CHSAA announces 2020-21 athletics/activities calendar

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COLORADO -  The Colorado High School Activities Association has announced its 2020-2021 interscholastic athletics and activities calendar. Following months of collaboration with Gov. Jared Polis, the CHSAA Resocialization Task Force, the Sports Medicine Advisory Committee, the state’s COVID-19 Response team, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, and the CHSAA Board of Directors and administrative staff.


“The health and safety of our student participants, coaches, officials and essential personnel, including volunteers is a primary concern for the return of interscholastic athletics and activities,” said CHSAA Commissioner Rhonda Blanford-Green. “We are very grateful for the state, health and educational leaders for their shared commitment of a return to these highly beneficial education programs when it is deemed safe for all school communities.”


Note that the resumption of all activities and athletics are subject to change based upon any changes to national, state or local guidelines.


The 2020-21 season will be played with a modified sport schedule due to the on-going global pandemic, creating four separate sports seasons during the school year. The modified calendar splits sports into four seasons, concluding in late June: A, B, C and D. Dates and plans for non-athletic activities continue to be formulated.


Due to the restrictive nature of the current state guidelines, and the ability to follow Colorado Department of Education requirements, all contact sports have been moved to a season which will commence later in the calendar and allow for playoffs and culminating events without creating new conflicts.


Each season is approximately seven weeks from start to finish. Sports will have their regular season competition limits reduced. The postseason for each sport will also be shortened, including the number of state qualifiers.


The following 2020 fall sports will begin as originally scheduled: boys golf began practice Aug. 3, softball and boys tennis is set to begin Aug. 10, and cross-country Aug. 12. According to the modified calendar, this is Season A.


The remaining traditional fall sports are unable to be played under current state health guidelines. These sports are field hockey, football, gymnastics, boys soccer, spirit, unified bowling and girls volleyball.


The sports played this fall will all be concluded by Oct. 17.


In anticipation of data from the state which shows a likely resurgence of COVID-19 cases in late fall, there will be a participation moratorium from Oct. 18, 2020, to Jan. 3, 2021.


Sports in Season B will begin Jan. 4 and conclude by March 6. These sports include: basketball, ice hockey, skiing, spirit, girls swimming and wrestling.


Season C, which begins March 1 and concludes with championships by May 1, includes the following sports: field hockey, football, gymnastics, boys soccer, unified bowling and girls volleyball.


The 2020-21 calendar will conclude with Season D. Sports include: baseball, girls golf, boys and girls lacrosse, girls soccer, girls tennis, boys swimming, track and field and boys volleyball. This season will begin with practice April 26, and it concludes with the final championship June 26.


Specific sport modifications, practice requirements, game requirements and procedures will be communicated by Thursday, including in bulletins that can be found on CHSAANow.com