A legislative committee will discuss Tuesday how Missouri’s high school sports practice calendar affects tourism. Missouri State High School Activities Association spokesperson Jason West says some schools want to start practice in August, while some want to start in July.
“When you start talking about starting practices in July, even though it’s the last day in July, there’s a whole different mindset there,” says West. “Now it’s like well where has summer gone. Where’s our time to be away and things like that. That’s the concern is when we start creeping into July.”
Member schools must complete 14 practices for any sport before the first game is played.
“The discussions are do we push our seasons back a week to allow for back into August when we start. Does that encompass shortening seasons? We lengthened a few seasons a few years ago with adding a week and starting a week earlier,” says West.
Nearly 600 Missouri schools are members of the Association.
The legislature’s Joint Committee on Education will also hear testimony about the Missouri Department of Higher Education’s System Review Task Force. State senator Gary Romine (R-Farmington) chairs the committee.
Tuesday’s hearing will be at 9 a.m. at the Missouri capitol in Jefferson City.
