Long Island officials frustrated over lack of guidance on bringing back youth sports
LONG ISLAND - Officials on Long Island are calling for clarification and guidance when it comes to high-risk youth sports. As it stands, players can only partake in no to low- contact group training and games haven’t been given the green light. Because of this and the uncertainty of what the future holds, many youth football leagues have already canceled their seasons but the Massapequa Mustangs are holding onto hope.
“Starting August 1, that’s when we start our regular pre-season so we can be ready for games in the beginning to middle of September,” said Massapequa Mustangs president, Greg Dietrich. “They have the necessary safeguards in place including thermometers and splash guards for added protection.”
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NJ lays out high school sports plan
The agency that oversees high school sports in New Jersey has decided that indoor fall sports will be delayed until early next year, but outdoor sports will start their seasons in about a month.
Parent Tara Tarasi is hoping her son Tristan can play.
“It’s good for their mental and physical wellbeing,” Tarasi said. [It] teaches them social and emotional skills that they carry throughout their life.”
But a spokesperson for Governor Andrew Cuomo’s office says the public health measures that the state has taken “were intended to - and - did curb the rise of COVID-19 infections across the state. We will continue to monitor the data to make an informed decision regarding certain higher-risk youth sports.”
Governor Cuomo is also expected to make an announcement this week about the fate of high school fall sports.