Should High School Sports Return This Fall, Local Parents Comment

With the recent COVID-19 spike in Danbury, the possibility of High School sports returning to the area this fall just got a bit slimmer.

Over the last few weeks the CIAC, (Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference), has been trying to make a decision on whether or not High School sports should return this fall in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. As of now conditioning practices have returned after being shut down for a week, and non contact sport specific skills training will begin with coaches present starting this Saturday, however schools are still waiting to find out the fate of their seasons.

The CIAC did meet with the Connecticut Department of Health late last week and were given certain protocol that they were advised to follow regarding the high risk fall sports like football and volleyball.

The State Department of Health recommended sports like volleyball be played outside, and football should adopt a 7 on 7 format with no offensive of defensive line, and no tackling.

Now with a COVID-19 spike in Danbury, the school has shut down it's entire athletic program for two weeks.

Some other Connecticut school have already opted out totally, and will not have a football or volleyball season this fall.

BREAKING NEWS:

On Wednesday night the CIAC said that fall sports will happen. Volleyball will be played inside, and football will play a shorter 6 game season and start on October 1st. Full contact practices can start on September 21st.

For the most part parents of student athletes are mixed about fall sports returning. According to nbcsports.com, their main concerns range from whether the cancellation will hurt their child's chances of a scholarship, to the safety and health of not only their child, but the others on the team as well.

So what do local parents think. We recently asked the question, 'Should High School Sports Be Allowed This Fall', and here's what some parents had to say:

Angela Atwood: I say yes just with like minimum to no audience (maybe parents of the players only) and maybe have it air on TV so those who want to see it can still see it.

Kiri Lake: No , limit contact for everything until we figure this whole pandemic out.

Karen Scordato Woessner: Yes, this poor kids need to keep busy. Enough is enough.

Denise Cahill Clair: Yes.. These kids need to get back to some kind of "normalcy" and life

Denice Harrington-Clapper: No too much contact.

Joanne Ruggiero Filardo: Absolutely!

Claire Sposato Gundeck: Yes! They conditioned all summer!

Andrew Wiese Yes, Send the kids back to school full time, Enough is enough with this "Pandemic". It is figured out. Open the businesses, stop destroying the economy, enough with the protests, lets get back to reality here.