Gig Harbor, Peninsula to follow WIAA guidelines in resuming high school sports

The novel coronavirus, known for its unpredictability, closed schools and suspended athletics in Gig Harbor and the key peninsula.

And so one Gig Harbor High School family packed their bags and left, according to Gig Harbor High School athletic director Bob Werner.

It was a strategic move to get the children back to sports — a move in an attempt to dodge the rapidly spread virus.

But moving to the safest state is a decision as unpredictable as the virus itself.

“What was interesting at the time was they were all (saying they were planning on) moving to Arizona, Florida, Texas,” Werner said. “And like I told them, ‘the problem is, with a pandemic, you don’t know when it’s going to hit them.’ … And that happened.”

For now, the Seahawks and Tides sit on the sidelines, patiently waiting for their moment to suit up and take the fields, courts, and mats. If everything goes according to plan, both Peninsula and Gig Harbor high schools’ athletics will commence Dec. 27.

Published June 22, the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association (WIAA) created a guidance form composed of safety precautions and regulations that schools must follow before returning to athletic play amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Initially released by The National Federation of High School Sports and further edited by the WIAA and Governor Inslee’s office, the 15-page document includes a step-by-step plan for phases two through four of Washington’s “Safe Start” proclamation.

“It’s much more than I’ve seen even for return-to-school (requirements),” Werner said. “It’s very detailed as to what kids can do, coaches can do, and all of the safeguards.”

As for athletic scheduling, the WIAA mapped out four “seasons” of athletics for high schools within Washington State.

Season one runs through December; both Gig Harbor and Peninsula will not compete during this time. Season two, which begins Dec. 27, includes traditional winter sports, including basketball and swimming. Season three begins March 1 and features traditional fall sports, like football, tennis, and golf. Season four, packed with spring sports, features baseball and track and field, and commences April 26.

The South Sound Conference plans to play 70% of the contests of a normal athletic season.

“I feel fortunate that we’re in our state with the leadership of the WIAA,” Peninsula athletic director and head football coach Ross Filkins said. “[They have] done an incredible job of going with the flow of changes, but also working creatively to find opportunities.”

But even with a plan, there’s no guarantee that it’s smooth sailing from here on out. Still in phase two, Pierce County has yet to progress to a point where athletic equipment can be shared and locker rooms be utilized.

“If we don’t get this going in the right direction, they’re in trouble, even with the season postponed,” Werner said.

However, the WIAA has permitted an open-coaching period from Sept. 28 to Nov. 30, where teams can practice and prepare, given all phase two regulations are met.

Football stands as the only sport facing numerical restrictions on the amount of practices allowed during the coaching period at 20.

Peninsula football plans to work in pods of five students, starting with no equipment at all. The team hopes to reach a point where utilizing equipment is safe, but for now, outdoor small pods are the only option.

Filkins says the 20-practice maximum throughout the open-coaching period is meant to allow students to train for other sports simultaneously.

“At Peninsula, we have a significant number of multi-sport student-athletes,” Filkins said. “If almost all of our programs are conducting some workouts or practices, we don’t want our kids to stretch too thin. We’re going to have to coordinate what we do, and when.”

And even when sports return for high school students, the WIAA, players, and coaches alike expect significant changes to normal game protocol.

The starkest change will be the absence of spectators in the bleachers, as local schools are working to bolster their streaming services to allow online viewing. Gig Harbor already withholds the capabilities to stream athletics in their gymnasium, and at Roy Anderson Field.

But smaller, yet noticeable changes are also to come, as referees plan to use electronic whistles that minimizes personal contact with equipment.

Contact remains the issue in sports during the pandemic, as athletes must remain six feet apart at all times during phase two of Washington’s Safe Start Proclamation. It’s not until phase three that locker rooms can be utilized and only the lower-risk sports are permitted to resume.

The highest-risk sports -- generally those with consistent contact among fellow athletes -- pose the most danger, therefore containing what Werner says are the biggest challenges in the state’s attempt to resume high school athletics.

“When I look at the biggest challenges, it’s wrestling and football,” Werner said. “Those are the two that are under the most scrutiny. We have to be far enough along in this pandemic to even have those sports play out.”

This story was originally published September 1, 2020 at 6:00 AM.