The Charlotte-Mecklenburg school system in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, has revised its decision to ban participation in extracurricular activities, including sports, to align with recent guidance from the Mecklenburg County Health Department (MCPH).
Previously, per an order from the MCPH, the schools decided to stay virtual for three weeks to minimize the spread of COVID-19, which has been rising rapidly in this county. This order temporarily halted all in-person learning, as well as extracurricular activities, including sports.
As a result, many high school sports teams in the CMS system, including swim teams, were unable to participate in postseason meets. Only programs currently in playoff season, including volleyball and cross-country, were allowed to compete in postseason play (but they were not allowed to practice).
However, a recent amendment is now allowing all high school swimmers and divers who have qualified for postseason regional competition to participate in all postseason competitions, which are scheduled to begin on February 5.
In addition, approval from the North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) is allowing other in-season programs, including basketball, cheerleading, men’s and women’s lacrosse, and men’s soccer to resume competition beginning on February 8. Football will also resume on this date.
All out-of-season sports will be allowed to resume skills development workouts beginning on February 15. They will also be allowed to begin official practices on the dates listed in the approved NCHSAA 2020-2021 calendar.
So can they go to state swim meets?