THE FRONT ROW with MARK NELKE: Behind the plans to return to high school sports this fall

One year, because of a snowstorm, NCAA Division III schools Wheaton College of Wheaton, Ill., and Carthage College of Kenosha, Wis., were unable to get together for a dual swimming meet.

So Wheaton swam its races in its pool, and Carthage did the same in its pool.

After every couple of events, the times would be posted online, so the teams could see how they did. Then they’d run another event or two, and do the same thing.

What does this have to do with Idaho high school athletics, you might wonder?

In the midst of a COVID-19 pandemic which has already wiped out most of the spring sports season, and is threatening to do the same with the upcoming fall sports season and possibly beyond, the Idaho High School Activities Association is trying to come up with ways — any ways — to resume playing during the pandemic.

Even if the competition is virtual in nature.

Idaho coaches and administrators formed committees in each fall sport, meeting virtually this summer and discussing ways to safely return to sports — and what to do if a team member test positive for COVID-19.

Michelle Sobek, entering her second as head swimming coach at Lake City, is a member of the swimming committee.

“The swimming world has actually dealt with this,” said Sobek, whose husband Jade was coaching at Carthage College at the time of the above-mentioned meet. “It’s happened before. And because we’re a time-driven sport, it’s something that could actually work.”

Post Falls High athletic director Craig Christensen is on the volleyball committee. Before this, the most unusual thing administrators had to deal with in recent years was being concerned about the air quality index — if the number was too high, because of wildfires in the area, their teams couldn’t practice or play.

Now there’s a coronavirus.

“I thought the smoke thing was something, but this tops the smoke thing,” Christensen said. “Those were the good ol’ days”, when ADs only had to worry about the air quality index.

IN ALL sports, social distancing — a phrase no one had ever used until just a few months ago — is a factor in many of the recommendations by the IHSAA in its guidelines, released this week, for (hopefully) returning to sports in the fall. Fall sports practices are scheduled to begin Aug. 10, with the first games at the end of the month.

Those guidelines took 52 pages to explain, a sizable document one AD jokingly likened to “War and Peace.”

In soccer, for instance, there will be no handshake line between the teams, before or after the game.

“After the game they’re going to do some sort of a salute to the other team,” said Post Falls High boys soccer coach Gabe Lawson, who is on the soccer committee. Huddles are discouraged because of a lack of social distancing, but “if you can’t have a huddle, what’s the point of that if you’re all riding the bus together?” he asked. He said it could come down to parents driving their players to games, something that is likely in some districts throughout the state with a high number of positive COVID tests.

Players can wear face masks, but Lawson doubts if any player will wear one, because of the difficulty of breathing through one while doing all that running.

Referees can wear masks as well, but if they do, will need to use an electronic whistle, or an air horn.

Lawson said he would not be in favor of air horns — especially if the linesman on his sideline elected to use one.

He noted some other states had already moved soccer to the spring.

“There was discussion about that (on his soccer committee), and that could still happen,” Lawson said, but noting he expects the season to begin next month as scheduled.

He noted a survey of the English Premier League, which recently returned to play, and noted the actual playing of the sport, outside and especially in sunshine, posed little risk.

“I foresee it (soccer season) taking place, but I do foresee there being some issues along the way,” Lawson said, alluding to the inevitable positive COVID tests in a program, and how each district handles those — whether the school shuts down the player for two weeks, or the whole team for two weeks.

“There’s a certain element of risk with playing any sport right now, but life does need to go on,” Lawson said.

THE NUMBER of fans at any sporting event could be limited, and in the case of swimming, there’s a chance no fans will be allowed, given the tight quarters around the pool deck.

In swimming, in addition to keeping the teams separated away from the pool, they plan to keep them separated in the pool as well.

“If it’s say, Lake City vs. Coeur d’Alene, we’ll compete in lanes 1, 2 and 3, have an empty lane, and they’ll be in 5, 6 and 7,” Sobek said.

Also, instead of having 4-5 teams at a meet, they’re looking at mostly having dual meets.

In theory, regional and state meets could be held virtually, if teams couldn’t travel to other areas by late October or early November.

“It’s not ideal, but it would at least give them the ability to have a season,” Sobek said.

If the number of fans are limited, or some don’t feel safe coming to an event for fear of catching the virus, some schools, including Post Falls High, have installed Pixellot cameras in their gyms, and fans can watch games that way. There’s a fee to watch, as games are streamed through the NFHS Network.

“We stream all our events on the NFHS network,” Christensen said. “All our games — volleyball, basketball, wrestling — were streamed this year. The plan was for everyone in the (Inland Empire League) to get one; I think we were the first.”

The camera is placed at half court, and basically it follows the motion; no one operates the camera.

“We just turn it on, and it videos,” Christensen said.

IN FOOTBALL, the team box will be extended to the 10-yard line at each end, to allow for social distancing. Team boxes currently extend to the 25.

The pregame coin toss will be limited to one player per team, and two referees.

“We know you don’t need 15 guys out there for the captains’ handshake,” one AD noted.

In volleyball, besides the obvious social distancing, the biggest difference in a match will be that teams will not switch benches after each set. In recent years (decades?), teams have switched benches each set, so the players on the court are always in front of their own bench.

“When we serve in warmups, are we going to serve to our own team, instead of the other team?” Christensen wondered.

In cross country, smaller meets are recommended, with fewer out-of-state teams. Staggering the start time of races and runners is recommended.

Officials in any of the sports may use headsets, if applicable.

Coaches say the consensus they get from other coaches on these committees is, they just want to find a way to play — especially after many of last year’s seniors had their final sports season taken away from them.

And those running the athletic programs admit that is all uncharted waters, and that everyone will learn as they go.

“My biggest wish is that kids get a chance to play this fall,” said Coeur d’Alene High athletic director Mike Randles, a former Sandpoint High wrestling coach and Clark Fork High volleyball coach. “Without risking health, or at least mitigating it as much as we can, I just think it’s really important that kids are around each other.”

Mark Nelke is sports editor of The Press. He can be reached via email at mnelke@cdapress.com. Follow him on Twitter@CdAPressSports.