Mike Maltais, Staff writer
QUAD CITIES – Athletic directors from schools in the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association’s (WIAA) North Central Region (NCR) which includes Pateros, Brewster, Bridgeport, Mansfield, and Waterville have reached a tentative agreement for spring, fall, and winter sports under the state’s Roadmap to Recovery (RTR) and phasing guidelines.
The RTR plan clarifies that counties can be grouped by region for phasing designations with the school-sponsored Education Based Athletic contests allowed to begin when the state Department of Health (DOH) approves Phase 2 status. The NCR incorporates three WIAA districts and seven athletic leagues stretching from the Canadian border on the north to the Vernita Bridge connecting Grant ad Benton counties over the Columbia River on the south.
“Metrics will be evaluated weekly and will dictate whether teams within that region can play contests or not, and what the following week’s practice limitations may be as well,” a WIAA media release said.
As of this writing, all eight geographic regions in Washington will remain in Phase 1 until at least Monday, Jan. 25, in accordance with the governor’s updated RTR plan revised on Jan. 15.
“The schools have elected to seek this regional opportunity to schedule interscholastic athletic competitions across classifications this COVID school year.” the release said.
Details with respect to how teams will be balanced are still being worked out since not every school carries teams in each of the sports such as golf, swim and dive, bowling, and dance and drill.
Pending the weekly metrics, seasons have been tentatively set as follows:
FALL (Cross Country, Football, Girls Soccer, Girls Swim & Dive, Volleyball; and Girls Slowpitch Softball TBD)
First practice Feb. 22, (Feb. 16 for football)
First competitions Feb. 27, (March 4 for football)
Season end April 3,
SPRING (Baseball, Boys Soccer, Girls Fastpitch Softball, Golf, Tennis, Track & Field)
First practice Apr. 5
First competitions Apr. 10
Season end May 15
WINTER (Basketball, Girls Bowling, Cheer, Dance & Drill, Boys Swim & Dive, Wrestling)
First practice May 17
First competitions May 22
Season end June 19
“It’s exciting because there really is a sense of hope now to get these athletes some athletic contests,” said Pateros school athletic director Marcus Stennes. “Up until now we really were working in the unknown on if there would be sports at all. I know we will not be playing for districts, regionals or state but it’s more than that now and that is to get them back competing in athletics.”
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