The Virginia High School League (VHSL) has announced their plan for the upcoming school year. Thanks to COVID-19, the sports year will be pretty wonky.

This year, instead of fall sports starting at the beginning of the school year, they will start in mid-February and conclude in May. However, winter sports begin at around the same time as normal, spanning from Dec 14 to Feb 20. Of course, this means that, strangely, winter sports will begin before fall sports.

“Yellow Days,” practices that focus on solely conditioning, have started up as well. Sports such as wrestling, volleyball, and cheerleading all have their first “Yellow Days” this week. While these practices in no way serve as replacements for their more normal counterparts, they at least help athletes get back in fighting shape.

The schedule has been set for the upcoming year, but that does not mean it could not be subject to change. If the effects of COVID-19 lessen, sports may start sooner.

A problem that multi-sport athletes may notice is that the seasons seem to overlap. However, that should not be a problem, as the seasons that extend into the beginning of the next occur when teams reach deep into the playoffs. Even if that happens, athletes are still permitted to tryout for the next season’s team.

Thankfully, fall athletes do not have to face the same amount of pain as last spring’s athletes. The general consensus seems to be that as long as they can play at all, fall athletes are happy.

“I was super paranoid for the last few months at the thought of my season being taken away. I’ve waited for three years for this season,” senior football player Mason Munoz said. “Now, I’m really glad that my team can play, and build off of our season last year.

As usual, in order for athletes to play, several forms are required to be turned in. The complete list can be found below.

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