
The push to restart high school sports next month in Minnesota is getting down to the nitty gritty.
For example, how to adhere to Gov. Tim Walz's new mask mandate during practice, where reaching the critical "level of exertion'' that exempts mask use will vary from drill to drill and player to player. Or even within the same drill, such as an extended volleyball rally that gets the cardio going for a team of six athletes.
About 300 people, representing high schools across Minnesota, made it clear in a virtual weekly meeting Thursday with Minnesota State High School League officials that they would like more clarity on the mask policy brought about to help stem the coronavirus pandemic.
League officials said they would seek more guidance on that as school representatives, who have met as the league's "L.E.A.D. network'' weekly since the pandemic began, offered up some of the biggest challenges ahead for their communities: Travel between games, positive COVID tests, athlete safety, spectators.
Those hurdles will quickly become real assuming plans for learning in schools will allow for at least some, if not all, fall sports to start as scheduled Aug. 17.
The path to getting there has wound down to this:
Walz is expected to announce his decision on reopening schools next Thursday. Options are said to include fully opening schools, continuing distance learning and invoking a mix of both approaches.
That plan will be taken into account by a league task force charged with making recommendations for returning to high school sports and activities. The group, formed last week, held its second meeting on Wednesday. Its work is expected to be finished on or around July 31.