Boulder County says no to high school wrestling

Wrestlers in St. Vrain and Boulder Public Valley Schools will likely miss out on the chance to compete during the 2020-21 school year, after Boulder County Public Health declined a request from the Colorado High School Activities Association to approve the sport for Season B, scheduled to begin on Jan. 18.

In a message to wrestling families dated Jan. 5, Niwot High assistant principal and athletics director Joe Brown wrote:

"Over the past several weeks, we have continued to work closely with our state and local health agency partners on athletics safety protocols for Season B, however, due to the very close physical contact between athletes in wrestling practices and competitions, our district's county health agency partners have not approved wrestling for Season B. We know this news may be difficult for our athletes and families, and we will continue to work with CHSAA and our health agency partners to identify potential future opportunities for our Niwot athletes."

Reached for a phone interview, Brown said the county's decision seems firm, but also noted that he and his colleagues have learned to "always be prepared for change" as the pandemic waxes and wanes.

"I hate to give anyone false hope, but one thing we have noticed during Covid times is to expect the unexpected. There were a couple of times that we didn't think we were going to have football, but we had football. So, I don't think it's likely, but it is a possibility. We've experienced a lot of change from one decision to the other."

Indeed, much of that change has come over the past few weeks, which saw CHSAA change the start date for Season B from Jan. 4 to Jan. 25 before finally settling on the 18th a few days later. There were also a number of changes to the wrestling season itself, with intraleague duals and quad meets replacing large invitationals and tournaments. So while the wrestling decision was not a shock to Brown or head wrestling coach Bobby Matthews, it is still tough to swallow.

"Bobby and I talked a lot during the preseason about the likelihood of having a season or not, and what we can do to plan or prepare, but Bobby is obviously just devastated," Brown said. "We all are, for the kids, and now we're mainly just focused on how we can be the best support system possible for our kids."

The decision impacts all SVVSD and BVSD high schools, including those located in other counties. Wrestlers will be allowed to transfer to another district in order to compete, as long as that remains a viable option, and so far, SVVSD and BVSD are the only districts in Colorado to disallow wrestling. The district's other three Season B sports, boys and girls basketball, and girls swim and dive, have been cleared to proceed, and will begin tryouts on Jan. 18.