SALEM – The possibility of an upcoming basketball and wrestling season just took another large step backward as Oregon Governor Brown issued an executive order barring any indoor sports and severely curtailing outdoor conditioning.
The order, released Wednesday, November 18, will likely influence an upcoming Executive Board decision of the Oregon School Activities Association slated to meet December 7. Currently, December 28 was the date set for high school sports to again start up.
According to the order, schools participating in Comprehensive Distance Learning (the majority of eastern Oregon schools) may only allow sports teams to participate in:
- Training, conditioning and competition for outdoor non-contact and minimal/medium contact sports.
- Training and conditioning for outdoor full-contact sports.
Full contact sports (football, wrestling, cheerleading, basketball, dance, men’s lacrosse) are prohibited under the rule.
Minimal and medium contact sports include softball, baseball, soccer, volleyball, women’s lacrosse and flag football.
Non-contact sports include tennis, swimming, golf, skiing, cross country, track and field, and sideline cheering.
For all sports, face covering must be worn by players, coaches and spectators.
The new rule effectively ends those teams just getting into the gymnasium for basketball workouts. Outdoor conditioning is limited to 50 people with physical distancing of at least six feet. The governor’s directive also placed guidelines on hygiene, player celebrations, travel both in and out of the state, and encouraged use of personal equipment.
