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Education, Politics, Virginia

VHSL: Governor’s new recommendations force masks on athletes in competition

Chris Graham

VHSLThe wisdom of the VHSL: athletes have to wear masks during training and competitions, and if they can’t, don’t participate.

This would seem to put the kibosh, for the foreseeable future, to basketball.

Cheerleading, gymnastics, wrestling, and swimming/diving are being exempted from the regulations, updated in conjunction with Gov. Ralph Northam’s updated recommendations issued today.

The governor said the recommendations would be in force, to the degree that recommendations can be in force, through at least Jan. 31.

Check that: the way the VHSL is treating the recommendations, they’re more than recommendations.

“With the support of the governor’s office and our VHSL Sports Medicine Advisory Committee, the VHSL is requiring each school to follow the recommendations of the Virginia Department of Health and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP),” VHSL Executive Director Billy Haun said.

It’s hard to imagine anybody with sense pushing forward with a cardiovascular-taxing sport like basketball assuming that the athletes would be wearing masks.

They should have just said that.

Story by Chris Graham

Chris Graham

Chris Graham

Chris Graham, the king of "fringe media," a zero-time Virginia Sportswriter of the Year, and a member of zero Halls of Fame, is the founder and editor of Augusta Free Press. A 1994 alum of the University of Virginia, Chris is the author and co-author of seven books, including Poverty of Imagination, a memoir published in 2019. For his commentaries on news, sports and politics, go to his YouTube page, or subscribe to his Street Knowledge podcast. Email Chris at [email protected].