As the school year creeps up on us, so do fall sports, but due to the Coronavirus, sports are not a given this year.
The NHIAA (New Hampshire Interscholastic Athletics Association) has left it up to each school district to decide whether they will participate in sports this fall. The Londonderry School District has yet to make a solid decision, but in any situation, we have a general knowledge of the expectations.
According to the NHIAA, if Londonderry were to opt in to fall athletics, all practices would begin on September 8, which is also the first day of school. Towns also have the option of choosing to play certain low-risk sports and not playing high-risk sports such as football.
Some towns have already made their decision on the upcoming season, which could sway other towns to their direction. Bedford has agreed for the fall season to continue without the play of football, soccer, cheer, and crew. Districts that have decided to go forward with sports include, but is not limited to Concord, Keene, Manchester, Pinkerton,Windham, Nashua, Salem, and Exeter, all according to the New Hampshire Football Report.
The districts that will be participating in sports must follow certain safety guidelines and in the case that a team fails to do so, there is a chance of ending the season of said team. These guidelines will be voted on by each individual district, and must comply with the state rules. According to WMUR, the Exeter district has already agreed on their guidelines which will include temperature checks before athletes get on buses, bus capacity limited to 26 people, staggered practice times, no use of the locker rooms, masks at practices and only two spectators allowed per player at any game.
The return to school will also be a make or break situation for sports. If cases increase greatly while in the classroom, it will not be a surprise to see athletics get suspended indefinitely once again.
In an effort to have competition continue, the Londonderry Lancer Gridiron Club has created a petition directed at the school district, which will make its decision on September 1. This proves to be a tough decision for the district, which has to take into consideration both student health and the playing careers of all their student athletes.
