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Now what?
As we wait -- again -- for Maui Interscholastic League and Hawaii High School Athletic Association sports to resume, there are a ton of questions that will need to be answered in the next few weeks.
My phone and Twitter account were buzzing all day Wednesday with reaction to the Hawaii State Department of Education decree that COVID-19 vaccines will be required to play high school sports for public school students when things resume on Sept. 24.
One person said on my Twitter feed: "Should have required vx months ago for student athletes, coaches, support staff, teachers. It is ridiculous, selfish, and 100 percent reason for this surge. Ugh. Heartbroken for these kids."
Another said: "That is the saddest news!!! So much for freedom of choice!!"
And yet another had this to say: "Does anyone feel like they are getting bullied into taking the Vax. Asking for a bunch of athletes."
One more, from a former MIL standout quarterback, summed it up pretty well in one word: "Auwe."
Now, this announcement wasn't what anyone wanted just 10 days away from actual MIL competition, but it's not the worst news either, even as prep sports remain on hold, just as they have been since March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"They gave us a deadline date and a return date of September 24th," HHSAA Executive Director Chris Chun said on Thursday. "We've never actually had that before -- if they set up a date like that I'm fairly confident we're going to resume on that date."
Last year, we simply didn't have any clear path or leader to make statewide decisions like this one, but I think that has changed with Wednesday's news release with interim state schools superintendent Keith Hayashi in the leadership role.
"This decision was not made lightly because we know the important role athletics play in a well-rounded education, but we cannot jeopardize the health and safety of our students and communities," Hayashi said in the news release.
Said Chun: "I mean, we were always up in the air. We were always looking for who do we ask, who is going to make the call for this? I guess it's good in a way that we know someone made a decision."
Personally, I though the news release from the HIDOE summed it pretty well when it also said this:
"The vaccination requirement recognizes that participation in extracurricular athletic programs is a privilege and can increase the risk of exposure to COVID-19, which could negatively impact an individual's health and education. It also recognizes the important role vaccinations play in protecting against and reducing the risk of disease transmission."
High school sports participation is a privilege, not a right. Would it have been better if this decree had come in April? Of course, but the COVID case numbers were trending better then and now are completely out of control in our state.
And I know, I know, we live in a free country -- I therefore point to the fact that there still is a choice for those who don't want to get the vaccine. First, there are religious and medical exemptions available, as there should be.
Then, freedom of choice is still there: Get the vaccine and play sports, or don't get the vaccine and sit sports out. Simple as pie as far as I can see.
Let's not forget, the health.hawaii.gov website spells out traditional vaccines that are required for DOE school attendance. I will keep it simple, but to attend seventh grade in a Hawaii public school a student must have two MMR immunizations, three for Hepatitis B, and one or two for varicella.
I've heard the arguments against the COVID vaccinations, but I think by now it's pretty obvious they work. For anyone who doesn't believe me, I urge them to ask their doctor.
Hawaii prep student-athletes are not the only ones who will be required to be vaccinated to do what they wish to do -- the University of Hawaii recently announced that their student-athletes must be vaccinated to participate, and on Thursday Gov. David Ige mandated COVID vaccines for all state and county workers.
My guess is the list is only going to grow from here.
The HHSAA executive committee -- made up of one principal from each of the state's five leagues, including Maui High School's Jamie Yap -- will meet today and scheduling will be high on the agenda.
With a two-week acclimation period required after practices can resume on Sept. 24, the earliest we will see competition is Oct. 8. The state football tournament dates are currently Nov. 12-27, but may be the most flexible of all of the fall sports state tournaments.
This much is clear for MIL football: Something will have to give. Either the league's traditional two-round slate is cut to one round or the state tournaments must be moved back -- each round of MIL football requires five weeks to complete.
Lahainaluna football co-head coach Dean Rickard discussed the possibility of playing one round in MIL football instead of the previously scheduled two rounds.
"That's something that they are going to have to figure out, but the only other option that I can see is will they even have a state tournament? Will they just have league play instead?" Rickard said. "We hope it doesn't come to that. If it was a choice I'd rather have it one round and then move into a state tournament or just pushing it back and going deeper into December. I would be for that as well."
Chun said today's executive council meeting will be key to how this is all handled from here. Scheduling is question No. 1.
"The options are either shortening the seasons or overlapping them," Chun said.
When asked specifically about moving back football state tournament dates, Chun said, "It's possible. I don't know if people are going to want to do it, but it's possible."
Chun said he reserved War Memorial Stadium prior to Wednesday's announcement for state tournament games before the state finals day, which is currently slated for Nov. 27. With the demise of Aloha Stadium, War Memorial Stadium is the largest capacity facility in the state, and I would vote for a state championship game or two here.
"That's a little more tricky because there's three divisions and Maui's not even in all three," Chun said. "TV has to be set up weeks in advance. So, that creates harder issues."
The Interscholastic League of Honolulu, an all-private-school league on Oahu, will most assuredly continue to play while most of the rest of the state pauses for this vaccination process.
I was thoroughly encouraged that the MIL private schools told me and colleague Dakota Grossman on Wednesday that they plan to stand with their DOE brethren during this break.
"We have to come up with a schedule now," Chun said. "This is going be a big issue between public and private (schools), so we have to figure it out."
One thing I can say definitively -- I look forward to the day when it is time to say, "Play Ball."
* Robert Collias is at rcollias@mauinews.com.