Returning to Play In High School; Who Is and Who Isn't
Returning to Play In High School; Who Is and Who Isn't
What's the status of high school rugby around the country? We're here to give you an answer.
Every state rugby organization has different issues to deal with. Some states have had a rougher time with COVID than others. Some have had more data-drive responses than others.
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As an example, some states (notably Washington) continue to list outdoor rugby as one of the highest-risk sports, while saying that basketball (a "non-contact" sport that is actually high-contact) is lower risk. Yet other states (notably, and somewhat surprisingly, California) have seen that playing outdoors is inherently safer than playing indoors, and as a result put outdoor rugby as not as high a risk as indoor basketball.
So everyone has different rules, different fears and concerns, and different problems.
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Some Straight Talk About COVID Stats
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Below we've taken a closer look at the states that have rugby organizations, and can give you an overview of where they are in terms of playing high school rugby.
In addition, keep in mind that many private schools have a bit more freedom to do what they want. Many are already insured, and other HS clubs are also finding that they can get insurance and just go out and play (note, this-party insurance doesn't cover COVID issues, it just covers other stuff like injuries or a ball hitting a spectator in the face). So while we make generalizations about what's going on in a state, there may be self-insured clubs or school teams that do their own thing irrespective of if a state league is operational.
Rock Rugby in Texas kept practicing through much of the fall. The Eastside Lions in Washington are practicing. A compilation team from Southern California traveled to South Carolina to play earlier this month.
So having said all that, here goes:
Return-To-Play Status in HS Rubgy As Of Feb 22, 2021 |
|
State | Notes on Status |
Arizona | Playing now |
Arkansas | One team, which has a schedule set (but could use more games) |
Colorado | Plans to start in March |
Colorado Varsity League (CIRA) | Girls first then boys. Timeline finalizing |
Connecticut | More information coming |
DC | More information coming |
Florida | Playing now |
Georgia | Expected to play soon, with some teams reduced to 10s or 7s. |
Idaho | Slated to start in late March |
Illinois | Contact practices have started. Need more good news from the state. |
Indiana | Ready to go. Games coming in March, probably |
Iowa | Starting early April for Girls and Boys |
Kansas | Will play, kicking off in March |
Louisiana | Playing now |
Maryland | Working to make it happen |
Massachusetts | No specifics yet for MYR or MIAA, but should know soon. |
Michigan | Meeting in March to decide. Possibly just touch or flag rugby |
Minnesota | Coming back April or early May. Girls maybe a bit later |
Missouri | Schedule set starting mid-March |
Montana | More information coming |
Nebraska | More information coming |
New Jersey | Working to make it happen |
New Mexico | More information coming |
New York | Piecemeal with various regions able to play. WNY looking good. Capitol and West Chester likely. NYC more to do. |
NorCal | Meeting Feb 23 to discuss but things are hopeful |
North Carolina | There has been some rugby, but a league season still is questionable |
Ohio | Schedule set |
Oklahoma | April |
Oregon | Possible. They are waiting on some state information but sounding more optimistic |
Pennsylvania | Back to contact - League play to start April 11 |
SCIRF | April |
SoCal | Planned for April |
South Carolina | |
Tennessee | Will be back, schedule unsure |
Texas | Playing now |
Utah | |
Washington | State coming out of things very slowly. Right now not looking good |
Hawaii | |
Kentucky | Small amount of teams. Should be OK |
Rhode Island | More information coming |
Vermont | More information coming |
Nevada | More information coming |
New Hampshire | More information coming |
Delaware | Small number of teams, most private schools. They should find a way. |
Wisconsin | Delayed until May, but they're playing. |