Telegraph photo by TOM KING Soccer, which includes one-on-one battles like this one last fall between Milford's Syd Thibault (24) and Hollis Brookline's Abbie Ogren is considered a "moderate risk" sport according to NFHS guidelines with regard to the pandemic.

The work toward bringing back high school sports for the fall in New Hampshire is beginning.

The New Hampshire Interscholastic Athletic Association’s Sports Medicine Committee is currently meeting every week, according to NHIAA Executive Director Jeff Collins, and Collins late this week plans to send out summer guidelines to athletic directors.

Also, the National Federation of High School Sports has recently created a set of guidelines for what a fall sports season may look like in phases. The NHIAA is taking a hard look at those, he said.

“It certainly gives us hope, doesn’t it?,” Collins said on Thursday. “The opening up of things across the state, the close eye on what the needle is doing with regard to infections and recovery. It certainly gives you hope that we can get back to school as much as normal as possible and begin to get out there and enjoy. … the sports that so many of our student athletes enjoy.”

Collins said the NHIAA is working on its own set of guidelines that could hopefully make school officials “comfortable with the idea that sports can begin in the fall in some meaningful way.

“The state is taking that step right now (with youth sports), I know kids are meeting right now throwing the ball around and taking BP (batting practice).”

And right now, there are no hard and fast deadlines because of all the variables.

“If we need to push back the first day to practice (for fall), why wouldn’t you do that for an opportunity to get in the season?” Collins said. “These are all things the (NHIAA) Council will be engaged in as we did at the end of the winter and beginning of the spring. … We need people to meet and make decisions because of a quick turnaround here.”

The Federation guidelines, Collins said, are a good starting point.

“You have to look at it, don’t you?” he said. “It’s a great first step. All the other states are doing exactly what we’re doing. … But things change on a daily basis. …

“(The NFHS guidelines) are definitely straightforward. And to be honest with you they’re forming the basis of our discussions with our Sports Medicine Committee and guidelines for us to get going back with sports.”

The NFHS guidelines spell out, similar to the guidelines put out by the state for youth summer sports, a phased approach with gradual progression. They were put together by an NFHS advisory committee composed of everything from medical personnel and trainers to coaches to administrators.

“I thought there were some really good pieces to it,” Collins said, “getting kids back with small group activities to kind of limit community spread.

“The two things we’re mainly looking at are the NFHS Guidelines and NH Stay at Home 2.0 for youth sports and a melding of the two. Phase 1, 2, 3, we’re going to take a similar approach.”

The NFHS Phase 1 includes workouts of just 5 to 10, no sharing of practice balls or contact, social distancing, no use of locker rooms, etc.

Phase 2 includes workouts of up to 50 people outside but in “pods” of 5 to 10; indoor workouts would be up to 10 people total.

Phase 3 ups the number to 50 indoors and outdoors. Both phases 2 and 3 seem to allow for athletic contests.

Of course with all phases, there are rules for social distancing, wearing of masks (mainly on sidelines), pre-practice/game screenings, etc.

The other key piece of the document breaks up sports into COVID-19 risk factors, focusing on the likelihood of the spread of particles in the air.

High Risk – Wrestling, football, boys lacrosse, competitive cheer, dance.

Moderate Risk – Basketball, volleyball*, baseball*, softball*,soccer, water polo, gymnastics* (if equipment can’t be sufficiently cleaned between competitors), ice hockey,field hockey, tennis*, swimming relays, pole vault*, high jump*, long jump*, girls lacrosse, crew with two or more rowers in shell, 7-on-7 football.

*Could be considered low risk with proper cleaning of equipment.

Low Risk – Individual running events, throwing events (javelin, shot put, discus), individual swimming, golf, weightlifting, alpine skiing, sideline cheer, single sculling, cross country running (with staggered starts).

Some states, Collins said, are forming their own list and that the NHFS made it clear that would happen. He said he generally agrees with the list.

Would Collins entertain a scenario in the fall that some sports may play and others won’t?

“Those are the things that we have to see as time goes on,” Collins said. “Are their some sports that are safer to play than others? That’s what the guidelines say. Realistically you have to consider everything moving forward.”

Collins said he expects the State Department of Education to issue guidelines for schools potentially reopening in the fall around July 1.

He sees some districts not re-opening or some partially re-opening. Does he think the NHIAA would consider still having a season if some districts stayed with remote learning?

“Sure, these are discussions we have to have with all of our constituents,” he said, also referring to decades ago when Nashua and some other communities had split-sessions. “There’s a way to make it work.”

Collins said the NHIAA is looking at the NFHS Guidelines, the state’s Stay At Home 2.0, what the NCAA is doing, and the medical experts on the NHIAA’s own committee. The NHIAA, he said, has added to that Sports Medicine Committee an infectious disease specialist from the University of New Hampshire and someone from the State Department of Health.

Also, Collins said, the NHIAA has to consider the shape student athletes will be in if fall activities begin, to prevent injury.

“I think we can say,” Collins said, “that business as usual is gone.”

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