WEBVTT

1
00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:08.341
>> HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETES ACROSS
THE STATE OF INDIANA ARE GEARING
UP FOR A FALL SPORTS SEASON THAT
WILL LOOK FAR DIFFERENT THAN

2
00:00:08.341 --> 00:00:13.480
IT DID ONE YEAR AGO,
THE PANDEMIC FORCED THE
CANCELATION OF SPRING SPORTS IN
2020, ALTERED PRACTICES FOR FALL

3
00:00:13.480 --> 00:00:23.957
ATHLETES AND LIMITED THE NUMBER
OF FANS ALLOWED TO WATCH GAMES
THINGS HAVE CHANGED THIS YEAR
AND I HSAA COMMISSIONER PAUL

4
00:00:23.957 --> 00:00:30.096
NEIDIG JOINS US WITH
DETAILS ON WHAT TO EXPECT THIS
SEASON.
>> IT'S MY PLEASURE TO JOIN YOU

5
00:00:30.096 --> 00:00:36.369
HERE TODAY.
>> AS YOU LOOK BACK A YEAR AGO,
A LOT OF QUESTION MARKS ABOUT
WHETHER HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS WOULD

6
00:00:36.369 --> 00:00:43.009
BE ABLE TO BE CONDUCTED, BUT
AMAZINGLY AS YOU LOOK AT IT, IT
DID HAPPEN.
AS YOU LOOK AT THAT EXPERIENCE,

7
00:00:43.009 --> 00:00:51.918
ALL THE STATE TOURNAMENTS TOOK
PLACE, WHAT'S YOUR BIG TAKEAWAY
FROM HOW THAT WAS ABLE TO HAPPEN
LAST YEAR HERE IN INDIANA.

8
00:00:51.918 --> 00:00:58.458
>> FOR ME, ONCE AGAIN, IT PUT A
SPOTLIGHT ON THE IMPORTANCE OF
TEAM.
IT WAS NOT ONE INDIVIDUAL THAT

9
00:00:58.458 --> 00:01:05.231
ALLOWED LAST FALL TO HAPPEN AND
US TO TURN THE LIGHT BACK ON SO
TO SPEAK AND ALLOW KIDS AN
OPPORTUNITY TO PARTICIPATE.

10
00:01:05.231 --> 00:01:12.338
IT WAS THE STATE WORKING
TOGETHER, AND FROM GOVERNOR
HOLCOMB'S OFFICE TO THE
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND

11
00:01:12.338 --> 00:01:19.546
DR. BOX'S TEAM AND THE INDIANA
HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETIC
ASSOCIATION, AND THEN YOU THINK
ABOUT WHAT HAD TO HAPPEN AT A

12
00:01:19.546 --> 00:01:24.584
DISTRICT LEVEL WITH THE NUMBER
OF COUNTIES WE HAVE, THE NUMBER
OF DIFFERENT SCHOOLS.
THIS YEAR WE HAVE 407 SCHOOLS,

13
00:01:24.584 --> 00:01:32.125
AND EVERY SCHOOL IS DIFFERENT.
AND WHAT WORKS WITHIN ONE
COMMUNITY MAY NOT WORK IN
ANOTHER, AND SO WE ALLOWED A LOT

14
00:01:32.125 --> 00:01:39.132
OF LEEWAY FOR SCHOOLS TO MAKE
ADJUSTMENTS TO WHAT FIT THEIR
COMMUNITY, AND AGAIN, IF IT'S
JUST THE ABILITY FOR THE TEAM TO

15
00:01:39.132 --> 00:01:43.603
WORK TOGETHER, AND JUST SO
GRATEFUL TO HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY
FOR KIDS TO BE ABLE TO PLAY
AGAIN.

16
00:01:43.603 --> 00:01:52.579
>> AS YOU LOOK NOW HEADING INTO
THE FALL SPORTS SEASON READY TO
KICK OFF LITERALLY HERE IN A
MATTER OF DAYS, I THINK THE

17
00:01:52.579 --> 00:01:57.183
EXPECTATIONS IS FOR THINGS TO BE
BACK TO NORMAL, YET WITH THE
DELTA VARIANT AND WHAT WE'RE
SEEING GOING ON AROUND THE

18
00:01:57.183 --> 00:02:02.755
COUNTRY, HOW ARE YOU LOOKING AT
THIS FALL SPORTS SEASON?
>> AND WE ADOPTED A PHILOSOPHY A
YEAR AGO THAT WE'RE GOING TO

19
00:02:02.755 --> 00:02:08.761
TAKE TWO-WEEK SEGMENTS AND WE'RE
NOT GOING TO TRY TO
LONG-RANGE-PLAN BECAUSE COVID
DIDN'T PERMIT US TO DO SO.

20
00:02:08.761 --> 00:02:15.869
WE STILL FIND OURSELVES IN THAT
SCENARIO, BUT WE'RE HOPING FOR A
RETURN TO NORMAL, OR AS NORMAL
AS IT CAN BE THIS FALL.

21
00:02:15.869 --> 00:02:22.108
WE CERTAINLY KNOW THAT WE HAVE
TO WATCH WHAT'S GOING ON AND THE
POSITIVITY RATE IN THE STATE OF
INDIANA, AND KNOW THAT WE MAY

22
00:02:22.108 --> 00:02:28.915
HAVE TO ADJUST.
BUT WE'RE PLANNING FOR A FULL
SEASON, WE'RE PLANNING FOR A
SEASON THAT LOOKS AS NORMAL AS

23
00:02:28.915 --> 00:02:35.421
IT POSSIBLY CAN, BUT WE'LL MAKE
APPROPRIATE DECISIONS ALONG THE
WAY THAT NEED TO BE MADE TO KEEP
PEOPLE SAFE.

24
00:02:35.421 --> 00:02:41.060
>> TALK ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF
HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETICS TO
COMMUNITIES.
THERE'S A FINANCIAL PIECE TO IT,

25
00:02:41.060 --> 00:02:47.600
BUT JUST IN TERMS OF THAT
COMMUNITY PIECE AND THE
CONNECTING OF PEOPLE IN SCHOOLS
AND COMMUNITIES AROUND THE

26
00:02:47.600 --> 00:02:54.073
STATE.
>> WHAT WE LEARNED IN 2020 WE
HAD TO SHUT THINGS DOWN, HUMAN
BEINGS ARE, AS WE ALL ARE

27
00:02:54.073 --> 00:02:59.746
UNIQUE, BUT THEY LIKE TO BE WITH
EACH OTHER.
AND THE ABILITY TO GO OUT TO A
FRIDAY NIGHT GAME AND TALK TO

28
00:02:59.746 --> 00:03:06.185
YOUR NEIGHBOR THAT YOU HAVEN'T
SEEN OR MAYBE YOUR HIGH SCHOOL
TEAMMATE AND RECONNECT, AT THE
SAME TIME YOU'RE SUPPORTING THE

29
00:03:06.185 --> 00:03:14.827
KIDS THAT HAVE THEIR TURN TO PUT
THE JERSEY ON AND I THINK JUST
TO HAVE PEOPLE AND COMMUNITIES
TO BE ABLE TO GATHER AT FRIDAY

30
00:03:14.827 --> 00:03:25.238
NIGHT FOOTBALL GAMES OR MALT PEE
FALL EVENTS, WHETHER IT BE
SOCCER, VOLLEYBALL OR TENNIS, IT
GIVES PEOPLE THE OPPORTUNITY TO

31
00:03:25.238 --> 00:03:30.410
BE TOGETHER AND THAT'S WHAT
HUMAN BEINGS CRAVE, WE KNOW
THAT.
>> SO BASICALLY FOR OUR FAMILIES

32
00:03:30.410 --> 00:03:37.717
AND FANS, AS WE LOOK AT THIS
FALL SEASON, IT'S BACK TO NORMAL
BUT AGAIN TAKING IT ON A WEEK BY
WEEK BASIS.

33
00:03:37.717 --> 00:03:42.956
>> ABSOLUTELY.
WE'RE GOING TO TAKE OUR TIME,
WE'RE GOING TO MAKE SURE WE MAKE
JUST IN TIME AND APPROPRIATE

34
00:03:42.956 --> 00:03:48.294
DECISIONS TO KEEP PEOPLE SAFE,
BUT WE ALSO NEED PEOPLE TO
CONTINUE TO STAY VIGILANT ABOUT
BEING SAFE AND FOLLOWING THE

35
00:03:48.294 --> 00:03:54.334
PROPER PROTOCOL, SO THESE KIDS
THIS YEAR CAN HAVE THEIR TURN AT
PUTTING THAT UNIFORM ON.
>> A LOT OF PEOPLE AROUND THE

36
00:03:54.334 --> 00:03:55.335
STATE VERY EXCITED TO GET HIGH