HARLEM VALLEY — The question as to why participation in many of the region’s high school football programs has dropped so dramatically in recent years has been raised by parents during the coronavirus pandemic — and even beforehand — causing a number of local athletic directors (AD) to respond.
Last week, Millbrook Central School District AD Al Hammell went on the record in a front page article about why he believes the number of high school athletes playing football has been so low for the past few years. (To read Hammell’s interview, and how he had to send two of his players to join the Dover High School team in order for them to play football this year, go to www.tricornernews.com.)
This week, we pick up with interviews with the ADs from both the Webutuck and Pine Plains Central School Districts.
Other ADs chime in
Pine Plains Central School Athletic Director Robert Scott merged his football team with the team from Rhinebeck High School in northern Dutchess County about five years ago.
Rhinebeck had never had a football team previously, so it was a win-win for both districts. The merged football team started with 11 players, but then went down to an eight-man team, with Pine Plains hosting.
Scott said while football is still popular, baseball and softball have always seemed to be the most popular sports for the Bombers. Field hockey is also really big in the fall and in the spring, Pine Plains goes to Rhinebeck to play lacrosse with that school.
“It’s not always perfect, but the parents have been great,” he said. “I think from what we’ve done with Rhinebeck, we have happy kids who are getting the support to play the sports that they love.”
Webutuck High School in Amenia has shared a similar fate as the other two school districts, with declining student enrollment and more interest in sports other than football, such as basketball, soccer and volleyball.
Webutuck Athletic Director Joe Lasaponara was in touch with Hammell before the COVID pandemic, when they talked about merging their football teams. At that time, six of the Webutuck players were interested. Then the pandemic hit, so that merger never occurred.
“Interest in a particular sport starts early, especially if a child finds something he or she excels in,” said Lasaponara. “Football generally starts in middle school, and by then many students have found another sport they love. In some instances, you can’t play [more than one] sport because of scheduling, so they stick with what they already love.”
With the COVID virus experiencing a resurgence, the athletic directors said the upcoming school year will be a tough one in terms of athletics. Not only will the student athletes be challenged just to stay healthy, they may face mask and vaccine mandates, they’ll have to deal with keeping 3 to 6 feet of distance from one another — even when competing and many high-risk sports could be canceled. Then there are the logistical challenges of transporting athletes safely on buses for their games. Plus, there are question if fans will be allowed to attend games during the sports seasons that will be held.
A statement on Tuesday, Aug. 10, from New York State Public High School Athletic Association Executive Director Robert Zayas announced that “there will be no COVID restrictions that will have an impact on interscholastic athletics for the upcoming school year.” That could change.
He added the state championships scheduled for the 2021-22 school year and fall sports would begin on Aug. 23.
However, New York’s education regulators are recommending that some schools cancel high-risk sporting events in areas where there is high transmission of COVID-19, unless participants are vaccinated. For the past few weeks, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has deemed Dutchess County as an area of “high transmission” of the coronavirus.
The New York Department of Health considers football, volleyball and competitive cheerleading to be “higher risk.”
‘Square Quilting painting' by ransomeAlexander Wilburn
