The pause button has been hit for high school sports in Hawaii as the HHSAA waits on word from the Department of Health.
“We’re not approving anything. We’re still on hold,” HHSAA executive director Chris Chun said on Thursday. “I met with the DOH and have scheduled another meeting next week.”
The hold-up is the DOH needs to give the clearance for kids to go back to school in the classrooms, and the Department of Education needs to give approval for extracurricular activities to start.
The state reported 100 coronavirus cases, including 24 on the Big Island, on Thursday. There is no predetermined minimum should a team contract the virus. But Chun said he’s talked to the DOH about contact tracing.
The sports schedule will be divided into two segments. Season I will run from January to March and include basketball, bowling, canoe paddling, cheerleading, cross-country, soccer, swimming and diving, and wrestling. Season II would run from March to May and include baseball, softball, football, golf, judo, tennis, track and field, volleyball and water polo.
In order to keep coronavirus numbers down, there’s the likelihood that fans will be restricted. The state tournaments are another story. The BIIF has a schedule with a state tourney and without. It will be a challenge taking a team to Oahu, staying in a hotel and playing games without contracting the virus.
But until then, the phones call will continue for Chun with the DOH
“We’re working with the DOH on target dates, hopefully, mid-December,” he said.
If teams can start practicing then, a January start date seems possible, unless the numbers spike again.