CHESHIRE, Conn. — Clear directions for schools that are part of the Connecticut Interscholastic Atheltic Conference (CIAC) may come as early as next week.
On FOX61 Morning News, Glenn Lungarini, Executive Director, CAS-CIAC said that based on meetings they have been having, it may be possible to continue conditioning in the near future.
"The CIAC has requested that DPH consider allowing our member schools to resume the non-contact conditioning workouts, which they have been conducting since July 6, 2020 as early as Monday," the Board of Control wrote in a press release.
Officials said it was determined at Friday morning's ReOpen CT Rules Committee meeting that inconsistent guidance was issued for CIAC athletics versus non-CIAC youth sport opportunities.
Therefore, the conference will continue to work collaboratively with DPH to have those discussions of consideration.
The CIAC Board of Control established the following timeline for schools' planning purposes:
- Board of Control meeting Sunday at 7 p.m.
- Conference will submit modified plans to DPH based on their recommendations for fall sports.
- The CIAC will delay the first date for all fall sports to Saturday, August 29.
Lungarini hopes by the middle to end of next week, schools will be able to get a clearer picture on where the future of fall sports is going.
CIAC also met with the state Department of Health (DPH) Thursday night to discuss the latest recommendations on fall sports.
Student-athletes spoke out about their frustration with the back-and-forth they have been dealing with.
Dozens of them met with CIAC Executive Director Glenn Lungarini here at CIAC offices in Cheshire.
Fall sports have been put on pause after the DPH gave its updated recommendations, which means all practices and conditioning stopped as well.
Practices in cohorts were supposed to get started for fall sports next week and full practices were supposed to start September 11th.
DPH recommended football and indoor volleyball be moved to the spring just a few weeks after the CIAC gave both sports the green light.
Athletes said they just want to know when and if they are going to be able to play.
"It's just been like a mental roller coaster, it's been really really tough," said Isaiah Lizardi, senior, Hall High School. "Hearing that we might play in the spring, and then it was moving to the fall, and then people are like 'no playing fall'. A six-game schedule, eight-game schedule--it was very confusing, very complicated and it's hard.
CIAC says the Reopen CT Rules Committee will be meeting today, and discussing the inconsistencies between DPH's recommendation for CIAC athletics and non-CIAC sanctioned athletics.