The Illinois High School Association (IHSA) Board of Directors voted to proceed with the high school basketball schedules as planned, one day after Gov. Pritzker issued new COVID guidelines to put basketball on hold.
With support from the IL Dept. Of Public Health, Priztker recently revised its winter safety guidelines to place basketball into the “high risk” category, placing it higher from its original “medium risk” allocation in his Oct. 27 announcement. “What I would suggest is that if there's a difference of opinion, I prefer to err on the side of health and safety. And I think that's where we have intended for all of our guidance to fall,” he stated in the announcement.
Local high school faculty are grappling with the difficult task of balancing normalcy and COVID safety.
Crystal Lake Central girls' basketball coach Derek Crabill
| Google Images Search
“I’m happy that the IHSA has stood up for students and student athletes and the programs that the IHSA represents, and us as coaches. But I think that this isn’t just a simple answer of 'let’s play' or 'let’s not play.'" said Derek Crabill, Girl’s Basketball coach at Crystal Lake Central High School in Crystal Lake, IL.
He recognizes the precarious balance between a normal high school experience and being safe with COVID guidelines.
“I know that it’s not going to be a normal season or anything, but I would like to see [the students] be able to participate in all the sports and activities that they normally do,” said Crabill.
Crabill lastly found it of vital importance for local and state organizations to collaborate to find compromise between their goals.
“To get anything done, we’ve got to have the entities that are making decisions have open and honest conversations with one another, and be willing to not only sit there while the other side is speaking, but to take it in and really try to work together,” said Crabill.
Alerts Sign-up