STEVENS POINT, WI (WSAU) — The University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point has announced policies for the upcoming athletics season as fans and full schedules return for the first time in more than a year.
“We are now just shy of two years in between home football contests,” said Duckworth. “We haven’t had indoor fans since March of 2019. We were 333 days in between home games at one point.”
With a return to non-conference and full WIAC play also comes some fan guidance as the Delta variant of COVID-19 continues to spread. Duckworth says all fans will be required to mask up at indoor events, while masks will be recommended for unvaccinated fans at outdoor events. The decision comes after weeks of discussions with medical professionals, local health officials, and both the NCAA and WIAC.
“We’ve worked with the Sports Science Institute, which is the medical arm of the NCAA. Our exclusive healthcare provider, Marshfield Clinic- they have been phenomenal with us. Portage County Public Health, obviously UWSP Health Services, we’ve had a lot of people involved with this,” said Duckworth.
Duckworth says it’s important to remember that guidance could change one way or another as vaccination and infection rates fluctuate in the state and region. For those following the team to away games, it’s important to plan because policies could be different at other schools.
“The biggest thing right now is to just be versatile. Things are going to evolve, and it’s different in different counties. So if you are traveling places with our teams you may want to look before you go especially for our outdoor sports.”
All fall 2021 UWSP athletics events will allow full capacity seating and fans are encouraged to social distance whenever possible. Fans are also encouraged to stay up-to-date on schedule information by keeping an eye on the UWSP athletics website, which will also have updates regarding game-day masking policies should those change.
Both the Pointer volleyball and football teams will open the season with multiple road games. Volleyball’s home opener is set for September 10th, football opens the home slate with the annual Pink Game on the 18th against UW-Stout. That game will be one of two meetings between the Pointers and Blue Devils for the season, and will not count in the conference standings.
Duckworth adds that the department is tracking vaccine rates for all student-athletes. Those who haven’t been vaccinated against COVID-19 are being tested multiple times per week, while those who are vaccinated can skip the testing.
As of Monday, about 72% of the UWSP student-athletes were vaccinated against COVID-19. The Pointer Women’s Soccer team was the only one that had reached the 100% vaccinated mark. “We anticipate that number will continue to grow as our winter sports get off the ground,” he added.
Also on Monday UWSP announced that in-person theater and dance performances would return for the new fall and spring semesters. The university has scheduled eight different performances beginning in late September and running through early May.
Comments