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WVSSAC updates winter sports guidelines

— Story by Taylor Kennedy

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The West Virginia Second School Activities Commission (WVSSAC) has released modifications for winter sports. These modifications are for boys and girls basketball, swimming, and wrestling.

This comes the same day that the WVSSAC released a statement saying that the color coded map will remain intact for fall sport postseasons.

Here are the modifications made by each of the three sports listed above:

Basketball

Face coverings of any kind must be worn if social distancing is not possible. This includes the people on the bench and people working at the scorers table. Before the game begins, teams meet at center court and shake hands and meet with the refs. The coaches will be able to meet for a pregame conference while socially distant, but without players.

Athletic trainers and other personnel are not permitted to give out water bottles or cups. Each athlete will be asked to bring their own his or her water. This will eliminate the use of water coolers and stations.

At some high school basketball arenas, student sections and crowds sit behind the benches. That will not be allowed this season. Spectators in attendance will be seated at the fourth row and above. Cheerleaders will be required to wear masks or face coverings during the game.

The jump ball will be eliminated to begin the game. Instead, the visiting team will be awarded possession to begin the game. Officials will stand six feet or greater away from the player inbounding the ball to resume play.

Gloves worn by referees will be permissible, and those gloves must be clear. Lastly, the referee typically signs off on the book. Now, the referee will provide the scorers table with an index card indicating the names and official numbers for each crew member.

Swimming

Before swimming meets begin, the swimmers will be asked to wear their uniforms prior to arriving at the venue to try and eliminate the need for dressing rooms. There will only be one lap counter and timer per lane, except for championship meets. 

There will be a pre-meet conference. One will be for the coaches, and the other will be for the captains. The meet officials will be required to wear masks or face coverings and maintain social distance. There will be no more than three swimmers per lane for warmups and cool downs, and the swimmers will start at opposite ends of the pool.

There will be no sharing of water coolers or stations at meets. The athletes will need to bring their own. 

Teams will be required to remain at opposite ends of the pool during the meet. Home teams will use lanes 1-3, and visiting teams will use lanes 4-6. Virtual meets will also be an option for teams. If teams decide to use that format, they will need to contact someone in higher authority.

There will be no minimum number of meets to compete for regional competition. Handshakes will not be permitted between athletes and coaches. Venues will need to follow CDC guidelines for sanitizing and disinfecting, and hand sanitizing stations will be required. 

Wrestling

Weigh-ins during the regular season will be conducted prior to leaving for a wrestling meet. A signature by a school administrator will be needed. At the meet, hand sanitizer and disinfecting wipes will be required at mat side.

The mats at the meet will need to be disinfected prior to the competition, and during the competition it will need to be disinfected frequently. The bench and team area will need to be socially distant. Like swimming and basketball, the sharing of water coolers and stations will not be permitted.

Coaches will be required to wear masks or face coverings, and post game handshakes will be eliminated. Wrestlers will be asked to shower or wipe down after each match. Wrestlers will also be asked to change uniforms as often as possible. They will also need to wear face covering when not competing. 

Officials will need to bring their own personal hand sanitizer and water, and they will need to wash their hands frequently. Officials will need to switch out whistles as often as possible. 

During practices, COVID related questions will need to be asked every day. Those questions will need to be posted in the locker room door or wall. The responsibility of disinfecting and cleaning mats will be required as frequently as possible. Pods of four or less will be required for activities during practice. 

Wrestling competitions are limited to duals, tris and quads (2, 3 or 4 teams) with a maximum of 56 participants.