Page 18 THE EVERETT ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, JANUARY 8, 2021 ~ ADVOCATE SPORTS ~ Greater Boston League announces new Athletic Season Calendar Winter season start pushed back to Feb. 1; “Fall 2” and Spring seasons will start later By Steve Freker T he Greater Boston League (GBL) announced Wednesday it would push back the start of the Winter Sports season to February 1 and also adjust the following two seasons, “Fall 2” and Spring Sports, to later starts as well. According to a statement on Wednesday released by league President Chris Mastrangelo, the Malden High principal, no sports are planned to be canceled. A variety of reasons were cited for the move, including a primary one, due to health and safety reasons precipitated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has hit the GBL communities especially hard in a lot of ways. There is one change of note in that the indoor and outdoor boys and girls track seasons will be combined into one track season, outdoors, planned to run from May 27 to July 3. The Greater Boston League, which was reconstituted last year, includes Everett, Malden, Medford, Revere and Somerville, with three new members joining offi cially in the fall of this year: Chelsea, Lynn Classical and Lynn English. With the announcement, in another note, the GBL is basically “going its own way,” as most other leagues around the state are going with the dates set by the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) for their respective seasons, meaning the GBL game schedules most likely will be exclusively all-league opponents. Additionally, with the changes in the calendar there remains the possibility the three newest GBL teams, Chelsea, Lynn Classical and Lynn English, may begin league play later this winter and in the spring, if their Boards of Health allow it. Lynn English Athletic Director Dick Newton publicly stated Wednesday his school would join the GBL in games being played immediately, judging by the new dates, if allowed by his city. “We are pleased we are able to accommodate all the teams and have something to offer our GBL student-athletes if all goes well,” Malden High’s Mastrangelo said. “It’s been almost a full year since our GBL student-athletes have competed. They deserve a chance to practice, play and compete if it’s safe to do so,” Malden High Athletic Director Charlie Conefrey, who is also GBL Commissioner, said. “Many hours and a lot of work has gone into this plan.” Following is the text of the GBL’s statement released on Wednesday: As we continue to navigate these unsettled times in our history, the Greater Boston League has consistently adjusted to meet the needs of our students. In the Fall we voted to participate in the Fall II season because that was best for our kids. As we head into the winter season we are preparing to adjust once more, to meet the needs of our students. During this pandemic there have been many reports, backed by data, that point to the abnormally high number of positive Covid-19 cases in urban areas. Sadly, many of the GBL schools have been aff ected by this. We continue to see our numbers rise. Due to this, a number of our schools are still in fully remote learning models. In addition, some of our cities have limited access to municipal buildings, including schools. Others have put a stop CALENDAR | SEE PAGE 16
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