michigan high school sports – Syndication Server

Michigan high school basketball start date delayed

Michigan high school basketball players are going to have to wait a little bit longer than originally expected to begin their 2021 season.

After Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s Wednesday announcement allowing indoor exercise classes and certain non-contact indoor sports to take place beginning this weekend, the Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) re-shuffled its schedule and released new information on its plans to proceed with winter sports.

Boys and girls basketball, competitive cheerleading, hockey and wrestling can begin practice this Saturday, with expected competition for the sports to begin on Feb. 1. The MHSAA plans on adjusting state tournament scheduled for sports impacted by the decision, with dates to be announced in the near future.

Competition for boys swimming and diving, girls swimming and diving, boys and girls bowling and gymnastics remained slated to start as originally scheduled. Swimming and diving will begin on Jan. 22, while the other sports will start their season three days later on Jan. 25. Gymnastics and swimming and diving student-athletes must wear masks except when they are actively participating.

“We are glad to have three more sports join skiing in returning to full activity, but we understand the disappointment and frustration on the part of our athletes and coaches whose sports are not yet able to restart completely,” MHSAA executive director Mark Uyl said, per the Detroit Free Press. “We will continue to adjust schedules to provide all of our winter teams as substantial an experience this season as possible, as part of our greater plan this school year to play all three seasons to conclusion.”

Boys and girls skiing in Michigan have been participating in competition since December.

Michigan high school sports suspended under new state COVID-19 order

Michigan high school sports are on pause in the middle of the postseason under a new state COVID-19 order.

Fall high school sports in Michigan are on hold following a new public health order issued by state health officials on Sunday.

The Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) has suspended its fall tournaments in girls volleyball, girls swimming and diving, and football. All winter practices and competitions set to begin over the next three weeks are also suspended.

According to the MHSAA, volleyball and swimming and diving tournaments have one week remaining, with finals originally scheduled for Nov. 21. Michigan’s 11 and eight-player football playoffs are also reaching their conclusions. The eight-player postseason tournament is two games away from completion, while the 11-player tournament is down to its final three rounds.

Michigan’s Department of Health and Human Services issued the new restrictions, which are in place from Nov. 18 through Dec. 8, on Sunday. MHSAA Executive Director Mark Uyl said the MHSAA will “explore options” for completing fall tournaments when restrictions are lifted.

“We understand the need for action, and we will explore all options to complete our Fall tournaments when restrictions are lifted,” Uyl said in a statement. “We will assess everything over the next three weeks relative to Fall and Winter sports and come up with a plan that keeps us connected to our goal, for months, of having three seasons that are played to their conclusions.”

The order goes into effect on Nov. 18. Under the order, all organized sports are no longer permitted with the exception of professional and NCAA sports. High school classes also now must be conducted remotely until the order is lifted.

Michigan relaxes spectator limits for high school sports

Michigan will now allow up to 1,000 spectators at outdoor high school sporting events across the state.

High school sporting events in Michigan are about to get a bit more crowded than they have been for the last month.

On Tuesday, the Michigan High School Athletic Association an increase in its spectator limits from two fans per participant to up to 1,000 fans per venue, according to MLive.com. Michigan’s new spectator policy goes into effect immediately. The increase was originally slated to take effect on Friday, Oct. 9, but applied to any competition beginning on Tuesday afternoon.

According to MHSAA guidelines, crowd sizes at high school sporting events will now be determined by the venue’s size. Indoor venues in Regions 1-5, 7 and 8 are allowed to hold 20% of their seating capacity up to 500 spectators. Indoor venues in Region 6 are allowed to hold up to 25%. Outdoor venues across Michigan will be allowed to hold 30% of their seating capacity up to 1,000 spectators.

The new spectator policy replaces the MHSAA’s two-spectators-per-participant limit, which was set to expire upon the start of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s Executive Order 183 on Oct. 9. The order allows for outdoor social gatherings of up to 1,000 people as long as persons not part of the same household practice social distancing. Spectators must also wear face coverings.

Schools have the option to maintain the original two-spectator-per-participant policy.