(Valhalla, NY) - On Monday, July 13, acting on a recommendation by the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Board of Regents and Presidential Advisory Board, NJCAA President and CEO Dr. Christopher Parker announced that a majority of NJCAA-sponsored fall semester sports will be moved to the spring 2021 semester. All close-contact fall sports will be moved to the spring semester, and winter close-contact sports will begin after January 1, 2021.
For Westchester Community College, the Men's Soccer and Women's Volleyball seasons were impacted by this decision, as well as Men's & Women's Basketball. Currently, the NJCAA plans for Men's and Women's Cross Country to compete during the fall 2020 semester, and a plan is being developed for both programs to compete at WCC in full seasons should the college's re-opening plans advance to a phase that allows intercollegiate athletic competition. The program will also look to host team practices for all sports in the fall when the recovery plans deem appropriate.
Westchester CC Director of Athletics
Michael Belfiore stated that he fully supports and understands the decision reached by the NJCAA.
"Ever since what was looking like an incredibly promising spring season was canceled, we've all been anxious to return to competition, and were very hopeful that the fall season would not be impacted by the COVID-19 Pandemic," Belfiore said. "At the same time, with all of the uncertainty across the country, this was the correct and proper decision by the NJCAA. Within our campus community, it is paramount to promote public safety during these difficult times. We desperately want our student-athletes to compete again, but not until it is absolutely safe for our students, staff, and families thereof. This decision allows us time to develop a plan to return to competition when the time is right."
Belfiore said that the Athletic Department at WCC will soon develop a plan to prepare student-athletes for the spring 2021 through a broad-based academic support program, a program-specific training regimen, and even the possibility of team practices should the college's pandemic response plan allow for such practices to take place.
"By no means does the postponement of fall and the beginning of winter sports mean that we are not going to work for and with our student-athletes. In fact, I think we're going to have as much - or more - contact with our athletes than we usually do. Every prospective student-athlete is going to be part of our academic support program during the fall semester, and we're going to work very hard to develop a plan for our athletes to prepare themselves for their seasons up until the point we can return to campus. And, when the college deems it safe to begin training, we will very excitedly welcome our athletes back to campus. We have a lot of work ahead of us, but now that we know what the coming academic year is going to look like, we are excited to develop a plan." Belfiore said.
Belfiore was quick to point out that the Westchester Community College Pandemic Response Team and administration have been incredibly supportive since the college first began operating in a distance learning model.
"From the time this crisis began, it has been made clear to us how important athletics are to Westchester Community College, and we all appreciate the fact that the college remains committed to sponsoring a first class athletic program the moment it is safe to compete again. We have moved forward with a lot of great plans since we began working remotely, and our ongoing work has not skipped a beat. This is because our administration remains in steadfast support of our continued efforts, and I am very appreciative of it." Belfiore added.
Westchester Community College student-athletes are invited to attend a Town Hall with Belfiore via Zoom on Thursday, July 23 at 5:00 PM. During this Town Hall, more specifics regarding the fall 2020 semester will be shared, and questions from student-athletes will be answered. Zoom log-in information will be sent to student-athletes shortly.
