Lawmakers back push for return of winter sports in Michigan

Student-athletes, parent advocates and school officials were invited to Lansing Thursday to make the case for lifting a ban on indoor high school contact sports, an issue that’s become a flashpoint between legislative Republicans and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

On Thursday, the Senate adopted a resolution urging the governor and Michigan Department of Health and Human Services to lift the ongoing suspension on indoor high school and youth sporting events. The voice vote came after committees in both the House and Senate heard from several advocates of resuming sports.

“This is all about giving our kids opportunities and a healthy lifestyle,” said Sen. Dale Zorn, R-Ida, who sponsored the Senate resolution. “Students in Michigan are hurting. All they want is to be able to compete with their friends and to be the very best they can be.”

Currently, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services has the winter contact sports of boys and girls basketball, ice hockey, competitive cheer and wrestling barred from competition. All winter contact sports are only allowed to perform non-contact activity during team practices.

Up until the morning of Jan. 22, winter contact sports were set to resume in full capacity on Feb. 1. However, the MDHHS extended those orders until Feb. 21.

Whitmer has said she understands the concerns of student-athletes, but said during a recent news conference that she is not comfortable with permitting the games to begin at this point due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has acknowledged the current situation of high school sports in the state when interview by a Detroit television news station, saying winter contact sports could be back in “weeks or days.”

In a Thursday interview with WXYZ’s 7 Action News, Whitmer said Michigan is “in a stronger position than most other states,” but warned that the new, more contagious coronavirus variant strain first identified in the United Kingdom has shown up in Washtenaw County.

“But trust me, as a parent of a high schooler myself, I’d love to get this part of life reengaged, but getting the kids back in the classroom, that’s paramount,” Whitmer said. “It’s not about changing our mind, its about being smart and when the numbers support taking this next step.”

Prior to the Senate resolution’s passage, high school students, Let Them Play founder Jayme McElvany and other school and sporting officials testified before the Senate Education and Career Readiness Committee and House Oversight Committee urging the state to allow sports to return.

RELATED: Let Them Play prepares to take battle for Michigan high school sports to the courts

McElvany — whose Let Them Play group is mulling suing the administration over ongoing sports bans — said kids are “losing their faith in government” the longer the delays go on.

“What should be happening is that the state of Michigan and the health department should be asking these high school athletes and coaches for help,” she said.

Whitmer says high school sports ‘may happen in the coming weeks or days’ during interview

Let Them Play prepares to take battle for Michigan high school sports to the courts

John Thompson, a member of the Michigan High School Athletic Association, told the House Oversight Committee that the decision to delay contact sports is “taking a toll on our student-athletes and families in Michigan” — socially, mentally and physically.

“Our kids and families need your help to make this happen now,” he said. “The days on the calendar are clicking by.”

Related: Five things to know about Let Them Play and its fight for high school sports