As we know the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted all of our lives. The focus in this time is on your own individual health and the health of those closest to you.

The NYSPHSAA staff is working remotely for the time being. We are always available via office phone, cell phone and email to answer questions or help in any way.

Because of Coronavirus outbreak it was necessary to indefinitely postpone four NYSPHSAA Winter Championship events. The Ice Hockey Championships, Bowling Championships, Boys and Girls Basketball Championships.

NYSPHSAA will be providing an update on those postponed events on Monday, March 23.

There have been numerous questions about this situation and how it pertains to current student-athletes and the spring sports season as well.

Please see this press release that NYSPHSAA distributed last week:

The New York State Public High School Athletic Association (NYSPHSAA) will continue to rely upon information from the New York State Department of Health, local health departments as well as the Governor’s office for information and guidance on COVID-19 and its impact upon interscholastic athletics.

 

At this time, NYSPHSAA would like to provide clarification and interpretation on its position pertaining to indefinitely postponing its remaining Winter Championships (Ice Hockey, Bowling, Boys and Girls Basketball). The following information is being provided to answer the many questions and address concerns related to interscholastic athletics in New York State at this time.

 

How does NYSPHSAA define “Indefinitely Postponed”?

Dr. Robert Zayas, NYSPHSAA Executive Director, will continue to evaluate the situation and do his best to determine the future of winter championships as soon as possible with input from the membership and Executive Committee. Dr. Zayas is cautiously optimistic the winter state championships will be conducted for our student-athletes. Winter sport teams may continue to practice at the approval of their school district. If and when winter state championships are able to resume, teams will be provided ample time to practice and prepare.

 

Can winter sport athletes start spring sport practices?

If winter sport athletes want to start spring sport practices this is a local school district and/or Section decision. Keep in mind there are no NYSPHSAA rules preventing a student from participating in two seasons at the same time; some Sections and leagues do have rules addressing this.

 

Can spring sport teams conduct practice?

School districts have full discretion to determine how their spring sports teams will conduct practices. NYSPHSAA strongly encourages school administrators to work closely with their local department of health when making decisions pertaining to sports teams practicing. 

Can spring sport teams have scrimmages and games?

There are no statewide limitations or restrictions on spring sport scrimmages and games at this time; individual Sections and/or school districts may impose restrictions on scrimmages and games as they see fit.

NYPSHSAA was able to conduct six of the Winter Championships in late February and March. Here is a recap of the championships what were held in the 2020.

The Winter 2020 Scholar-Athlete submission window has been extended to Friday, May 1.

To submit your Winter 2020 Scholar-Athlete teams and individuals please click here

If you have questions about the Scholar-Athlete program, please click here

The Spring Scholar-Athlete window will open on Monday, May 11.

March is #NationalNutritionMonth.

New Jersey Council on Physical Fitness and Sports member @feliciastoler explains why #RefuelWithChocolateMilk by the American Dairy Association North East is an ideal beverage for high school athletes.

The Sportsmanship Promotion Survey is designed to assess how schools are promoting positive sportsmanship within their athletic departments. This survey is a tool that can be used by athletic administrators to examine policies and procedures and can be used to promote positive sportsmanship.

All schools that complete the survey will receive a sportsmanship certificate. The sportsmanship committee will then choose schools from each section to receive a sportsmanship plaque. Those applications will then be evaluated to determine a sportsmanship promotion banner winner. Deserving schools will be recognized by the NYSPHSAA and honored at the NYSPHSAA Central Committee Meeting in July.

The sportsmanship promotion survey window will open on Monday, April 13. Use this link to participate.

Just a reminder that the 2020 NYSPHSAA Mental Health Awareness Week will be

May 4-8, 2020

Mental Health Awareness Week was created by the NYSPHSAA Student-Athlete Advisory Committee after discussing numerous issues surrounding the topic they face with peers.

The goal of the initiative is to not only raise awareness, but also to encourage as many coaches, athletic directors, and student-athletes as possible to take the NFHS Student Mental Health and Suicide Prevention course.

Check out the officials page on nysphsaa.org. It has important information for current officials and information on signing up if you are interested in becoming an official.

Click here to visit the officials page

Did you know the NFHS offers free on-line educational courses on a variety of topics?

The latest course is focused on understanding vaping and e-cigarettes. Click here to take the course.

Don't forget to tell us #MyReasonWhy on social media. Tell us why you participate in sports, after school activities, coaching, officiating or other ways athletics has made a difference in your life.

Access to financial aid is a key factor in whether low-income students – including many of New York’s student athletes – have the opportunity to attend college.

Yet across New York, low-income high school students are more likely than their wealthier peers to attend schools with low rates by completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

The New York FAFSA Completion Project aims to raise awareness of the importance of completing the FAFSA and provide easily accessible resources to schools so they can help more students through the process, drawing on national research and best practices already being used in New York schools.

Those resources include an interactive data tool that allows users to track the progress of New York high schools, with new FAFSA completion estimates updated weekly and comparisons to similar schools and top performers

.

The “3 Steps Every High School Can Take” resource at NYFAFSAChallenge.org encourages schools to:

1. Help their seniors make a plan to complete the FAFSA;

2. Hold a FAFSA completion event; and

3. Set targets and track the data.

At the end of the school year, Ed Trust–NY’s FAFSA Completion Challenge will recognize schools with high completion rates and that show improvement. Twelve awards will be granted to schools across the state. Each award will consist of $750 granted to the winning high schools for the purpose of providing a scholarship to one of its students.

Explore the data, read more about FAFSA completion strategies being used at New York schools, and find additional resources at NYFAFSAChallenge.org.