In a recent board meeting on Monday, April 12, the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) Board of Directors met for a regularly scheduled meeting, which included both virtual and in-person attendance.
During the meeting, the Board took action on several items, including a reduction in contact days this summer, a three-year membership assessment plan to aid in the IHSA’s economic recovery, and set several spring State Final dates.
In addition, the Board announced updates from the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) regarding the wearing of masks for students competing in low-risk outdoor sports and activities.
“Students competing in low-risk outdoor sports and activities are no longer required to wear masks while competing,” said the IHSA in its press release.
“In-season IHSA sports and activities impacted by this update include bass fishing, baseball, softball, tennis, and track and field. Students must continue to wear masks in these sports and activities when they are not actively competing (i.e. athletes on the bench).”
The group said officials in these sports and activities must continue to wear masks unless they are socially distanced. More guidance will be provided to the coaches and officials in these respective sports from the IHSA in the coming days.
The IDPH also recommends COVID-19 testing for student-athletes in high-risk sports.
IDPH announced that the state of Illinois will fund optional testing for any school teams that wish to test their high-risk sports teams. Current high-risk IHSA sports include football, boys’ lacrosse, and wrestling. The IHSA will provide member schools with state testing contacts when that information is available from IDPH.
An updated version of the IDPH All-Sports Policy reflecting the changes can be found at ihsa.org. In addition to the IDPH All-Sports Policy, following is the announcement for several upcoming games and dates.
Baseball State Finals
June 17: Class 1A at Illinois State University
June 17: Class 3A at Schaumburg Boomers
June 18: Class 2A at Illinois State University
June 19: Class 4A at Joliet Slammers
Girls Lacrosse State Finals
June 17: Semifinals at Glenbrook South High School
June 18: 3rd Place/State Championship at Glenbrook North High School
Softball State Finals
June 16: Class 1A & 2A State Finals at Louisville Slugger in Peoria
June 17: Class 3A & 4A State Finals at Louisville Slugger in Peoria
Track & Field State Finals
June 10: Class 1A Girls – TBA
June 11: Class 2A Girls – TBA
June 12: Class 3A Girls – TBA
June 17: Class 1A Boys – TBA
June 18: Class 2A Boys – TBA
June 19: Class 3A Boys – TBA
Joseph Phillips is the Sports Editor for the Chicago Crusader Newspaper. He is a Chicago native, who has been a sports writer for over 17 years. He also hosts the SC Media News and Sports Network Q&A radio show on WHPK 88.5 FM Chicago. He can be reached at [email protected].
Joseph Phillips is the Sports Editor for the Chicago Crusader Newspaper. He is a Chicago native, who has been a sports writer for over 17 years. He also hosts the SC Media News and Sports Network Q&A radio show on WHPK 88.5 FM Chicago.
