If Oneida County gives the go-ahead Waterville High School winter athletes will have games vs. other schools.
A special Waterville Central School District Board of Education meeting last week re-opened the discussion a week after the Board approved Skills and Drills at a low-risk option for winter athletes. Last week’s 4-3 vote opened up the chance for girls and boys basketball and volleyball to play other schools.
When games can be scheduled depend on a number of factors, including approval of the district’s plan by Oneida County, which will start the countdown for the necessary six practices per sport before games can be played.
In addition, Athletic Director Bob Gray said some student athletes traveled out of the area during last week’s break, which will require them to follow the district’s protocol on getting tested and quarantining before they can practice.
With a target date of games beginning March 1, the season will last less than two weeks. The winter schedule ends March 13. No sectional or state playoffs are scheduled.
In addition, the Indians will play teams only from Oneida County. Before the county gives approval for the plan, it needs approval from the district’s medical director.
Such approval is needed because playing high-risk sports goes against the county’s advice, which stated playing winter sports was ill-advised.
At the start of the 90-minute meeting WCS Superintendent Dr. Jennifer Spring said one aspect of Waterville’s plan needed to be dropped. Waterville had planned to do rapid Covid-19 tests on coaches and players from both teams before home games, but the state ruled that such testing cannot be a...