Dear Methow Valley Students, Parents, Guardians, and Community Members,
Recent developments have increased the likelihood of interscholastic athletics in the coming months and have cleared a path forward for offering practice and training opportunities for students at LBHS. Most significantly:
- Practices for traditional fall high school sports will begin on February 22nd (girls soccer, cross country, volleyball) or February 16th (football)
- Up until February 15th, indoor workout and training sessions will be available for Liberty Bell athletes; some teams have already begun working out and more will be starting soon.
Athletic Competition Update
Our state’s Roadmap to Recovery Plan has established a new set of benchmarks for determining when athletic practice and competition can resume. This plan has also divided the state into 8 regions composed of multiple counties. Regions will move between phases based on performance in four key metrics (test positivity rate, ICU capacity, hospitalization rate, and rate of COVID cases).
Currently in Phase 1, our North Central region is doing relatively well, and, if trends persist, we may reach Phase 2 soon. In Phase 2, competition will be allowed for all low and moderate risk sports whether played indoor or out, as well as those sports designated as high risk, if they are played outdoors.
Schools in our area have collaborated to establish a plan for season sequence and scheduling. Contest schedules have been developed with a greater emphasis on matchups within the region rather than our standard league format. Please note, the season schedule for our region differs from the WIAA sports season calendar.
North Central Region Schedule:
- FALL: February 22 – April 3 (February 16th for football)
- SPRING: April 5 – May 15th
- WINTER: May 17 – June 19
Plans for junior high sports are still being developed, but look for traditional fall sports practices to begin on March 1st with seasons concluding on April 3rd.
Practice and Workout Opportunities
The WIAA recently released a document, Healthy Washington Sport and Activity Guidelines, that clarifies what is permitted during Phases 1 and 2 in our state’s Roadmap to Recovery Plan. Practices and workouts have resumed at Liberty Bell, with all requisite safety protocols in place. During Phase 1, student athletes will practice or train in pods of six or fewer, with no more than two pods in our gyms, ensuring that we easily meet the requirement for at least 500 square feet per athlete.
Questions or concerns? Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me at: mwilbur@methow.org.
Michael Wilbur
Methow Valley School District
Activities Director