GAME ON

The Oklahoma Secondary Schools Activities Association (OSSAA) Board of Directors voted 7-6 on May 22 to reject a three-phase plan to restart high school sports across the state.

The move means that area high schools can return to their campuses as normal beginning June 1.

Oklahoma high school sports were initially postponed March 12 during the state basketball tournament.

The OSSAA then cancelled all spring sports during a March 26 teleconference in a unanimous decision.

OSSAA executive director David Jackson led the May 22 meeting and presented the reopening plan to the board members who met via Zoom.

The nearly two hour meeting was capped by the aforementioned vote.

Those voting against the three-phase plan were Craig McVay (El Reno), Jason Sternberger (Kingfisher), Jerry Needham (Oktaha), Rusty Puffinbarger (Leedey), Rex Trent (Binger-Oney), Bryan McNutt (Antlers), and Don Schneberger (Boone-Apache).

Voting yes were board members Rick Pool (Kiowa), Darren Melton (Lincoln Christian), Duane Merideth (Durant), Mike Simpson (Guthrie), Dr. Sean McDaniel (OKCPS), Jerry Olanson (Glenpool).

The final version of the reopening plan was released to the OSSAA Board of Directors at 8:17 a.m. the morning of the meeting, said Van Shea Iven, OSSAA sports information director.

However, an earlier version of the plan was leaked to the media as OSSAA staff had only given it to board members.

Jackson spoke first during the meeting.

“So, what do we want the fall to look like,” he said. “We want our kids and our coaches especially to have some time together as they’ve been shut down for a long time. But probably even more important than that is we want to do everything that we can to keep our kids and our coaches safe so that we can have fall activities.”

Jackson continued, “we don’t want as a staff and I know you don’t want as a board to have to tell any more kids that you can’t have your season. That you can’t have your state tournament.”

Jackson said he hopes the OSSAA never has to take such steps that again.

“That was kind of our guide as we go through this,” he said. “So, we developed a plan that seems like it’s something we have worked on for the last two weeks and that’s the only thing we’ve worked on. We haven’t done anything else.”

Jackson the OSSAA staff gathered information from different medical experts, government agencies and national sports governing bodies to build their plan.

“We tried to gather as much information to develop a summer plan that again would allow some interaction but at the same time allow us to stay safe,” he said.

Jackson acknowledged the leak of an earlier draft of the plan, which he brushed off.

“It probably ended up being a good thing,” he said.

Jackson then addressed concerns that had reached the OSSAA staff.

“One of the questions or concerns that a lot of people have once they saw that was how OSSAA tells us what to do with our facilities,” Jackson said. “And I wanna be clear, we absolutely have no authority on your facilities. And if we’ve come off that way, it was unintentional. Our authority lies in our regulations applied to the students in grade seven through twelve and what they can do in the facilities and when.”

Jackson emphasized that the OSSAA is not trying to manage what goes on in local school athletic facilities.

“Outside of that scope of students grades seven to twelve, you do what you need to do,” he said. “Just wanted to make that clear cause we’ve heard a lot about that.” Jackson concluded his initial

Jackson concluded his initial remarks by discussing the impact of the coronavirus.

“Even in areas where the virus hasn’t had a big impact, uh I think we as a membership have to come together to make this work to have a fall [season].”

Local response

Friday’s news was a surprise to both Marshall County athletic directors: Bink Stafford of Madill Public Schools and Taylor Wiebener of Kingston Public Schools.

Stafford was among the 500 participants watching the meeting via Zoom.

“It was a total shock to a lot of us what they finally decided,” Stafford said. “And there’s a lot of different views from the OSSAA board, the bigger schools and the small schools. It’s almost like each school; each community has different thoughts and ideas and then needs. Even the smaller schools use the facilities to play Little League and that type of deal. But they’re not supposed to use school facilities right now.”

Stafford said as of June 1, we are to go back to regular OSSAA summer rules. “Now, we will do what’s best for our kids,” he said. “We will sit down and visit the afternoon of May 26 and then meet with the coaches and come up with what is best for our kids.”

Stafford said the meeting will include both MPS administrators and all head coaches

“We’re still going to remember that there is a pandemic,” he said. :But our kids are gonna be able to get in the weight room and start doing some things.”

Stafford said while summer plans have not been finalized, he expects internal activities (those that happen at MPS facilities) to take place.

Wiebener had similar expectations for Kingston’s summer activities.

“We’ll probably start doing in-house stuff at Kingston soon,” Wiebener said. “Not sure about traveling around (for team camps).

However, he expressed caution as plans are still fluid.

Both Madill and Kingston are part of the Lake Country Conference along with Mari etta, Sulphur, Plainview, Lone Grove, Tishomingo, Dickson, Byng and Comanche.

Both Stafford and Wiebener have been communicating with their counterparts in the LCC.

“And we have talked to all the schools around to what they’re gonna do,” Stafford said. “They are saying, we’re gonna do stuff here and not include anybody else type deal.”

Stafford said he spoke to all the other athletic directors within the LCC Friday after the OSSAA vote.

“Everybody was surprised by the vote today,” he said. “And it’s a deal where we’re gonna do what’s best for our kids.”

Stafford said he anticipates having more specifics released soon.

“For parents, I hope they understand that any decision we make, it will be based on the safety of our kids and for the best of our kids,” he said.