PHOENIX, (JANUARY 8, 2021) – Due to Covid-19’s continued presence and having the highest rate of coronavirus hospitalizations in the country, the Sports Medicine Advisory Committee (SMAC) made a recommendation on January 7 to the AIA Executive Council to cancel the winter sports season in the high school.
SMAC recommended that hospital capacity be considered an important factor when considering the winter season. This week, 93% of all beds in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and 92% of all hospital beds are in use, leaving the concern that injured students may not receive the necessary care due to lack of beds or medical professionals available.
Based on SMAC recommendations made on January 7, the Executive Council, after extensive consideration and debate, voted 5-4 in favor of canceling the winter sports season today during a special session.
“Unfortunately, the state is expected to see a steady increase in hospitalizations for Covid-19 for some time. As medical professionals, we cannot, in good conscience, recommend that students participate in a winter season under current conditions, ”said Dr. Wilson, President of the SMAC Committee.
“We don’t see the situation improving very quickly. Unfortunately, it does not seem that there will be an adequate time before the beginning of spring for winter, ”said Executive Council President Toni Corona.
“Although we understand the Council’s position, we are saddened by this decision, especially considering that the Club’s sports continue. As far as we know, never in our more than 100 years of history has the AIA canceled an entire season. We want nothing more than for our students to be active at school and participate in sports and inter-school activities. It is my most sincere hope that all Arizonans follow the CDC and Arizona Health guidelines wearing masks, washing their hands frequently and practicing social distance to decrease cases and hospitalizations. If for no other reason, I hope we can do this for the children. ”Said EIA Executive Director David Hines.
Spring sports, scheduled to start on March 1, will depend on improved metrics across the state and additional assessments by SMAC and the Executive Council. The Council is composed of representatives from member schools and state educational organizations.
FAQs
Why are college sports in Arizona still being played, but not high school sports?
The daily test takes place for all college athletes. Based on this test, approximately 50% of all moves are being canceled. Unfortunately, there are no mechanisms or systems that support the daily Covid-19 test of 30,000 high school students participating in winter sports.
Infection and mortality rates are incredibly low for people under the age of 18. Why are we preventing children from playing?
It is true that Covid-19 is not so serious for school-age individuals and rarely results in death or long-term impact. The biggest concern is that students may lose the ability to receive timely care in the event of an injury due to problems with hospital capacity. Hospitals are reusing floors as Covid-19 units to support growing cases. In recent days, some hospitals have reused their pediatric floors to deal with Covid-19 cases.
Why is there so much concern about the capacity of hospital beds? What does this have to do with high school sports?
The capacity of hospital beds is not only an indicator of space, but also of availability of health personnel. There is a concern that the continuation of winter sports as originally scheduled could impact the spread of the community and potentially impact an injured student’s ability to receive care.
Sports clubs continue across the state. Why is this a problem for inter-school sports?
Interschool sports are based on education and an extension of the classroom. School districts and councils have a hard work and community duty to make decisions based on the advice of medical experts and county-specific Covid-19 data.
What does this mean for spring sports?
It is not possible to know what the specific landscape will look like in the coming months. If the hospital’s metrics and capacity improve to the levels reached in the fall, the association plans to hold a sports season in the spring.