By Bruce Karnick

[email protected]

Trent Hanson, Hastings High School Athletic Director, has a job most of us would not envy in the middle of this pandemic. Daily updates about COVID, rule changes, worrying about ill student athletes or coaches, upset parents, everyone having their own fears and he must put together every aspect of high school sports. Schedules, facilities, coaches, transportation and so much goes into his job, it’s a surprise he is not bald yet from pulling out his hair.

Let’s be real, that paragraph above could be ten times larger with everything Mr. Hanson has to be part of for our youth sports and he has handled this situation professionally the entire time. Parents, fans, pretty much everyone that is reading this story, if you see him, please give him a heart felt thank you for his work in this. His leadership has been spectacular, even if we do not agree with the situation, he’s doing the best he can with it and he has been amazing at communicating with all of us.

What do the winter sports guidelines look like as of January 10th? Much like the fall, these things are fluid and could change even by press time. As always, the most recent and full guidelines can be found at www.hastingsathletics.org.

SPECTATORS Spectators will be allowed at most events, limited to two spectators per athlete and there is a robust live streaming schedule being worked on with HCTV. Spectators will be expected to follow MDH guidelines. Masks, hand washing, contact tracing, physical distancing and so on.

The key piece to being a spectator is there will be no opportunity to walk up and buy a ticket to an event. SPECTATORS MUST PREREGISTER. For events where there is an admission fee, season passes are the only option. Season passes will be allowed to be shared between friends and families.

Complete spectator lists are due to the HHS athletic office no later than 8:00AM on Mondays for any events on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays. Complete spectator lists are due no later than 8:00AM on Thursdays for any events on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays.

Once spectator lists are turned in to the athletic office, no further changes are allowed. Please plan ahead! Coaches and athletic office staff will not make changes or edits once lists are turned in, and no changes are allowed at the gate or door. Single game tickets will not be sold. No refunds will be provided if events are canceled.

SPORT SPECIFIC GUIDELINES Alpine Ski – Spectators are allowed at a rate of 25% of venue capacity or 150 total for outdoor alpine races, with the exact number to be determined by the host ski area.

Nordic Ski – Spectators are allowed at a rate 25% of the venue capacity or 150 total for outdoor Nordic races, with the exact number to be determined by the host ski area.

Girls Basketball – 2 spectators allowed per student-athlete at all levels. No admission fee required for 4:00PM 9th/C games. Admission fees are required for B, JV, and Varsity games and/or any games played at 5:30 or 7:00pm. Gyms will be cleared after 4:00pm games. Gyms will not be cleared between 5:30 and 7:00pm games. Spectators may stay for both 5:30 and 7:00 games if they desire.

Boys Basketball – 2 spectators allowed per student-athlete at all levels. No admission fee required for 4:00PM 9th grade games. Admission fees are required for B, JV, and Varsity games and/or any games played at 5:30 or 7:00pm. Gyms will be cleared after 4:00pm games. Gyms will not be cleared between 5:30 and 7:00pm games. Spectators may stay for both 5:30 and 7:00 games if they desire.

Girls Hockey – 2 spectators allowed per student-athlete at both JV and Varsity. Admission fees are required for both JV and Varsity games. Arenas will not be cleared between JV and Varsity games. Spectators may stay for both games if they desire.

Boys Hockey – 2 spectators allowed per student-athlete at both JV and Varsity. Admission fees are required for both JV and Varsity games. Arenas will not be cleared between JV and Varsity games. Spectators may stay for both games if they desire.

Gymnastics – No spectators allowed at Hastings home events. 1 spectator per athlete allowed at Henry Sibley. 2 spectators per athlete allowed at Mahtomedi. No admission fees for any gymnastics events and any sites.

Boys Swim/Dive – 2 spectators per athlete allowed at Simley and Henry Sibley only. No spectators allowed at Hastings home meets or at any other schools. No admission fees for any boys swim/dive events or any sites.

Wresting – 2 spectators per athlete for JV and Varsity allowed at home meets. 1 spectator per athlete for JV and Varsity allowed at away meets. Admission fees are required for both JV and Varsity events. Gyms will not be cleared between matches. Spectators may stay for multiple matches if they desire.

HOW TO PURCHASE A SPECTATOR PASS Spectator passes will be on sale from 7:00AM on Saturday 1/9/21 through 11:00PM on Tuesday, 1/12/21. Purchasing a season pass to have a spot on the spectator list is the only way to gain access to events. This is a one-time purchase with no exceptions. Single game tickets will not be sold. No refunds will be provided if events are canceled. See your sport specific page for price points and options available. In most cases, you can select to purchase home only OR a home/away combo.

Spectator passes must be purchased online with a credit card via the athletics website Affinety platform. This is the same web portal and login that is used for sports registration. No cash or checks are accepted.

If you have any further questions or would like to see the full release, please visit www.hastingsathletics.org