The Minnesota State High School League held a meeting on Thursday, October 1st regarding the upcoming winter sports season. Winter sports will still happen but they may be starting at a different time than previous years. In addition to different starting dates, there will also be a 30% reduction in the number of contests sports can have within their season.

The starting date for dance is November 9th. Boys hockey, adapted floor hockey, and boys basketball all start on November 23rd. Alpine and nordic skiing, wrestling, boys swim and dive, and girls hockey begin on November 30th. Lastly, gymnastics and girls basketball will start on December 7th.

Following CDC guidelines, all indoor events on school property will not have any spectators. It is not recommended that fans be packed into a tight space like a gym where social distancing is nearly impossible. On the other hand, outside contests are allowed a crowd of 250 fans. This is because crowds can spread out more to practice social distancing.

The Minnesota State High School League is trying their best to make the sports seasons as close to normal as possible- “We want to provide a season for each of our high school activities and athletics in the safest possible manner,” said Jill Johnson, chair of the Return to Play Task Force.

Many athletes are excited to have the opportunity to participate in their winter sports seasons. “It won’t be the same as last year, that’s for sure, but i’m still excited to get back to doing what I love.” Junior, Jaci Winchell said. Numerous other athletes feel the same way and are grateful to play even if it is a little different this year.

In addition to the news about winter sports, information about post season games for the fall has been released. The Minnesota State High School League has voted against fall post-section games this year. The season for all fall sports will conclude with the section matches instead of state. There is no word yet on whether winter sports will also be concluding after their section matches.