The North Dakota High School Activities Association will wait for the state to announce their K-12 restart plan for fall school before making a decision on high school athletics.
Kirsten Baesler, state superintendent, is expected to announce plans for the school year in mid-July, meaning word will come on athletics in about a month.
“The High School Activities Association put a committee together to see what the restart for sports would look like in the fall,” Guy Fridley, Dickinson High activities director, said. “The group came back with a recommendation the other day to follow the K-12 restart guidelines.”
Right now, Fridley said there are three options for the fall and they include a totally virtual classroom, a blended mix of some in person classes and some online and, finally, a in-person normal school year.
“My gut would tell me that if it is totally online I would have a hard time saying there will be sports,” Fridley said. “If there is a blended version, I can’t imagine there is a fall without sports.”
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Gov. Doug Burgum and Baesler are working with district superintendents and health officials across the state to come up with a plan and they will come to a joint decision.
As for Dickinson High, they are working out and preparing like there will be a season this fall.
“We are allowing a few more students than the original 10-15. We are at 15-20 now within a gym,” Fridley said. “We are allowing some three-on-three basketball and football is allowed to go with no contact.”
He also believes that the facilities at Dickinson High have never been cleaner, and they are taking a lot of pride in providing a clean and safe place for athletes to work out.
Fridley also admits they aren’t back to being totally normal yet, but they are getting closer. Dickinson High coaches are still asking athletes four questions when they enter the building such as if they have been in contact with someone who tested positive for the coronavirus or if they have a fever. If an athlete answers yes to any of the questions, they are sent home.
So far, summer workouts have gone according to plan as no Dickinson athletes have contracted COVID-19.
“The positive side of it is that we have been at it since June 1 and it has been a month in the gym and being around other students,” he said.
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