NORTH SHORE (Zoom Podcast) This week the sports writers update viewers on Friday’s MIAA decisions regarding Fall 2 sports, that includes football. The team also discusses local sports highlights from this past week and previews key games ahead today and this coming week. With the Super Bowl next weekend, don’t miss their take on Tampa Bay vs. Kansas City.
Featured this week: Phil Stacey (Executive Sports Editor), Matt Williams (Asst. Sports Editor), Nick Giannino, Nick Curcuru (Gloucester Times Sports Editor) and MSO’s Bill Newell.
Additional sports notes are posted below
MIAA Statement on Fall II Sports and Sport-Specific Modifications
January 29, 2021
The Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) COVID-19 Task Force representatives presented Fall II Season sport modifications and recommendations today for the 2020-2021 year to the MIAA Board of Directors.
This presentation culminated the MIAA governance process which included sport-specific sub-committee meetings where current Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) and Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary (DESE) guidelines were reviewed. Sport sub-committees created or updated sport specific modifications, presented them for approval to the full sport committee and then presented, for approval, to the MIAA Sports Medicine Committee (SMC). The MIAA Covid-19 Task force subsequently reviewed and approved the modifications.
MIAA Executive Director Bill Gaine stated, “Today’s actions by the MIAA’s Board of Directors are the culmination of the work of our membership committed to establishing optimal standards of health and safety that will provide the restoration of Fall sports for 1000s of MIAA student-athletes.”
The MIAA Board of Directors voted to approve sport-specific modifications for the Fall II Season. These modifications will continue to be reviewed as they relate to current regulations surrounding COVID-19 and may be modified if necessary. Additional modifications or the decision to participate in MIAA-recognized Fall II sports will be determined by local school districts and/or their local Boards of Health. You may view the Task Force presentation HERE.
MIAA President Jeffrey Granatino said, “We made adjustments in the fall and had a success first season. We made additional modifications for the winter and our student-athletes have been actively engaged since December. Now we are hopeful that with the guidance from the Governor’s office and of EEA, along with the work of our various committees, that we will be able to have a safe and successful Fall II Season.” You may view all MIAA sport modifications on the MIAA COVID-19 webpage HERE.
The following sports have been approved by the MIAA for the Fall II Season: Cheerleading, Football, Indoor Track, and Unified Basketball. The following sports were approved for the Fall I Season, however, local districts may have decided to move them to the Fall II Season: Cross Country, Dance, Golf, Field Hockey, Soccer, Swim and Dive, and Volleyball.
The timeframe of the MIAA Fall II Season is February 22-April 25, 2021. There will be no MIAA sponsored post-season tournament for the Fall II Season.
Respectfully,
Jeffrey Granatino Bill Gaine
MIAA President Executive Director
From September 2020
