With Governor Baker’s announcement Tuesday that all cities and towns in the Commonwealth are moving back to Phase 3, Step 1 effective Sunday, the local sporting community is left wondering what sort of impact that will have on events in Franklin County.
Sports classified as “higher risk” by the state (i.e. ice hockey and basketball) can only participate in practices and games “if the minimum mandatory standards for modification to play are met.”
Modifications should “strive to keep participants six feet apart for the majority of play and must eliminate all deliberate contact.” Eliminating deliberate contact for sports in that higher risk designation include things like collisions and body checking. Modifications also include minimizing intermittent contact, as the state guidance says “game situations that result in intermittent close physical or face-to-face contact must be modified or eliminated, including: restarts, faceoffs, throw-ins, scrums for the ball/puck, or similar activities. These activities may be allowed if face masks are used during contact (i.e. face-offs could take place with face masks worn by each player involved).
Youth hockey games in the area were still being played as of this past weekend, as the Franklin County Hockey Association has been operating out of Collins-Moylan Arena in Greenfield. The sport has instituted changes since being shut down temporarily in early November, including mask-wearing at all times, no locker room use and body checking allowed at appropriate age groups. Those modifications are expected to remain in place despite the announcement, which shouldn’t change much throughout the area for the time being.
Massachusetts Hockey released the following statement in response to Gov. Baker’s announcement on Tuesday:
“We want to confirm that the guidance related to youth and amateur adult hockey has not substantially changed with today’s announcement from Governor Baker,” the organization wrote. “While the Commonwealth has reverted back to Phase 3, Step 1, the only area impacted is related to facility capacities being reduced from 50-percent to 40-percent. All other modifications that have been in effect since November 7 continue to remain in effect.”
As for high school sports, the expectation is that individual districts will still be able to decide their own statuses in regard to the upcoming winter season, slated to begin Jan. 4 in Franklin County. The MIAA’s Board of Directors has a virtual meeting planned for Wednesday morning.
Individual districts are in the process of making those determinations, with most slated to go before their respective school committees this week.
Turners Falls High School has already received approval from the Gill-Montague Regional School District to participate in winter sports (basketball, hockey, swimming), and others will make determinations beginning Wednesday.
Turners Falls’ plan for basketball at the school includes closing off the rest of the building and only allowing access to the athletic wing for games and practices, according to AD Adam Graves. The lone swim program in Franklin County, Turners will hold all of its meets virtually this winter.
Mohawk Trail Regional and Greenfield High School are set to hold school committee meetings Wednesday evening, while Pioneer Valley Regional, Frontier Regional and Mahar Regional have meetings scheduled for Thursday. Athol is set to discuss winter sports at its Dec. 16 school committee meeting.
Hopkins Academy approved basketball Monday night, and the Hadley campus is one of several schools outside of the area that is technically part of the Franklin County bubble. Smith Academy’s status remains uncertain, though if the Hatfield school approves winter sports, it would also be part of the Franklin County bubble.