LYNN — During a virtual meeting Thursday evening, the Lynn School Committee athletic subcommittee expressed favor for following along with the Greater Boston League in postponing all sports until March 1. The decision would allow an opportunity for sports from all seasons — fall, winter and spring — to hold 6-week seasons.
Principals and athletic directors from the six schools in the GBL, in addition to incoming members Classical and English, voted unanimously Wednesday to postpone all interscholastic competitions other than girls hockey and gymnastics.
“The exciting piece of this is that it offers an opportunity for our athletes in the Lynn public schools, regardless of what sport you play, to have an opportunity to engage,” said Lynn Superintendent Dr. Patrick Tutwiler. “There’s still some questions about some sports, wrestling in particular, but the vast majority of sports are captured in this proposal. I hope this can bring some optimism for our student-athletes and our schools who love following the sports scene in the city.”
Since Lynn public schools were unable to compete this past fall, as well as this winter, English and Classical were already making plans to play their fall and winter sports against GBL teams. The schools were originally slated to join the league for the spring season.
The first two sports that will be allowed to start in the GBL will be gymnastics and girls hockey, which can begin playing on Jan. 11. From Feb. 1 to Feb. 26, boys hockey, boys and girls basketball, and swimming programs can begin preseason activities and practices under the oversight of individual athletic directors. Those sports can then schedule league games from March 1 to April 10.
During the same period of March 1 to April 10, GBL schools will offer preseason activities for the “Fall Sports II” season. The league plans to play boys and girls soccer, girls volleyball, golf, cross-country, field hockey, and football during the “Fall Sports II” period from April 12 to May 15. The GBL, as well as the Lynn schools, postponed many of those sports last fall.
Spring sports (tennis, boys and girls lacrosse, outdoor track, boys volleyball, baseball, softball, and crew) will hold their preseason during the “Fall Sports II” period and can then schedule competitions from May 17 to July 3 — the final date allowed for the spring season under the adjusted MIAA calendar.
“I know there are a lot of student-athletes and a lot of coaches who are in suspense right now,” said School Committee member Brian Castellanos. “This is their life. They’re going to remember this for the rest of their lives, and I’m very grateful that the Board of Health and the city are revisiting this, as we’ve already discussed the importance of athletics.”
“I’d like to thank Dr. Tutwiler and the Board of Health for working with us on this to try and find a way to do this safely,” said School Committee member Jared Nicholson. “The goal has always been to find a way to allow students this opportunity safely, and I’m excited that this appears to be a chance to do that.”
“I’m thrilled that our students may have a chance to get back out on the fields and play sports,” said School Committee member Lorraine Gately.
Also in the meeting, Lynn Mayor Thomas McGee — who is the chairman of the School Committee — provided sobering statistics about the continued prevalence of COVID-19 in the city and talked about how tough decisions are continuing to be made.
“I just want to make clear that these are really challenging times with really tough decisions we’re making,” said McGee. “Understanding the impact for the student-athletes is clear for everyone on this committee. But I think it’s important to highlight that since January 1, there’s been 933 new cases in Lynn. We’ve had over 100 cases in the Lynn public school department in a number of different places, although none of them are related to being in the buildings. We are really being dramatically impacted by this virus.”
Lynn athletic directors are currently finalizing a safety proposal for a March 1 start to present to Tutwiler and the Lynn Board of Health on Friday.