Dylan Savela, dsavela pioneergroup com

Published

5:33 pm EDT, Friday, September 4, 2020

Emotions ran the gamut Thursday when Manistee volleyball coach Kevin Schmutzler announced to his players that they will finally have access to their gym for both practices and home games.

“There were cheers and tears,” said Schmutzler, who was also elated to hear the news. “The girls cried, they were so excited to get back in the gym; a lot of emotions, because we’re really happy for some normalcy.”

The Chippewas have been practicing on a makeshift grass court since Aug. 12, battling wind and foreign terrain to a volleyball team, as the Michigan High School Athletic Association and Governor’s Office navigated a path forward for fall sports.

Patience was tested across the state during the process, and the payoff for those anxious to compete came with Governor Gretchen Whitmer’s announcement Thursday that she is lifting restrictions that had previously kept volleyball, boys soccer and girls swimming/diving teams in a holding pattern.

While she recommends against it, Whitmer’s Executive Order 176 also gave the MHSAA clearance to reinstate football for the fall, after previously being postponed to the spring of 2021.

“As frustrating as it’s been, we’re so excited to get (the) news,” said Schmutzler, who is also Manistee’s athletic director. “We can get back to a little bit of normalcy. Things will be really busy the next few days, figuring out some schedules, but this is great news for the kids.

“I think the MHSAA has done a wonderful job with its protocols, keeping the kids safe throughout the fall, and at the same time letting them get back to sports.”

Effective Wednesday, Whitmer’s latest order allows for the reopening of gyms, fitness centers and indoor pools in regions of the state that had been restricted in these areas. Sports-wise, the measure opens the door, so to speak, for an immediate start of competition for volleyball, boys soccer and girls swimming/diving for schools located in Regions 1-5 and 7, which had been in limbo and unable to host events.

Statewide football and competition in those regions for volleyball, soccer and swimming/diving had been restricted as part of Executive Order 160, which required gyms and pools to remain closed and forced social distancing in competition to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in areas under Phase 4. Schools in Regions 6 and 8 have already been cleared to play volleyball, soccer and swim because those regions have been under fewer restrictions while in Phase 5 of the reopening process.

While Manistee County — home to Manistee High School — is located in Region 6, the Manistee Area Public School’s district lines dip in to Mason County (Region 2), rendering the Chippewas unable to host events in volleyball, boys soccer and girls swimming/diving sports under the previous guidelines. Because of that tie to the south, Manistee had been grouped with schools in all other Regions (1-5, and 7) that were allowed to practice outdoors only, but not host competition. They had been, however, allowed travel to areas in open regions to compete.

“Outside of football, I think the most affected has been volleyball,” Schmutzler said. “It’s going to feel so much better to be inside a gym in a few days.”

Scheduling was also a challenge for those sports under the previous circumstance, as Manistee was not only prohibited from hosting events but limited to where they could travel and compete. Membership in the Lakes 8 Conference in volleyball and soccer, and the Coastal Swim Conference in girls swimming/diving, involves a lot of southbound travel for the Chippewas every year. That, of course, was not permissible prior to Thursday’s announcement, considering many of the scheduled road games were located in regions under Phase 4.

Manistee’s varsity soccer team has already played a handful of games to the north, but began to question how the rest of the schedule was going to shake out while in limbo. Thursday’s clarity was obviously welcome news.

“We found out (Thursday) that they are opening the doors for us and letting us play,” said Manistee varsity soccer coach Brandon Prince. “With us being in the region we are in, we weren’t sure what tomorrow brought for us schedule wise. Knowing this now, it’s good to build off and move forward.

“What we have said since Aug. 12 is: Take one day at a time,” he added. “If we wake up tomorrow and they take (the season away), then it’s over, but regardless, we are going to play every day and be blessed to play.

“Today gave us a a sigh of relief. Now they are giving a season to us, and we are going to do the most we can with it.”