In light of the HHSAA news that 2020-21 sports seasons may be shortened due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, longtime football coach Ron Lee believes that moving football to the winter or spring, and bringing lower-contact, naturally social-distanced sports to the fall might be a solution.
The HHSAA meeting on Monday via Zoom had one conclusion: there is a probability that budgets will be cut, preseason games will be eschewed and league schedules will be shorter. Nick Abramo wrote about the HHSAA’s meeting after interviewing HHSAA official Natalie Iwamoto earlier on Monday. The final decision on scheduling and start dates lies with the HHSAA board, comprised of league presidents and principals.
"Nothing is too left field right now," longtime ‘Iolani football coach and co-athletic director Wendell Look said. "All ideas are being explored. I don't think anything is not possible. At the administrative level, every option and every plan, every idea is being explored. The No. 1 thing is the safety of everybody. The kids, coaches, staff, support staff, the fans."
Coach Lee worked for decades at the Outrigger Waikiki Beach Resort. The strain on Hawaii's economy worries him. He believes tourism needs a jolt sooner rather than later.
"Look at all the people in the lines waiting for food," he said.
He began coaching in 1969 with Kalani, guided Kaiser to the Oahu Prep Bowl title in '79, and is now the head coach at Saint Louis. Lee believes that football should already be pushed back to December, perhaps January. He also believes that sports with less contact and risk, such as golf, tennis and/or air riflery, could be part of a “Phase 1” whenever school re-opens and athletics resume — ideally, in the fall.
Having higher-revenue sports like football and girls volleyball in winter or spring could have better odds later.
“If we go (with football) in December, we have six months for something good to happen,” Lee said. “Maybe we’ll have a vaccine. You’ll buy yourself six months before you start (football). If you get there and you cannot (play), then you cannot. But two months between June and August to get ready, I don’t think so.”
Ron Lee, Saint Louis
“I’m concerned also about the crowd,” Lee said. “I’m OK with football moving to the spring. It would give the spring sports time to get ready (for winter play).”
“Phase 2” would involve other sports with lesser contact in the winter season. Maybe girls and boys volleyball. Maybe baseball, softball or track and field. Maybe football.
Longtime Kamehameha girls volleyball coach Chris Blake would support that concept.
“It’s an interesting solution. It would be an interesting cascade effect as many of the football players are key components of other sports, as well,” Blake said. “The resourcing of it would be challenging. I am for the greater good, even though it might be fair and not equal.”
Lahainaluna football co-head coach Dean Rickard said shuffling seasons for sports, as Lee proposes, has been part of a discussion among coaches in the MIL.
"That would be great. We would be for it. We definitely don't have a problem playing in the winter or spring," Rickard said. "It would give the HHSAA the opportunity to wait it out. There's the traditional order of the sports, and there was talk in the grapevine of just resume the sports that were lost (in spring). If football was in the spring, then when would they start the following football season? There's going to be uncertainty and they've got to be careful. We have a lot of great minds among our administrators. We all have to really look at it, put our heads together and look at the best way to approach it with health and safety first."
In Lee’s reorganized format, sports with full contact and higher risk like football, wrestling, basketball and soccer could be “Phase 3” and begin in February. Generating revenue through the biggest money-maker, football, does not take priority over safety, he added. It is, however, a huge piece of the economic puzzle in high school athletics. Being able to draw an audience — wearing masks, socially distanced — could be a real possibility by then.
“Starting in February, that would be cutting it close,” Lee said, with an eye toward the following fall season. "But they have to have a contingency plan."
Flip-flopping sports seasons has never been done before in the modern era of Hawaii prep sports. When the HHSAA meets next Monday to settle on workable timelines and starting dates for all sports, Lee hopes there is flexibility.
“I don’t know if we’re going to have football in August or July. I’m thinking there might not be a season. It’s almost the middle of May, we don’t even know if we’re going to have school yet (on campus). They’ve got to make a commitment already,” he said.
Campbell football coach Darren Johnson is taking a wait-and-see approach.
“We’re just happy they’re going to have a season. We just have to hope for the best,” he said. “Our athletic side hopes there’s a season and our human side says we hope everybody’s healthy. I don’t go against the better judgment of the top officials. They’re supposed to know what’s best for everybody. We just hope our timeline is good and that we have a season. We’ll be happy with that.”
Blake, like Lee, wonders about the economic impact on families that send children to private schools.
“Do they want to send their kids to colleges and private schools while paying for a computer learning class? We’re talking about some kind of hybrid distance learning, some partial distance learning for the first semester,” said Blake, who has been a math teacher since 1999. “Public schools, they’re doing remediation. Enrichment, which means it’s not new stuff. A lot of our challenges for public schools include internet access and devices. How do you create equity for your environment.”
The most challenging time in state education history? Maybe.
“I’m optimistic and hopeful that we’ll be able to support these student-athletes and programs,” Blake said. “I do think it’s an important piece of schooling, an extension of what goes on in our classrooms. I hope it doesn’t fall to the wayside, but I understand why if it does.
“I can’t wait,” Blake added, “to get back in the gym.”
Rickard is getting antsy. Spring football was, along with all spring season sports, wiped out by the pandemic.
"We're holding our breath," he said, "waiting to see what happens."
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