NAIA Members,
I hope you are having a relaxing summer so far. The national office has been returning to normal business after the intensity of the last few months. While we are still pleased and relieved with the success of the 2020-21 championships, it is never too soon to start thinking about 2021-22.
The logical question is: what will championships look like next year? COVID-19 is still a reality, though we are in a much better position than a year ago. Based on the data available at this time, we anticipate championship activities returning to normal in 2021-22. This would include the elimination of COVID testing protocols.
However, like all COVID-related issues, it is impossible to predict too far in advance. We are still five months away from our first scheduled championship and it would be risky to make a definitive determination at this time. In July, we will begin evaluating factors to determine if COVID-19 testing will be required at 2021-22 championships and plan to make the decision by August.
We have also received some inquiries about whether teams will need to continue using the COVID screening app. At this time, we do not plan to use the screening app in 2021-22. Post-championships, all 2020-21 teams should now be designated in the app as “inactive” and therefore not require additional screening efforts.
While summer may provide some well-deserved downtime, we know we cannot become complacent in how we will handle COVID-related issues going forward. We still have our Medical Advisory Panel in place and plan to use the group as a resource, if necessary.
Our hope for 2021-22 is the same as yours – allow regular season and championship play to return to normal without compromising the health and safety of our student-athletes. We will continue to work towards that reality and share important decisions as they are made.
All the best,
Jim Carr
NAIA President & CEO
