HHSAA's 'no-contact period' concludes




The "no-contact period" that was instituted by the Hawaii High School Athletic Association Executive Board came to an end Sunday.

The edict, which came down on July 20 and was extended on Aug. 17, did not allow for any instructional or development sport-specific activity between any high school coaches and student-athletes for all sports.

"Our calendar has moved to 'white,' so it's a league decision now," HHSAA Executive Director Chris Chun said.

However, any actual start to athletics — including all practices, weightlifting and conditioning sessions — will be determined by each of the HHSAA's five member-leagues, in conjuntion with state and respective county governments.

The HHSAA announced in early August that its executive board voted to postpone the start of fall sports deemed to be of moderate or high risk to January. The sports that were affected are cheerleading, cross country, football and girls voleyball, while air riflery and bowling, by virtue of being classified as low-risk sports, are slated to proceed in the fall as scheduled — although, there is no calendar just yet.

"We're still trying to get everyone to agree to a calendar, but we can't start until October," said Chun, alluding to the fact that the state's public school campuses have mostly opted for distance learning through at least the end of the first quarter. 

With more than half of the HHSAA's member-schools under the jurisdiction of the state's Department of Education, Chun said that the start of athletics will be tied to the re-opening of school campuses. He added that the feasibility of conducting any state tournaments are "going to depend on what the DOE allows for travel."

Chun said that while he remains hopeful for a football season, "nothing has been approved." He has been a close observer of how professional sports leagues like the NBA, MLB and NFL have been navigating the pandemic.

"I'm considering everything," Chun said.

The HHSAA is made up of the Big Island Interscholastic Federation, Interscholastic League of Honolulu, Kauai Interscholastic Federation, Maui Interscholastic League and Oahu Interscholastic Association.





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