More Than 5,000 Attend Let Them Play Rally at Capitol

Members of the Jackson United Hockey Team were part of the Let Them Play rally at the Michigan Capitol on Saturday.  Photo by Jeff Steers, JTV News.

By Jeff Steers
JTV News

(January 30, 2021 3:20 PM) Michigan Center High School student-athlete Brendan O’Dowd is tired of skating around with no contact.

The Jackson United Hockey Team member is ready for a little C&C – contact and competition.

O’Dowd and a number of teammates were at the Michigan Capitol on Saturday for a Let Them Play rally.

More than 5,000 student-athletes, coaches, school administrators and high school fans attended the rally. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services shut down contact sports – basketball, wrestling, hockey, and competitive cheer – just over a week ago. The new startup date is now Feb. 21.

“We just want to play hockey,” O’Dowd said. “We have been practicing on and off the last couple of weeks … but have been canceling a lot because of COVID-19.”

More than 20 student-athletes told their stories and made their pleas during the rally.

Legislators and others pushing for the return of contact sports in Michigan spoke at the event.

Former Onsted High School athlete Dr. Garrett Soldano fired up the crowd with a short speech. He started a Facebook page called Michiganders Against Excessive Quarantine in early April of 2020.

He wondered if there were a number of Michigan residents with the same strong opinions as himself about the quarantine in Michigan during the early days of COVID-19.

With more than 350,000 Facebook friends, Soldano has been a supporter of the group Let Them Play.

“Regardless of what happens with their seasons, they can always take this moment to have a foundation that they stood up for something bigger than themselves,” Soldano said prior to his speech. “The science and data support it (sports should be played).

“Every other state in the union is allowing student to play.”

He noted football teams tested prior to Michigan High School Athletic Association semifinal or final games had a rate of 99.8 non-infection for COVID-19.

The Representative Council of the Michigan High School Athletic Association reaffirmed its commitment this week to play winter sports when current restrictions are lifted by the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services.

Winter contact sports – girls’ and boys’ basketball, competitive cheer, ice hockey and wrestling – are allowed presently to participate in non-contact activities only, per an MDHHS emergency order restricting contact activity and competition due to COVID-19.

Non-contact winter sports – girls’ and boys’ bowling, gymnastics, girls’ and boys’ alpine skiing and girls’ and boys’ swimming and diving – are able to participate in those activities fully.

The MDHHS limitations on winter contact sports were set to expire at the end of January, but were extended last week by MDHHS through Feb. 21.

“Each week, we see hundreds of examples of children and families competing in non-school competition, both in-state and out-of-state,” Uyl said. “This not only is in violation of current MDHHS orders, but sending all of these families into different states will only become an impediment to getting students back in school fulltime. 

“But we can contribute to students returning to in-person learning by allowing MHSAA member schools to begin full activities, participating locally and against more local competition, and under the guidance of trained, professional educators.”

Resolutions allowing students to play contact sports were presented in the Michigan Senate and House of Representatives on Thursday. Even if passed, the resolution would need to be approved by the governor.