can to avoid getting sick. Make sure to wear a mask whenever you go out, stay socially distant from anyone not in your household, and limit any gatherings to under 10 people. While it’s tempting to attend events or go partying, especially after so many months of quarantine, the truth is that any large-group gathering comes with the risk of getting COVID. Not only could you put your own health at risk, you would put the health of your friends, family, and team at risk. If someone on a sports team tests positive, the entire team will have to quarantine- meaning that you could potentially lose up to two weeks of an already shortened season. But if all athletes- and for that matter, all Niskayuna students- take the necessary COVID precautions, we should have a fun and safe winter sports season for everyone to enjoy.