Greensburg Salem opts to resume winter sports Monday

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Sunday, January 3, 2021 | 10:12 PM

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Greensburg Salem is walking back a lengthy pause on winter sports and will now resume practices Monday like most of the WPIAL.

Golden Lions first-year athletic director Frank Sundry confirmed Sunday the district’s plans to eradicate initial plans to suspend winter sports until Jan. 26.

“I support any measure that benefits our athletes, coaches and teams,” Sundry said. “This decision will allow for our athletes to compete and stay in step with their section and WPIAL competition. The most important thing, however, is that we are keeping our athletes, coaches and staff safe and healthy.”

Teams in basketball, wrestling and swimming can have games or matches beginning Jan. 11, after a PIAA-mandated 10 practices.

Greensburg Salem also sponsors bowling and ice hockey teams.

The news was well-received by coaches and athletes in the district, many of whom thought the season was all but lost.

“I’m so excited for the girls,” Golden Lions girls basketball coach Rick Klimchock said. “Remember, we have been off since Nov. 29. It’s going to be learning quick and getting ready for games the week of the 11th. We’ve only really had a few practices before our quarantine.”

All youth and high school athletics in the state had been paused by Gov. Tom Wolf until Monday.

BREAKING NEWS: Practice for GS Winter sports will resume, tomorrow, January 4. Return to competition will resume on Monday January 11

— Greensburg Salem Athletics (@GS_SportsUpdate) January 3, 2021

“The girls are really fired up to play,” Klimchock said. “We are truly thankful. Hoping to keep everybody safe and positive.”

The WPIAL will have open playoff tournaments in each classification for basketball. Sundry said Greensburg Salem had planned to enter the postseason, even if the boys and girls teams were light on games.

“As long as our teams are healthy, they will be participating in the postseason,” he said.

Sundry and assistant athletic director Marzy Sherrow are working on updating team schedules, a rigorous and wearisome process that could hit additional stumbling blocks once the seasons begin. It’s clear Greensburg Salem is making every effort to have full seasons.

“We created a back-heavy schedule for February with the anticipation of starting on Jan. 26,” Sundry said. “We will be working this week to cement some games for mid-January.”

He said safety measures will remain intact and will be enforced.

“We have protocols, guidelines and procedures in place,” he said, “and it is all of our responsibilities to help minimize our exposure and risk of virus transmission.”

Golden Lions athletes are exempt from wearing masks during competition or when involved in “vigorous activity or exercise.”

Remote learning also will resume Monday in the district.

Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.

Tags: Greensburg Salem