MHSAA Director: “No metrics or data provided” by state government to support decision

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The Michigan High School Athletic Association will face another hurdle in creating a roadmap for the return of winter sports to Michigan.

The MHSAA was surprised to learn Friday morning that Governor Gretchen Whitmer and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) have pushed back the start date for winter contact sports in Michigan to February 21.

The previous emergency order was due to expire at the end of January, which would have allowed all winter sports to begin contact activities on February 1. From now on, winter sports like basketball for girls and boys, the joy of competitions, ice hockey and wrestling will remain non-contact for an additional month.

MHSAA Executive Director Mark Uyl joined Bill Simonson’s sports radio program The Huge Show earlier this afternoon to voice his frustrations at the ongoing process of trying to bring high school sport back to students. – Michigan athletes.

“We heard around the same time as everyone this morning that winter contact sports like basketball, competition, ice hockey and wrestling are still delayed,” Uyl said. . “We didn’t receive any metrics, no data while we were under this current hiatus. We did not get any data on what needs to change for the activity to begin.

“We were ready to start winter sports in November. It has now been two months since we were given any figures as to whether this is based on positive test cases or rates, etc. We have no idea what needs to happen in order for us to play so I don’t know how we can continue to take responsibility and blame for decisions on which we have no input, no vote and no possibility to express our opinions. Like any other walk of society at this time in this pandemic, we must follow government orders which are continually updated.

Uyl said rapid response tests that were carried out in December with soccer, volleyball and girls swimming and diving were a resounding success, but whether or not the MDHHS used the data is up for debate.

“We have performed over 30,000 rapid COVID tests over the past month with our three fall sports,” he said. “The negative rate of these 30,000 COVID tests is 99.8%. I don’t know how you can get much stronger data than that. All we can do is keep collecting the information, keep sharing it, keep sharing it with our schools, which we have done time and time again. However, I cannot speak on behalf of the state government because I just don’t have that idea of ​​how we use the data we provide to them.

The MHSAA is now considering the possibility of student-athletes choosing to play club sports out of state instead of waiting for a winter sports season that remains in question.

“What is incredibly frustrating is that we believe that at the school level it is the safest environment for children, given all of the safety procedures and protocols we have in place,” said Uyl. “I’m not sure the kids are going all over the place to play all of their club sports in the next three weeks, then thinking that we may somehow be able to restart here in Michigan is the correct answer.

“I just think all this increased mobility would only make it worse, not improve it. But again, I guess these are issues that are certainly beyond our level of pay. These guys (the state government) are the ones who have to make rules for the entire Michigan governing body. “

The frustration was evident when Uyl defended his organization’s efforts over the past two months to push for a winter sports season, despite criticism from parents, players and fans.

“There are three states bordering Indiana, Ohio and Wisconsin that have been open and fully participating in winter sports for weeks,” he said. “For people to somehow suggest that the MHSAA doesn’t want to play winter sports right now or have been fighting for it for two months, I’m not going to waste a lot of time on defend this position.

“All of our actions over the past two months have absolutely done so. This is something that we have shared on an ongoing basis with our schools, as an association of member schools we will continue to be responsible and constantly communicate with our members. That’s what we’re going to do here hopefully learning some things that today’s order means over the weekend, and you have a good grasp of the way forward for Monday.

The biggest obstacle that the MHSAA and its member schools face in moving forward is simply getting a clear outline and a plan of attack to make a winter sports season a reality.

“I think we need to start the conversation with, at this point, what the numbers are, what the data is, what does it have to look like so that we can allow winter sports to begin,” Uyl asked. “This is a question I think we all deserve an answer to. We need some figures on what is currently preventing us from starting.

“I just think at this point we kind of need to know what the benchmarks are if this is to be a science-driven and data-driven decision like we’ve heard it for months. I think of all of us, and it’s not just the association but it’s the kids, coaches, parents, families, I think we all deserve to know what this roadmap is going to look like and what This is really where the conversations need to start. “

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