WIAA releases revised calendar for 2020-21 athletics

RENTON — High school sports this fall are going to look different in the Columbia Basin, and statewide.

The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association Executive Board made the decision on Tuesday to modify the calendar for high school athletics for the upcoming prep season due to concerns surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic.

“These are tough and unprecedented decisions to make, but it has been inspiring to see so many people around the state come together to work on behalf of students,” said WIAA Executive Director Mick Hoffman in the press release.

The WIAA will now feature four seasons, with moderate- to high-risk fall team sports moving to Season 3, according to a press release from the WIAA. The fall schedule will now only include: cross country, slowpitch softball, and alternative seasons for golf and tennis, with practices set to begin on Sept. 7. Girls soccer and 1B/2B boys soccer, volleyball and football will move to a tentative start date in early March.

The start date of girls swim and dive season is yet to be determined as the WIAA awaits more information from the Department of Health. Traditional winter sports will have a tentative start date set for late December or early January.

Traditional spring sports will be moved to Season 4 — a tentative start in late April — until the end of the school year. All participation in fall sports is still dependent on how counties are progressing in the coming weeks under the state’s Safe Start plan.

Benchmarks that need to be met before Season 1 can begin will be devised by the WIAA Executive Board on July 28. If parameters are not met, the remaining sports scheduled for fall will move to Season 3 as well.

Start and end dates released by the WIAA are tentative at this time, pending a final decision by the Executive Board. For more details on the revised athletics calendar for 2020-21, visit www.wiaa.com.