The majority of athletic directors in the Northern Division met this last week to attempt to establish a consistent set of “ground rules” for allowing spectators at athletic events. After extended discussions, the consensus of the group was that this was impossible, due to wide variances in health department regulations across the counties in the state. While Chouteau County is enjoying a period of zero active cases of Covid-19, Cascade County has reported 30 new cases in the last two weeks. Thanks to the Governor’s mask mandate and rules for gatherings during Phase 2, this creates very different sets of rules for schools to follow and there exists disagreements as to how best to follow rules, even in schools in the same county.
If you plan to attend an out of town sporting event, it is very important that you know the rules of that school. Due to the wide variety of rules our competitors must follow, spectator rules for each school may be different. While almost every school in the Northern Division is currently allowing spectators, some schools are limiting to only parents. Big Sandy High School will publish spectator rules ay week. This information may not be available in time to make the Mountaineer each week, but if available, it will be published in the paper as well. Please check the school web site or call the high school office if you are planning to attend away games. Our school is asked to furnish a “visiting spectator” list to each school by one day prior to the competition. Parents of athletes will be automatically added to this list every week.
Big Sandy has established its rules for spectators based upon guidelines provided by the Chouteau County Health Department. Attendance at games is based on allowing up to 75% of our capacity. Our gym seats over 400 people, so 300 spectators could safely be allowed to watch volleyball games. In order to satisfy CCHD regulations, masks are currently required for indoor events where 50 or more people are present. Family groups are asked to sit together, leaving spaces between other families or spectators. When visiting the gym this fall, you will see that certain rows will be “blocked off”, but there will be plenty of room in our gym to support our Pioneer Volleyball teams.
Football, being an outdoor event, allows us a little more flexibility. The MHSA has mandated that players and coaches on the sidelines wear masks regardless, but masks for spectators will only be required if we rise above 4 cases in the county. Fans will be encouraged to distance themselves while watching the game and only
coaches, players and officials will be allowed onto the field. Fans who are considered “at-risk” will be encouraged, but not required, to watch the game from their vehicles.
Contact information will be gathered from all spectators in the event that someone attending a contest comes down with Covid-19. Big Sandy High School is collecting information from spectators either in advance or at the gate. To speed up your entry into games, you can either fill out the Google form on the school web page or the Big Sandy Schools Facebook page, or you can call Wendy Taylor at the high school office (378-3400). Once your data has been collected, it will be added to a master list. Once you are on the list, you can simply give your name to the ticket taker to enter subsequent games. If you have any questions regarding game attendance, please reach out to Melanie Schwarbach, BSHS Athletic Director (378-3413)
