KSHSAA Board of Directors OKs games in Dec., but no fans until January 29th

Well, the schedule in Kansas is only getting tweaked instead of overhauled.

All Winter 2020-21 High School Sports competition will be allowed to begin on time, but the holiday moratorium was extended and fans won't be permitted until January 29, 2021.

The KSHSAA Board of Directors voted 53-22 in favor of adopting the modified schedule. No practices or competitions will be permitted from December 23rd until January 3rd. There is usually a five-day window for that moratorium, but it was extended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Teams can resume practice on January 4th, and competition January 8th, according to a release from KSHSAA.

The KSHSAA Executive Board had unanimously voted in favor of a proposal that would have postponed contests until January 15th. That proposal also had the crowd limit in the plans as well as the extended moratorium.

Most teams, especially in our area, have been practicing since November 16, the first allowable day for full practice for winter sports.

The Board also approved a measure that requires non-playing participants to be wearing a mask properly, unless they are entering the game. Substitutes must wear a mask, or an appropriate face covering, until they actually enter the game.

The Board also approved modified competition limits for each school. They include: - Basketball may have a maximum of 20 games, exclusive of the postseason.

- Swimming and Diving may have a maximum of 10 competitions, exclusive of the state meet.

- Boys and Girls Wrestling may have a maximum of 18 events and no more than 30 competitions points, exclusive of the postseason.

- Bowling may have a maximum of 10 competitions, exclusive of the postseason.

The invitational restriction - based on the verbiage for boys and girls wrestling - appears to not be part of the modified schedule.

The ruling passed Tuesday covers both high school and middle school sports.