High school eases into fall sport activities

Mule football, volleyball, and cross country practice is expected to begin at Wahkiakum High School on Monday after the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association’s Executive Board decided to allow three truncated seasons for athletics, beginning with a seven week focus on fall sports.

Whether Wahkiakum athletes and coaches will be allowed to compete against other teams is up in the air. It’s tied to Governor Jay Inslee’s Roadmap to Recovery Plan, and to the health of Clark and Cowlitz Counties, which join Wahkiakum, Skamania, and Klickitat to form the Southwest Region. And because the Central 2B League includes teams from other nearby counties, the West Region’s improving health is also a factor.

The entire state is currently in Phase 1. Of the three sports beginning on Monday, cross country is the only one that is allowed to compete during Phase 1. The other two carry more risk, and while games have been scheduled, regions must be in Phase 2 for them to actually play.

In order to move to Phase 2, a region must show a decreasing trend in the 14 day rate of new covid-19 cases per 100,000 population, a decreasing trend in 14 day rate of new covid-19 hospital admissions per 100,000 population, an average seven day occupancy of ICU staffed beds less than 90 percent, and a seven day percent positivity of covid 19 tests less than 10 percent.

“It’s all wishful thinking in my opinion,” Wahkiakum School District’s Athletic Director Rob Garrett said. “I certainly hope it happens as the kids deserve a chance to play, but the parameters set are unreasonable.

“At least 37 other states in the country have already played sports and we haven’t had a single game.”