Hamden, Connecticut, is a hotbed of sports with popular high school programs and NCAA Division I member Quinnipiac University in town, best known for its top ice hockey program, but COVID-19 has put sports, a large part of Hamden’s economic and social structure, in flux.
Hamden High School is operating its athletic programs under the Connecticut Department of Public Health guidelines, and the school’s athletic director and head football coach Tom Dyer, 41, said the school is heeding the advice of the CDPH and the Quinnnipak Valley Health District, the agency that oversees public health in Hamden, North Haven and other towns in the area.
“We’re going to offer as much as we can for our kids, doing it the safest way possible,” said Dyer, a North Haven resident. “Right now we’re following the guidelines and we’re going to continue to do so.”
Under the COVID-19 guidelines, high school teams can practice only in groups of 10 athletes. The indoor volleyball team must practice outdoors, and the football team can pursue non-contact drills.
“You can’t teach blocking, you can’t teach double-teaming, you can’t run plays because your offensive lineman can’t stand next to each other because they’re not six feet,” Dyer said.
Dyer said there have been no infections among athletes since conditioning started July 6.
Still, on Thursday, Sept. 4, 2020, the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CIAC) announced that football will not be played this fall, after the original plan was to start on Oct. 1.
“In alignment with DPH’s recommendation to consult its sports medicine committee, the CIAC and its medical experts believe that the modification of wearing masks mitigates the risk expressed by DPH and provides a safe indoor environment for the sport of volleyball. As such, with the modification of players wearing masks indoors, the CIAC has aligned volleyball with DPH’s previous support of full team practice and game schedules for soccer, field hockey, cross country, and swimming.”
When competition for other sports starts, parents will be allowed to drive their kids to and from games, which usually is prohibited, and the CIAC said fans shouldn’t be allowed, which could have a negative economic impact on the Hamden community. Dyer said with no Friday night football this year, people won’t be going out to eat after the games, which could hurt local businesses.
Ron Heckert, 54, a Quinnipiac men’s ice hockey season ticket holder, attends every home game and goes on the road to watch away games, too. Heckert and his wife Bonnie eat dinner at Eli’s on Whitney at 4:45 p.m. on game days. The hostess expects them and readies a table in the bar for their pre-game drinks.
Heckert said last week he and his wife traveled from their home in West Haven to Eli’s to help support them, but talking to their favorite waitress, she told them that the business has taken a step back.
If Quinnipiac’s winter sports don’t play or fans aren’t allowed at the People’s United Center if they do play, the Heckert’s and many other Bobcat fans pre and post game rituals may not happen this season.
Quinnipiac men’s and women’s hockey compete in the ECAC, but the season is questionable because six out of the 12 conference teams are from the Ivy League, which has barred competition until Jan. 1, 2021.
According to a league statement issued in July, Ivy League teams including Yale are postponing pay to comply with campus policies. Quinnipiac will decide on who and when to play when final plans are configured, said Nick Sczerbinski, the associate athletic director for athletic communications.
“There aren’t any specifics to the conversations being had on either of those fronts,” regarding plans for winter sports at Quinnipiac. “When final plans and decisions are made, they’ll be shared publicly just like the MAAC decisions have been released in the past months.”
Heckert is pessimistic there were will be Quinnipiac hockey this winter. He said he will watch Quinnipiac games on ESPN+ if fans aren’t allowed in the People’s United Center. He added that he will be first in line if the building opens to fans.
“We’ve bought our [Quinnipiac hockey] season tickets,” Heckert said. [Quinnipiac] offered us an option of not purchasing our season tickets, but we were all in. I’ve ordered my Bobcats masks from the bookstore. We’re ready to roll.”
If Bobcat Nation is looking for solace on if there will be sports this winter, looking at the decision from the CIAC to play high school sports with social distancing guidelines may lead to disappointment.
“Right now there’s a difference on what’s allowed in high school and what’s allowed in college,” Dyer said. “Colleges are traveling between states to play and things like that and high school is very regional-based where you can be on a bus for 15-20 minutes tops.”
However, if there are Quinnipiac sports to be played in the near future, it’s unknown whether COVID-19 guidelines will be similar to the CIAC’s.
“High school is a community-based team and Quinnipiac you got kids from all over the place — New England area and further, and even international students playing their sports, so I think that also has to play into effect into decisions into why [Quinnipac] is making decisions to play or not play,” Dyer said.