Minnesota has approved high school girls swimming & diving, among other sports, to remain in the fall season, though limited to two teams in any meet and with a reduction in the season length.
The Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL) governs high school sports in the state. Across the country, states have been adjusting their academic and school-sport-related calendars amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Minnesota is now the latest state to condense some fall-season sports, including girls swimming & diving.
In Minnesota, girls swimming & diving takes place in the fall season and boys swimming & diving in the winter. The MSHSL Board met Tuesday to make plans for the upcoming fall season, and reports from the meeting say the board voted to move forward with girls swimming & diving in the fall season.
MSHSL representative John Millea says swimming, along with girls tennis and boys and girls cross country, have been approved, with some new restrictions:
With girls tennis, cross-country, girls swimming and diving, #mshsl board approves…
-Limit of 3 teams in xc events
-Limit 2 teams in tennis and swim/dive
-Limit 1-2 events per week per team
Meaning those sports have been cleared for this fall.
— John Millea (@MSHSLjohn) August 4, 2020
Swimming will be limited to two teams per meet – that would effectively keep competitions at the dual meet level, with no triangulars or invitationals.
Tweets from KFAN radio’s Zach Halverson say the season will feature a 30% reduction in games and a 20% reduction in weeks.
VOTE: By a 17-1 vote, the MSHSL votes to bring girls tennis, cross country and girls swimming/diving back with 30% reduction in games, 20% reduction in weeks. Maximum 2 teams for girls swimming/diving and 3 teams for cross country meets.#MSHSL
— Zach Halverson (@ZachHalverson) August 4, 2020
According to KBUN radio’s Joel Hoover, there’s no decision yet on a “culminating event,” like a State Championship meet:
Girls swimming/diving: a lot more discussion went into this sport than the previous two. The return to play committee has recommended competitions be reduced to two teams at a time. No invitationals. Too soon to tell on a “culminating event”. #MSHSL
— Joel Hoover (@JoelHoover) August 4, 2020
The state is still discussing team sports like volleyball, soccer and football, which were classified as medium- or high-risk sports by the state’s Department of Health. Those sports could still be moved to the spring or to a separate fourth season in between winter and spring, reports from the meeting say.
Update: the high school league did vote to move football and volleyball to the spring, where a new sports season will be created from March 15 through May 15.
You can follow all 50 states and their most updated plans in our state-by-state index here.
If there is no state championship there is no point to having a season
Most swimmers don’t even make the state championship. State is cool but shouldn’t make or break a season.
I just think they’re buying time on what that might look like, not at all foreclosing the possibility. I always think the best approach in making decisions about event planning in this time is to avoid making one until you have to.
Michigan also allowing but with fewer restrictions. However, while they deem swimming as a low infection risk sport, the state deems indoor pools as high risk and has yet to open them.
Can I get a W in the chat
Great news, now the bigger question. How many kids per lane at practice. Will teams need to double their practice time to fit their teams?