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Date: 5/11/2021
WESTHAMPTON – During a May 3 meeting, the Hampshire Regional School Committee unanimously approved the Hampshire Regional High School (HRHS) wrestling season.
The approval comes with the parameters that athletes and coaches must also have a COVID-19 coach available throughout the season. The COVID-19 coach is someone who comes in to see how the team is handling the COVID-19 mitigation strategies throughout the season.
Athletes must wear their face masks while wrestling and receive temperature checks and COVID-19 tests prior to competing and practicing, as well. Contact tracing will also be conducted during each meet.
John Plourd, director of student activities at HRHS, told the committee that the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) just recently unveiled the specific guidelines for wrestling during the pandemic. Coaches, athletes, and people at the event must be wearing masks at all times, according to the guidelines.
In a typical wrestling season, there are dual meets during the week and then wrestling tournaments on the weekend. For this year however, only dual or tri-meets will be allowed to occur.
“As of right now, there’s only nine schools in Western Mass. that have stated that they are intending to have a wrestling team this spring,” said Plourd, who added that a third team could be added to these matches so every student on each team has a chance to wrestle. “Of those teams, many of them are single digits in terms of numbers.” More schools in the area could end up competing this season depending on whether or not they receive permission from their respective school committees.
The guidelines also recommend that schools rotate mats after each meet, which is something Hampshire Regional will not be able to do because they only have one competition mat, according to Plourd. The school does plan on cleaning the mat before and after all practices and meets.
Weigh-ins will be conducted at everyone’s own school, but there is a chance to complete a socially distanced weigh-in right before the competition. According to Plourd, to keep the numbers low, only people who are competing will be traveling.
“A lot of the things we used for the basketball season will also be implemented [for wrestling],” said Plourd, who added that skin checks will once again be done but in a socially distanced manner.
If a mask does come off during a match, the MIAA suggests that if it is a scoring opportunity, then the point can be played out. Otherwise, the official will have to stop the match so the athlete can put their mask back on.
“The thing that wrestling has going for us that a lot of the other sports don’t is that it’s very easy for the coaches to track who’s in contact with who,” said Plourd. “You spend pretty much the entire season with people who are around your same weight class.”
With a decrease in the amount of athletes wrestling due to the pandemic, HRHS wrestling coach Don Willard said that half of the usual weight classes will most likely be competing. With that in mind, most dual matches are expected to take no longer than 30 minutes. He also added that, while it may be difficult to conduct meets outdoors, a lot of the practice and conditioning could be done outside rather than in the gym.
“It’s still true that children and young people remain at low risk of COVID-19 mortality,” said Willard. “Our coaches and athletes are prepared to do their part.”
In addition to wrestling, HRHS will have junior varsity and varsity baseball and softball, boys and girls outdoor track and Unified Track competing this spring.
According to Plourd, HRHS students can also take advantage of co-op lacrosse programs for boys and girls that are hosted at St. Mary’s in Westfield. The school will have 20 girls and five boys participate on those teams.
Michael Sullivan, Hampshire Regional’s interim superintendent, also announced during the meeting that HRHS will have an interim principal for the 2021-22 school year. The position was posted internally until May 7. If there are multiple applicants, then a small committee will be formed and headed by Hampshire Regional’s new Superintendent Diana Bonneville. A selection will then be made.
“It’s likely there will be a permanent search that would take place at the typical time, which might be early next spring,” said Sullivan. “It’s possible that if the interim is doing an excellent job, then the superintendent always has the discretion to act in any way they choose to do so.”
If there is a need for an assistant principal, then the district will look into that over the next couple of weeks.
Current HRHS Principal Kristen Smidy was officially named superintendent of the Gateway Regional School District. She is officially leaving this summer.