Posted in coronavirus updates, tagged coronavirus, Covid-19, Everett Herald, Washington State ferries, Whidbey Island on June 30, 2020| Leave a Comment »
A Washington state ferry idles in the water during happier times. (Sarah Kirkconnell photo)
Multiple workers on the Clinton/Mukilteo ferry run have tested positive for COVID-19.
The route, which is the busiest in the state in vehicle traffic, has already been running with just one boat, and not the normal two, the past two weekends.
For a complete report, pop over to the Everett Herald:
Posted in coronavirus updates, tagged Covid-19, Jay Inslee, John Weisman, Phase 4, Washington State Department of Health on June 27, 2020| Leave a Comment »
The return of Friday Night Lights could be a ways away. (Katy Wells photo)
Island County is in Phase 3 of Washington state’s four-phase COVID-19 reopening plan.
But it won’t be going to Phase 4 any time soon.
And, for that matter, neither will any other counties.
The Washington State Department of Health issued a press release Saturday announcing a “pause on counties moving to Phase 4.”
“Phase 4 would mean a return to normal activity and we can’t do that now due to the continued rise in cases across the state,” Washington state Governor Jay Inslee said in the press release.
“We all want to get back to doing all the things we love in Washington during the summer, and fully open our economy, but we aren’t there yet.
“This is an evolving situation and we will continue to make decisions based on the data.”
State Secretary of Health John Weisman issued the following letter:
Dear Local and Tribal Health Leaders,
I am writing to let you know Governor Inslee and I have decided to pause progression to Phase 4 statewide.
We decided to prohibit any counties from moving into phase 4 at this time due to increasing COVID-19 activity across the state and significant rebounds in COVID-19 activity in several other states.
The changes between Phase 3 and Phase 4, especially with regards to gathering size and occupancy rates, could further increase the spread of COVID-19 in our state, even in communities that have very low rates of disease.
The progress we’ve made thus far is at risk, therefore we are making the prudent choice to slow down our phased approach to reopening.
In the next couple of weeks, I will work with Governor Inslee and his team to assess the need for a modified approach for moving beyond Phase 3.
I will communicate that decision to you when we have more information.
Counties that are currently able to apply to move from Phase 1 or 2 are still able to apply when eligible.
Thank you for your continued work to protect the health of Washingtonians during this unprecedented time.
For those looking at this from a sports perspective, current Washington Interscholastic Activities Association guidelines state “low risk” sports, such as cross country and swimming, can begin competition in Phase 3.
“Moderate risk” sports, such as volleyball, basketball, and soccer, can begin games when a county is in Phase 4.
Three “high risk” sports — football, wrestling, and competitive cheer — have no current timeline for when games will be allowed to restart.
Posted in coronavirus updates, tagged CHS Wolves, Covid-19, fall sports, handshakes, WIAA on June 22, 2020| Leave a Comment »
If school sports return this fall, team water bottles will not. (David Stern photo)
No players sitting on benches.
No handshakes or fist bumps, before, during, or after games.
No endless soccer introductions with each player, starter or reserve, running out onto the field.
Some schools needing to use multiple buses to transport teams to games, with athletes and coaches spaced out between seats, wearing face masks, with bus windows open.
And that’s the positive version of where prep sports in Washington state could be this fall.
In the negative version, there simply are no games played whatsoever, a remix of what happened this spring as the world deals with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
While Island County recently entered Phase 3 of Governor Jay Inslee’s four-part plan to reopen the state, Washington is one of 23 states currently experiencing a rise in coronavirus cases.
The hardest-hit area in our state is Yakima County, which is home to many prep sports state championship events.
As it looks ahead to late August/early September, the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association has stated it “intends to conduct all scheduled fall athletics/activities that are approved by the Department of Health.”
That includes operating at less than full capacity, if need be.
“Although not ideal, the WIAA intends to conduct a regular season and/or championships even if all schools are not able to participate,” the governing group said in an earlier release.
But then, we jump to today, and the WIAA issued its most-detailed guidelines yet for how state schools, public and private, should handle spring and summer practices, and competitions, if they return in the fall.
Included is the statement “when a school, schools, or district are closed due to COVID-19, all training, practice, and contests for the school(s) or district should also be canceled.”
These new guidelines cover a general approach, as well as offer specific advice for all but one of the fall sports normally played by Coupeville athletes.
Football, volleyball, cross country, soccer, and cheer are represented, but no individual guidelines were issued for tennis.
Also included are guidelines for swim/dive, dance/drill, and slowpitch softball, which some schools traditionally play in the fall.
CHS plays fastpitch softball, which operates in the spring.
Instead of writing 10,000 words about the guidelines, I’ll offer you links for ones which affect Coupeville, so you can pick and choose what you want to investigate.
As you do, keep in mind, everything is in flux, and no one knows where we will be in 2-3 months time.
That point is driven home by the WIAA not including the answer to one major question in Monday’s guidelines — when will “high risk” sports be allowed to play games?
“Lower risk” sports such as cross country can resume competitions in Phase 3, and “moderate risk” sports such as basketball and volleyball can play in Phase 4.
But “high risk” sports, those which “involve close, sustained contact between participants, lack of significant protective barriers, and high probability that respiratory particles will be transmitted between participants,” have no start date yet for games.
That covers football, wrestling, and competitive cheer.
The website SB Live Washington quoted WIAA spokesperson Casey Johnson in its report.
“We’re still waiting for some more information,” Johnson said. “Right now, obviously no counties are in phase four. It’s one of those things specifically that we’re going to wait and see how things develop before addressing.”
Fall Guidelines Overview:
Click to access COVID19Guidance.pdf
Cheer:
Click to access Cheerleading.pdf
Cross Country:
Click to access CrossCountry.pdf
Football:
Soccer:
Volleyball:
Posted in coronavirus updates, tagged CHS Wolves, Covid-19, new rules, spring practice, Willie Smith on June 20, 2020| Leave a Comment »
Coupeville HS/MS Athletic Director Willie Smith. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)
Three working as one.
The Athletic Directors at Whidbey Island’s high schools have united to guide their schools through spring sports practices as everyone deals with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Willie Smith (Coupeville), Jerrod Fleury (Oak Harbor), and Paul Lagerstadt (South Whidbey) have done so with the intention all Wolf, Wildcat, and Falcon athletes and coaches will work off the same directives.
The first practices were held while Island County was in Phase Two of Washington State Governor Jay Inslee’s Reopening Plan.
With the move to Phase Three a few days ago, things will continue to be opened up, as long as guidelines are met.
As they make plans, the trio of athletic directors have been working with guidance from the National Federation of High Schools, the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association, and the Island County Health Department.
With the county moving to Phase Three, practices, which had been limited to five individuals at one site, can now include 10 participants (athletes and coaches) in each indoor space, or 50 individuals outdoors.
If practicing outdoors, workouts must be conducted in “pods” comprised of no more than 20 athletes.
All participants are required to maintain a six-foot distance from each other at all times, and it is “highly recommended coaches and athletes wear cloth face coverings, if social distancing is not able to be maintained.”
Locker rooms and meeting rooms are not allowed to be used, there should be no shared athletic apparel or shared hydration, and all athletic equipment must be cleaned intermittently during practices.
The return to practices covers “lower risk” or “modified risk” sports which can be done with social distancing, done individually, or with no sharing of equipment, or the ability to clean equipment.
“Lower risk” sports are identified as individual running events, individual swimming, golf, sideline cheer, and cross country running.
“Modified risk” sports include basketball, volleyball, baseball, softball, soccer, tennis, and 7-on-7 football.
Weight training is also allowed, with a limit of 10 participants (coaches and athletes) allowed in the room at one time.
Social distancing must be maintained, with lifters separated (i.e. every other cage), while spotters must wear masks.
Weight equipment has to be wiped down thoroughly before and after each individual’s use of equipment and maximum lifts should be limited.
The AD’s plan includes vigorous attention to sanitization.
Prior to an individual or group entering a facility, touch points/hard surfaces within that facility must be wiped down and sanitized.
This includes things such as door handles, weight room equipment, and bathrooms.
Athletes are instructed to provide their own workout gear, encouraged to shower (at home) and wash their clothing after each workout, and must wash their hands for a minimum of 20 seconds with warm water and soap before participating in workouts.
To be able to practice, Coupeville athletes are required to provide a new note from their parent or guardian each day stating they have a normal temperature and are OK to practice.
Coaches will maintain files with these notes, and the responses to screening questions for each participant, in the case an athlete tests positive for COVID-19.
If an athlete or coach has positive symptoms, they will not be allowed to participate in workouts.
Posted in Graduation, tagged CHS Wolves, Class of 2020, Coupeville High School, Covid-19, graduation on June 18, 2020| Leave a Comment »
Coupeville’s Class of 2020 comes together one final time, thanks to a wee bit of digital fakery.
If you can’t take it, fake it.
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic altered how graduation was held for the Coupeville High School Class of 2020, with some long-standing traditions relegated to the sideline.
But, thanks to the work of a couple of enterprising Wolf moms, the graduates did get a group photo.
Sort of.
Eileen Stone snapped individual shots of each CHS grad, then Karen Carlson stitched them together to create a virtual group portrait.
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