By ALEX SPONSELLER On Wednesday, the Rhode Island Department of Health and the Rhode Island Interscholastic League announced that the high school winter sports season would be cleared for inter-school competition on Friday.

The original schedule was set to begin on Friday, Jan. 15, but was pushed back while the league awaited to receive clearance. Now, schools will be allowed to compete starting Friday, except for boys and girls basketball, which will be waiting until Saturday due to scheduling conflicts with officials.

“Most importantly, we’re excited for our kids and for these athletes for this year to be able to have this opportunity. It has been a long haul for all of us, I want to give a huge credit to our schools because they have to implement all of these safety protocols and they have to do the work to make sure the environment is safe for kids. We’re just trying to do everything we can to support our schools,” said RIIL Executive Director Mike Lunney at a press conference on Wednesday.

Due to the late start, the end of the season will be pushed back until Feb. 28, except for hockey, which is expected to conclude within a week of that date. The league is eyeing postseason tournaments for all sports as well as state championships. Basketball will only be holding divisional championships.

As for fans, schools will not be permitted to allow spectators at games, however, public arenas will be in charge of making that decision in conjunction with the host schools.

“Our principals committee made a policy that said that there are no spectators on on-campus gymnasiums, and for all off-campus ice rinks and arenas, we’re going to leave it up to those facilities and schools to make the call to allow spectators,” said Lunney.

Other items mentioned during the press conference were testing of athletes as well as live streaming of events. Although the state will not be requiring COVID testing, it is urging schools to go through weekly testing throughout the winter. Many schools have already adopted the policy.

The RIIL is also recommending schools to livestream events as much as possible to provide fans with the ability to view and to lessen attendance at games.

As for the third season - which is supposed to include football, volleyball and wrestling - the RIIL is still hoping to begin things in the final week of February, but states that the schedule is still fluid and could change due to the projected overlap. Football and wrestling have still not been cleared to play based on their category as high risk sports.

“We’ve stated all along that our intention is to offer every sport this year, we’ve got some challenges ahead to do that but that’s our intent. What we’re going to be doing now is taking a look at where we are at as a starting point, making this a meaningful season for those kids, then looking forward to the rest of the school year,” said Lunney.

Lunney added: “In a normal year, we give these opportunities to kids because it’s an extension of their educational experience. From a mental health standpoint, kids have been cooped up in their house, they have been through pauses, have been through seasons that have been interrupted, quarantined, that affects kids in many different ways. It’s the connection to school and being involved in those school activities that benefit them in the long run. These opportunities are once in a lifetime.”