Loyola Letterhead

Dear Loyola families,

At its meeting on Tuesday, August 4, The Minnesota State High School League's Board of Directors approved moving forward as scheduled with four fall activities: girls tennis, boys and girls cross country, boys and girls soccer and girls swimming and diving beginning August 17 with limitations. The Board of Directors also approved moving football and volleyball to a modified spring (March-May) season. 

In approving the changes, the Board of Directors used information and frameworks provided by the Return to Participation Task Force in an earlier meeting.  These frameworks were grounded in the following guiding principles: 
  • Demonstrate health and safety to the greatest extent possible 
  • Align with state organizations and agencies around return to learn models 
  • Provide an opportunity for education-based participation in each sport/activity Demonstrate equity and fairness  
  • Acknowledge financial implications   Apply guidelines consistently 
The decisions were also made based on: 
  • Governor Walz's Executive Order 20-82 declaring that the return to learning would be a localized decision aligning with the current statistical situation and mitigation measures available in each district,  
  • The Minnesota Department of Education's specific plan for returning to learning for the 2020-2021 school year,  
  • The Minnesota Department of Health's Guidance for Youth Sports along with the National Federation of High Schools Return to Sports document, 
  • The MSHSL Return to Participation Task Force multiple frameworks for returning to participation, 
  • Review of and feedback from lead physicians from the MSHSL Sports Medicine Advisory Committee 
In recognizing the risks associated with both fine arts and athletic opportunities as well as the benefits that participation in these same activities provides, the board approved the following for fall sports with these minimum requirements:
  • All aspects of athletics including meetings, practices, competitions, transportation and facility usage must align with the requirements of the Minnesota Department of Education plan for return to learning, must follow the requirements from the Minnesota Department of Health's Guidance on Youth Sports, and must include the required actions identified in the Governor's Executive Orders.  
  • For schools that are required by localized metrics to be in a distance learning mode, practices are limited to virtual contact only.  
  • Football and girls volleyball will be delayed until a spring season. This will require further work in scheduling seasons through the winter and spring to provide opportunities for participation in multiple activities with minimal overlap of seasons.    
  • The first week of practice should focus on implementing effective protocols and routines for pre-participation screenings, effective social distancing, compliance with all health recommendations, establishment of pod limits of 25 or less, and additional actions that mitigate the spread of disease and enhance safety of students and coaches.  
  • Athletic programs must follow the identified protocols for students or coaches who have tested positive, are experiencing symptoms consistent with a COVID-19 diagnosis, or have had exposure to an individual who has been diagnosed with COVID-19.  
  • The first day of competition is the later date of Monday, August 24 or the first possible date of competition as identified in the 500 series of MSHSL Bylaws per each activity.  
  • Interscholastic scrimmages will not be allowed.  
  • The number of teams involved in a competition will be limited to 3 teams. 
  • Season length will be reduced to 80% or less of the limit identified in Bylaw 501.  
  • The number of competitions will be reduced to 70% or less of the limit identified in Bylaw 501.  
  • Competitions must be held with local opponents, defined as teams within a conference, district or section, or are identified as local by school administration. 
  • Competitions held with opponents from other states are required to meet the following: 
  • Full compliance with all requirements of the MSHSL and MDH 
  • Opponents from other states may not exceed a distance greater than 75 miles from the Minnesota member school. 
In addition to the information provided here, the MSHSL will provide sport- specific guidance for each fall sport that will further identify any modifications and recommendations for both practice and competition in each sport. 

Additional guidelines on activities such as fan attendance at games, game schedules and social distancing guidelines at events are still being determined and will be passed on to coaches, who will then pass along to families and participants.

Please note, if your child was due for a sports physical this year, the MSHSL is postponing that requirement this year. However, NEW athletes(7th grade soccer players, 6th grade cross country participants, or older students who have never had a sports physical but will be joining a sport for the first time) are still required to have a physical on file before the start of the season.

For more information, please visit the MSHSL website.


We also would like to announce a few updates regarding
Loyola-specific activities: 
  • The fall sports meeting (for cross country, boys soccer, girls soccer) will be held on Wednesday, August 12, 6pm on the Loyola soccer field. Please park in the main parking lot and walk over- the gate will be open. Masks are not required since we are meeting outside, but please wear one if you wish. We also ask that all attendees practice social distancing by spreading out. If we need to move to the gym due to weather reasons, masks will be required.

    All fall athletes will be required to complete this student eligibility form and sports health questionnaire form. Please print, complete and return via email to Mr Landkamer, or bring to the first practice.

    For meeting dates and information regarding girls swimming and diving and girls tennis, please contact the East High School (the school we CO-OP with) activities office: 507-387-5671.
         Sports that have been moved to the spring season (volleyball and football) will have their sports meetings prior to the start of their seasons. Watch for information in the spring.
  • Loyola administration has made the decision to postpone the fall musical to a later date. Watch for updates.
  • Due to the fact that the football season has been moved to spring, we will also move Loyola Homecoming to spring. Watch for updates.
  • In consultation with local health officials, Loyola administration has decided to postpone the March 2021 band and choir trip to New Orleans. We hope to reschedule the trip for spring of 2022.

Thank you for your continued support and patience as we work through these decisions and guidelines. While some of the above news may be disappointing to some, it is also an opportunity for our students to get involved in an activity they may not have had the chance to participate in in the past. We encourage you to explore these new options!

John Landkamer
Activities Director
Loyola Catholic School