USD 333 makes changes to winter sports schedule

Concordia Unified School District 333 administration, after meeting with local health officials and officials from other schools in the North Central Kansas League (NCKL), have made modifications to the upcoming winter sports season.
All Concordia High School competitions scheduled to take place prior to December 7 will be cancelled or postponed.
Practice for the high school athletic teams and the junior high school athletic competitions will resume on November 30.
The high school boys’ and girls’ basketball teams were scheduled to open the season against Beloit on December 4 and the wrestling team was going to compete in the Wamego Invitational on December 5.
Because of the recent rise in COVID-19 cases in the area, USD 333 switched to remote learning for students in grades 7-12.
The district is scheduled to return to in-person learning for those students on November 30.
Concordia High School assistant principal/athletic director Steen Danielsen, in a post on the Panther Nation USD 333 Facebook page, stated that the NCKL has determined that no visiting fans will be allowed to attend athletic events for the remainder of the semester.
The policy for competitions against non-league opponents is to be determined.
USD 333 is taking the following steps to further mitigate the risk and slow the spread of the virus in the community:
• Cheer will not travel to away games and may have reduced squad at home events.
• The county mask mandate exempts the requirement of masks during activity. However, the district will be diligent in masking up at appropriate times during practice and competitions when on the bench.
• No visiting fans.
• Home fans will be limited to two per athlete and/or guardians in the instance of a split family.
• Fans are expected to sit in family groups. District staff should not see more than two people sitting next to each other in the facilities.
• At this time, the district still intends to provide a student section, cheer squad, dance routines and pep band.
• All of the above guidelines are subject to change, and will be revisited prior to the start of second semester.
Danielsen, in his post, stated, “This is extremely serious in Concordia at this time. We need to band together as a community to embrace the precautions taken in order to keep our kids safe. Please be mindful of the decisions you and your family make during this time so we can create a safe environment that allows our students to participate in the activities that they love. Wear a mask. Wash your hands frequently. Stay home if you are sick. Avoid unsafe travel and large gatherings. We are lucky to have such a supportive town, and I have no doubt our stakeholders will respond in the right way in order to get our kids back in the building and engaging in the activities they love participating in.”
When the winter sports activities begin will hinge on a vote to be taken by Kansas High School Activities Association (KSHSAA) board of directors on Tuesday.
The KSHSAA executive board unanimously approved a proposal to delay the start of the winter sports season to January 15.
The proposal would exclude fans from attending from January 15-28.
There would then be limited fans allowed beginning January 29 through the remainder of the season (in the locations where fans are allowed).
Masks will be mandatory except for athletes during competition and officials during live action.
The proposal reduces the number of basketball games to 13, and wrestling to 12 events.
Teams would be able to practice until December 22. A moratorium on practicing would be enforced from December 23- January 1. In locations where it is appropriate to resume, practices would resume on January 2.