Rugby Michigan President Andy Dauser isn’t holding much hope for a fruitful spring of rugby. The girls’ high school season was canceled in the fall, and then an extension on winter sports’ start dates has built more pessimism that rugby will occur in a meaningful fashion before the end of the school year.
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“As of now in Michigan, winter contact sports are not allowed until at least Feb. 21, 2021,” Dauser nodded toward basketball, wrestling, competitive cheer, as well as hockey. “These winter sports are not allowed contact practices, and competition has yet to begin. We are the only state that currently is not playing basketball in the country. Things are not looking good for winter sports, and I doubt spring sports will be looking any better.”
Rugby Michigan held its AGM on Jan. 23 and discussed options for the spring, but like much of the country, “it is all up in the air,” Dauser wrote. “We won’t be able to get anything going until mid-April.”
There are forces at work, however. Let Them Play Michigan, Inc., formed in August 2020 and has gained more prominence in light of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s latest direction over contact sports. The nonprofit has secured legal counsel and petitioned the new Director of Michigan Dept. of Health & Human Services, Elizabeth Hertel, to issue a new Emergency Health Order based on data that student-athletes aren’t at risk. Read the letter and the organization’s argument for reinstating all high school sports in Michigan.
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Dauser is also the head coach for the Sparta-Rock girls’ high school club team, and the team is hoping to compete in the Midwest championship, which has also adjusted its format to account for Covid-19. In the fall, Dauser took an unofficial team to touch 7s tournament in Indiana, and is hoping for some options across state lines again.
“I know teams from Michigan and Illinois have already reached out to Indiana to try to get some games scheduled for the spring,” Dauser closed. “We are clearly having the toughest time in the country to get our HS Sports up and running due to our governor’s restrictions.”
Let Them Play is holding its third rally on Jan. 25 at the state capitol in Lansing, and Sparta-Rock will have a couple of players and parents representing. For more Covid-19 updates and season closures, follow #Covid2021.