MORGANTOWN, W. Va. — Based on recommendations from the county’s health department and Gov. Jim Justice, the three-week summer workout sessions for Monongalia County schools’ sports teams have been pushed back to July this year.
The rescheduled dates are July 13-31, according to Adam Henkins, Mon County’s Director of Safe Schools, Athletics & Title IX. Henkins notified officials at Morgantown, Clay-Battelle, University High and Trinity of the move on Tuesday.
The three-week period was originally scheduled for June 8-June 26.
“We felt like if there is even going to be a three-week period this summer that this provided the best opportunity for our kids to experience it,” Henkins said.
The move, Henkins said, was just for this year and unless the county’s coaches preferred keeping the workout sessions in July, the dates would be moved back to June in 2021.
“Most of the feedback I’ve received from our coaches is they preferred the June dates,” Henkins said. “Now, maybe they will feel differently after having it in July. That’s something we could definitely change down the road.”
As to whether or not the three-week session will be available this summer, as schools are still shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Bernie Dolan, the executive director of the West Virginia Secondary School Activities Commission (SSAC), said Wednesday that nothing was definite.
“We are working in coordination with the state’s superintendent’s office and was on a conference call (Tuesday) discussing many options,” Dolan said. “As of now, we have no official plan in place, but that will obviously change in the coming days as we continue to evaluate everything and see how and when school facilities can begin to reopen.”
Dolan did say if there was to be a three-week session this summer, it would likely have different guidelines from past years.
“Whatever we decide to do, I don’t think you’ll see things that would call for mass gatherings,” Dolan said. “Whether that is conducting large tournaments or summer leagues, I’m just not sure right now we can allow that this year under the current environment.
“I would imagine any type of three-week workouts this year as schools basically going back to the basics and keeping competitions minimal. Maybe scrimmage against one other school, but not in mass quantities.”
During a press briefing on Tuesday, Gov. Justice said the SSAC had the full backing of his office.
“I think Bernie does a fabulous job,” Justice said. “He’s looking out for our athletes and looking out for our instructors. He’s sure they will have guidelines, such as restricting workouts to a certain number of kids.
“We’ll work with them. They do great work. They’re going to do the right thing. They’re going to protect their kids.”
Under normal circumstances, each county decided the dates for its summer workouts, with the week of the July 4th holiday scheduled as a dead week.
Henkins believed that Mon County was the only county in the state that still conducted its workouts in June, while the other 54 counties had already moved their dates to July.
“The advantages of having them in June was that’s when most colleges held their team camps,” Henkins said. “Like WVU and Fairmont State, they held football and basketball team camps in June and our coaches could go coach their players at those camps and then our kids could have the whole month of July off for vacations and such.
“Now, because of the pandemic, those college camps have been shut down this year, so moving to July just seemed to make the most sense for right now.”
The advantages of having the workouts in July, in a case such as football, high school athletes would basically go straight from the three-week session into the start of fall camp.
“You could look at a situation like Sean Biser at Morgantown High, who is just starting to build his program,” Henkins said. “I’m sure he would love to have those additional three weeks right before the start of camp.”
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