Dear Cumberland Student-Athletes and Families,
With recent announcements from the Rhode Island Interscholastic League and Rhode Island Principal’s Committee on Athletics, the Cumberland School Department would like to provide an update regarding interscholastic sports and the status of fall sports at our schools.
Middle School Athletics- Unfortunately, the Rhode Island Principal’s Committee on Athletics (RIPCOA) has postponed all fall sports at the middle school level. They have released a statement that their plan is to move the fall season to sometime around March. The Cumberland School Department and RIPCOA will release more information once it becomes available.
High School Athletics, Postponement of Certain Fall Sports- The Rhode Island Interscholastic League (RIIL) has announced the postponement of Football, Volleyball, and Unified Volleyball. Their intentions are to move these sports to a season sometime around March. The Cumberland School Department and RIIL will release more information as it becomes available with start dates for this “new” season.
High School Athletics, Permissible Fall Sports-The Rhode Island Interscholastic League has announced that the only fall sports that would be offered this fall with rules modifications are: Boys Cross Country, Girls Cross Country, Girls Tennis, Sideline Cheer, Boys Soccer, Girls Soccer, and Field Hockey. We have not received any information as to what these rules modifications for each sport may be; but we will be following all guidance from the National Federation of High Schools, Rhode Island Interscholastic League, Rhode Island Department of Health, and CDC. Presently, the start date for practices for these fall sports is September 21, 2020, and the first permissible contests will be allowed on Friday, October 2nd. The RIIL has only scheduled contests on Saturdays, while reserving all weekdays for after school practices and rescheduled games. Each team will participate in a six week season, and a two week window is being reserved for post-season play. Although the schedule has not been finalized, all indications point to the fall sports season being completed the weekend prior to Thanksgiving.
High School Athletics Sign Ups and Information– All students who are interested in participating on an interscholastic team, must sign up prior to Monday, September 14, 2020. There are three requirements that all students must complete prior to being allowed on the playing surface.
Complete the registration link with a parent/guardian at the link here: https://cumberlandhs-ar.rschooltoday.com/
Submit a NEW Notarized RIIL Assumption of Risk Form to your Coach or Athletic Director. These can be brought to the main high school building and can be printed from the registration link above. Please note, ALL student-athletes are required to complete this new form regardless of if you have done this in a previous year.
Provide an up-to-date physical from the last 12 months. This must be provided directly to the HS nurse’s office and not a coach or the athletic director.
We acknowledge there are many more questions that we do not have answers to at this time. The Rhode Island Interscholastic League has scheduled a meeting with all Athletic Directors the morning of Wednesday, September 9th, 2020. We anticipate having more information to share after this meeting and will be sure to notify our coaches, students, and parents of any new information as we become aware.
If you have any additional questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to our Athletic Director, Eric Blanchard, at eric.blanchard@cumberlandschools.org or 401-658-2600 ext. 343.
