AIA OK’s northeastern schools’ sports season plans

CHINLE

On Monday, the athletic directors for the 1A, 2A and 3A conference schools in northeastern Arizona met with the Arizona Interscholastic Association executive board via Zoom to discuss plans for a sports season in the spring of 2021.

Of the 17 schools represented, most of the schools are in the Navajo Nation. The plan calls for northeastern schools to collectively have their own sports calendar separate from the AIA calendar. Each school in the region will decide if they will compete against one another in the spring.

Fall and winter sports will be including but not limited to basketball, wrestling, volleyball, football and cross country will have modified seasons.

Spring sports such as baseball, softball, and track & field will have a regular season. This schedule is not set in stone and may change depending on the pandamic.

Chinle High AD Shaun Martin reported that the executive board agreed unanimously to support the northeastern school’s plan.

“The AIA executive board and executive director was very receptive,” Martin said. “And they actually thanked us for all the work that we have done and all the executive planning that had gone into this proposal.”

Speaking on behalf of the region, Window Rock High AD Ryan Dodson explained the pandemic and why having a separate sports calendar would be of great help to the schools.

“In fact,” Martin said. “The AIA executive board members asked the AIA administration team to continue working with us to work out any glitches or issues that may arise in the future.

“They already gave the AIA full approval to go ahead and continue working with us in the development of this plan,” he said, “and if anything comes up that needs immediate attention, the executive board already said, ‘Please work with these ADs to ensure their seasons are successful.’”

With the support of the AIA, the northeastern schools will retain many benefits of membership, such as insurance for injured athletes, officials to judge competitions, and tools that will help the schools better plan their sports calendar.

“Which is outstanding,” Martin continued. “Because that level of support has never been done before. These are completely uncharted times in a world of athletics and academics, and for the AIA executive board to support our proposal the way that they have is just so comforting knowing that they have our back.”

Despite the support, schools and sports seasons depend on two factors: the status of the pandemic and the decision of each individual school.

The Window Rock superintendent, Shannon Goodsell, sees the decision as a sign that the schools are one step closer to recovery, but cautions that “our guard against the virus shouldn’t be lowered.”

For him and many other school officals, their number one preiority is the safety of their students.

“Our numbers are looking good,” Goodsell said. “But we must remain vigilant, we must follow all CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) guidelines, we must socially distance, wear a mask and wash our hands. Whether or not our children get to participate in athletics are contingent to our behavior in controlling the COVID-19 virus.”

Goodsell said for Window Rock, they will have a variety of meetings, both with the school board and parents, to discuss reopening campuses and extracurricular activities like sports.

He estimates it won’t be until close to December when they will reach a final decision – as well as depending on how the Navajo Nation is coping with the pandemic.

All the while, they are following guidelines, protocols, and procedures set up by the CDC, the state, and the Navajo Nation.

“Much appreciation goes out to the athletic directors for their due diligence and effort to put together this proposal,” Goodsell said. “A special thank you goes out to coach Ryan Dodson, athletic director of Window Rock and president of the 3A North Athletics Conference, for his ability and leadership to provide this possible opportunity to student-athletes.”

Although the AIA’s decision is seen as a victory to both Martin and Goodsell, the threat of the virus is still real and there are many more obstacles to overcome before they know with certainty if there’ll be a sports season in the second semester.

While they work out schedules and look for coaches, the threat of COVID-19 still hangs over them, threatening to tarnish their work if the proper precautions aren’t taken.

“I cannot stress the importance and the value of athletics for our student-athletes and for the climate and culture of schools,” Goodsell said. “The tradition that goes along with competition really puts the final touches on a school year and what a nice opportunity for our student-athletes and our high school students.

“I want to stress that while this is one step forward,” he added, “it is simply contingent on our ability to control the virus and for us to continue to flatten that curve and so we must be vigilant in our behavior because that is going to be the determining factor to decide whether our students will be able to play.”

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