The fate of fall high school sports in the state of Kentucky could well be decided over the next 24 hours. The Kentucky High School Athletic Association Board of Control is set to meet Tuesday morning at 9:00am central in a special called session.
The question now going into that meeting is what will the impact be of new actions being announced Monday afternoon by Governor Andy Beshear. Over the weekend, the Governor announced that he would be implementing new steps in the state’s battle against COVID-19 as cases continue to spike upward across the state.
KHSAA Commissioner Julian Tackett has for weeks stated that the KHSAA would like to see fall sports if at all possible, and that they were moving in that direction. However, Tackett has also indicated that the KHSAA would remain in close step with actions taken or suggested by the Governor.
The high school golf season is set to begin later this week. Golf was the only sport given the green light previously by the KHSAA. All other sports remain under the previously enacted guidelines through Sunday, meaning official practices cannot begin until at least August 3rd. Which effectively means, at best, that the seasons for football, soccer, and volleyball will be delayed. Soccer had been set to start August 10, with volleyball and football starting the week of August 17.
The KHSAA Board of Control had been scheduled to announce the next steps moving forward during Tuesday morning’s meeting. How the Governor’s announcement Monday afternoon will affect any decisions by the KHSAA is still yet to be seen.
Winter sport coaches will likely be watching these decisions closely, as their sports will be next up on the list of “will they or won’t they happen.”
