Update on Michigan High School Sports for This Fall - Planning on Playing
Mates,
Had a call with the local AD and he reports a few things of import. Suggest you file this under the 'we'll see' portion of your thoughts.
First, MHSAA expects to have and is planning on having a full fall schedule of sports.
Second, the word is that (paraphrasing) all creative ideas to help that happen are encouraged.
Third, as it relates to football they are going to let JV players have a total of 5 quarters of playing time per week - for instance they could play 3 quarters of their JV game and still have 2 quarters of eligibility to play in a varsity game that same week. This is supposedly to assist schools with smaller programs to make sure they can field a team.
Lastly, the schools are being told that their state revenue grants will be reduced for obvious reasons. If that number is in the $350-500 per pupil range that can be overcome hopefully by most systems. If it is as large as $1,000 per pupil drop then you are probably looking at some significant financial difficulties for many school systems.
XM
Herd immunity should be the goal.
People in high risk categories should be able to make their own decision/ risk assessment.
We have never established herd immunity for a disease without a vaccine. Ever. Not once. In all of human history.
This is absolutely true and those down-voting you in this regard are ignorant as hell in every direction-they don't have a clue as to what herd immunity actually is.
This is exactly it. It’s a decision with negative on both sides. There’s no way to know if you’re choice is correct, or worse, if there even is a correct one.
You're grossly overestimating the death numbers going forward.
We've experienced the number of deaths we have because of the following:
The federal government's terrible initial response (CDC failure to develop the test, failure to close borders to international travel, no track and trace program in place, no PPE stockpile).
The panicked response brought on by trusting doomsday models that shut people inside with sick family members for extended periods of time instead of isolating COVID19 positive patients away from their families.
The fear-mongering by the media that pushed the idea that "we are all at risk" when it was clear from the beginning the elderly were the most vulnerable group and resources should have been largely focused on keeping them safe.
The insane policy from state governments to send COVID19 positive patients INTO NURSING HOMES, especially given that our first outbreak of mass deaths was in a nursing home in Washington.
Almost all of that (other than media fear-mongering, because that's their only function other than sewing division) should be drastically different going forward.
Nothing was clear from the beginning. It’s a goddamn novel coronavirus.
No, this is false. From the very beginning out of China, Italy and South Korea it was obvious that the elderly were most at risk. Here in the United States our first large group of deaths occurred at a nursing home.
And there was SARS1 after all. Covid shares quite a bit with SARS which is why some treatments and vaccines are as far along as they are.
You forgot about the over inflation of the death totals.
You forgot about trying to document your baseless assertion. In doing so you may want to look into how death totals are calculated for the flu. I;ve provide some info below to help get you started.
‘The 25,000 to 69,000 numbers that Trump cited do not represent counted flu deaths per year; they are estimates that the CDC produces by multiplying the number of flu death counts reported by various coefficients produced through complicated algorithms. These coefficients are based on assumptions of how many cases, hospitalizations, and deaths they believe went unreported. In the last six flu seasons, the CDC’s reported number of actual confirmed flu deaths—that is, counting flu deaths the way we are currently counting deaths from the coronavirus—has ranged from 3,448 to 15,620, which far lower than the numbers commonly repeated by public officials and even public health experts.”
Good.
Wishful thinking from the local AD. My wife is an assistant principal up in northern Michigan. I'm not going to say what she's been hearing, but I just don't see it at this time. Hopefully that all changes, but i have my doubts. As far as the budget for schools. A lot of schools are going to have to make some tough decisions. The projection isn't good. $300 per as a bottom is a smokescreen.
Easier to cancel a season than plan to have one at the last second.
Just saying
This. If they don't make plans, there will be no sports. If they do make plans, they can choose to cancel them should the need arise. Included in whatever plans being made, I would hope, are plans for deciding when the plug needs to be pulled, if that situation arises.
Nobody knows anything, and if they think they do, they're lying to you. We don't even know what school is going to look like in the fall. When will it really be safe to be within 6 feet of someone else? When we can answer that question, maybe we'll actually know things.
This post is the rarest of all things on the internet. A man acknowledging he doesn't know something. Much respect, sir.
Was anyone roster watching JV games to check that before?
The rule is good. I grew up with a similar one in Ohio and it struck me as an honor system thing at the time.
The new 5 quarters rule here will be "self-reported". I think some players will be playing more than 5 quarters of football each week for coaches who will not mind bending the rules. I don't know how this rule can be done without it being self reported, but it's one of the reasons I don't care for it. Kids playing more full contact football each week is not in their best interest
I was shocked this “rule” was implemented. With the CTE stuff going on and how contact during the week is very limited which is fine it means safety first and more time for teaching. And now this rule where some Varsity and JV games are played on the same day or at least back to back days I’m shocked, because Teach Coach Blue is right coaches will bend the rules. I also should say the “better” athletes will play both ways in a JV game for wink wink 3 quarters then still play in the Varsity game, I’ve coached got news for ya a tired athlete is the one most at risk for injury in football.
I bet it will be pretty well policed. Parents will start to bitch if certain kids are playing 8 quarters a week and keeping their kids on the bench.
Children are the least at risk group, so I would think the powers that be could come up with a way to get them back in the classroom. Not sure that means sports being played though.
I farted.
You do understand that, although younger people tend to have mild or no symptoms, they still spread the virus to other people? The kids might not get gravely ill, but their relatives, coaches, and teachers may well. In fact, silent spreaders are the most dangerous kind -- because neither they nor the people around them are aware they have the virus.
...and that children are the biggest germ-sharers ever.
Also, while statistics are powerful, they suck at predicting individual outcomes. So a statement like, "The kids might not get gravely ill..." bears further thought. Many kids or most kids might not get gravely ill, but what about the ones that do? What about the kids that get this virus because they went back to school and died from COVID? Do school districts get sued? Do state departments of education? Because we do know this, if we send them back to school too soon, children will die. [Edit: fixed typo]
Don't get me wrong. I'm a parent. Homeschooling is personally killing me. I'm trying to work and I am not nearly as productive as I would like to be. Plus, my kids (aged 7 and 10) are missing out on the social and emotional growth/learning that they can only get in a school.
Not trying to yell at you @mackbru, just add to your excellent thought. Mostly I'm frustrated, like many of us on this board. And now it is time for me to quit drinking and go to bed.
i'll try one positive thought about your perceived predicament, this from a long-time homeschooler: its not a burden to homeschool, its a blessing, and when folks realize that then maybe doing it will get easier. if you need curriculum help check back here and ask me. i posted on that about a month ago but happy to do so again.
and accept the fact that 'flatten the curve' is a very good idea. it is not possible to get to 'no lives lost' since the virus will never be eradicated. we're learning a lot about treatment and i have spoken to a bunch of health care professionals, doctors, nurses, PA's included. lots to be optimistic about.
I hear you. I wish it were more of a blessing to me right now. The kids teachers are actually doing a decent job of putting curricula together, but elementary students need supervision while working. Also, while I enjoy teaching (I'm a university professor), I'm used to working with adults, not children. It's vastly different (duh!) and working with one's own kids complicates matters even more. I've got a massive amount of professional stress in my life right now (on top of all of the COVID stuff), and it is hard to focus on my work and help manage the kids homeschooling right now.
Flatten the curve is a GREAT idea. We want the fewest lives lost/impacted as is reasonably achievable. I understand the goal and the reasoning. But it does require a certain suppression of the self in favor of the collective. And that is particularly hard for me right now.
the ultimate parenting metric is self-sacrifice. working with your own kids is an opportunity to speak into their lives in a way that you would've missed completely, and now the weather is getting nice. take them out today to a park, for a walk, to a lake shore to skip stones, to a ball field to throw foot/baseballs and run around. go have some fun. get them some math and reading to do while you get your stuff done. assuming you have a wife/spouse/S.O. to help you, schedule those things for both of your benefits.
you sound down which is understandable with all that is going on. life is for the living. put one foot in front of the other, grab those kids and get out doors. get after it, you will enjoy the day and improve on how you take care of the kids.
Fair for opinions to differ about homeshooling, there are certainly a lot of benefits and also some drawbacks and given circumstances and philosophies it could be a blessing for some families.
But by far the bigger problem is that most parents don't have jobs that allow them to home school (most of us can't be farmers - at least, not overnight). School is child care for many families. And having child care is critical in allowing many people to get back to work. For them not having a choice and being forced to home school is a huge burden.
"Because we do know this, if we send them back to school to soon, children will die."
So, yes, we canceled the rest of this school year. Any dire predictions about September are based on an assumption that the situation will be more-or-less how it is now. I think we should reject that assumption. I mean, first of all, we do know that school-aged children (heck, anyone under 70 in good health) are not in much danger from Covid notwithstanding this latest Kawasaki Disease scare that is vastly over-hyped. But most importantly, SERIOUS progress is being made almost daily in the understanding and treatment of this virus. Catching Covid today is so much less dangerous than catching Covid even a couple of weeks ago. Just imagine how much less dangerous the situation will be 4 months from now? I understand that we need to be aware of worst case scenarios, and have contingency plans in place, but I also strongly believe that we should prepare to resume normal, healthy life as soon as possible b/c 1) we cannot continue to bottle everyone up indefinitely, 2) clear progress is being made in the treatment options for this virus, and 3) the consequences of economic collapse are MUCH worse than the possibility of Covid setbacks in September. And most children are not benefitting from the present situation at all; in fact, quite the opposite.
But, if everyone wears a mask we will all be fine.
I wonder if they might go the whole 'no fans in the stands' route. Plus practices are gonna be starting soon in a couple months, let alone next month, so the season may have to be pushback at least a week or two.
I ask because I work closely with my old HS FB team.
No fans in the stands will be better than nothing. It's more workable at the MS & HS level than in college and the pros. >> income from spectators is not nearly as important.
The NFL is scrambling to figure out how to start on time without fans and people actually think high school football is going to happen?
The liability and costs to have a football season will be massive, no chance it happens except in Texas where they have 8 figure loans on their stadiums.
Holy fuck we got hammered in Risk. We came in third. What a shit roll on the last round. Ohio State won.
Where have I heard this before....can’t place it... oh yeah the last two decades. thaaaaats it.
Even in times like these, you people still can’t stop saying negative things about the football program you’re supposedly fans of. Sad.
Just because it’s negative does not mean it isn’t right
Stay strong WD. Be BEAVER STRONG !!
I’ve just kind of resigned myself to the fact that there’s a strong possibility that sports are a non-existent part of life here in the US until at least spring of 2021. Really hope I’m wrong.
But just imagine how much the situation will have changed 4 months from now. Things will improve dramatically. Things have already improved substantially.
I sure hope so
The bigger problem is honestly going to be the money.
If it's $500-$1000 in losses per student, athletics would be facing significant reductions. That would be the case even without a pandemic.
Money's the reason why a lot of classes and programs have been cut from both public and parochial schools over the years. I wonder if the shoe companies could kick in some money to keep the programs afloat this year.
There needs to be some type of public/private partnership to help out in these situations.
Brother-in-law is an athletic director at a private school in Michigan. I know they have some donors with deep pockets so I hope for his sake they can weather the storm depending on how things play out. He has a lot of connections and incredible luck so even if he loses his job for some reason I am sure he will find something better.
I don't envy the decision makers having to decide this. No matter what they decide, there is going to be a significant group of people who are very unhappy.
People I know who are close to this situation are saying that they are looking at all scenarios and possible creative ideas about having a full sports offering. They have to move forward assuming that fall sports will happen. It is the same thing our coaching staff is doing, even though we all know that there is probably a more likely chance that football doesn't happen like it normally does. From what I have been told, that could mean: no season (worst case scenario), an abbreviated season, or a spring/fall flop of seasons (I don't see how this is realistic).
The MHSAA is planning on summer workouts being able to start June 1, but I think there's no way we see kids in the summer until July. I could be wrong.
Also to consider, and it seems somewhat trivial in comparison to what we've been going through, experts and AD's are worried about EEE again. They believe it will be back this fall, and for those who remember last year, EEE messed with a lot of schedules and forced games to kickoff at 5 pm or on Saturdays.
Lots of tough decisions for leaders in all areas of life coming up.
EEE = eastern equine encephalitis?
that's the one. We played the last few games of our season with 5:00 kickoffs because of it. Our AD has told us that they are expecting EEE back again this fall, based off of the meetings he's been a part of.
strange. i googled EEE and when that came up i thought, 'that can't be it'. never heard of it before.
if you don't mind my asking, what general area of the state/country are your games played?
West Michigan. It was a big to do last fall in West Michigan and Southwest Michigan. There were cases of people getting it from mosquito bites. I can't recall exactly, but a handful of people died. AD's and school admin took it very seriously, not wanting to have fans or students get it at football games. That's what makes me think football/fall sports are just a "hope" right now. Covid19 is so much more prevalent than what EEE was last fall.
I'm not in MI anymore, and I vaguely remember hearing about EEE previously. So I had to google this. There were only 38 known cases in humans in the entire country last year. And less than 10 cases nationally each year for the prior 6 years. And that led to mass changes in sports programs schedules?