BY WENDI REARDON PRICE
Clarkston News Sports Writer
The sound of the Clarkston High School Marching Band will once again fill the stadium on Friday nights and the dance team will perform in front of parents as changes have been made to crowds and gathering sizes.
Under Executive Order 2020-183, Clarkston Athletics is able to open the facilities to more spectators for indoor and outdoor events.
“It’s allowing 30 percent or 1,000 fans, whatever fits your needs,” said Clarkston Athletic Director Jeff Kosin, adding the high school stadium holds 5,000. “When you look at that 30 percent is over the 1,000 mark. So we have to use the 1,000 seating at Clarkston.”
He added opening it up will put restraints on who can be there.
“It’s not as though the floodgates opened and everybody is in and everything is back to normal,” Kosin said.
But it does give them the opportunity for dance and the marching band to be at football games.
“When we met with the OAA, a majority of the teams are allowing bands or a pep band to come,” Kosin said. “A majority of them are doing dance. Some are still not. As long as it’s opened up for us, we have time for us to manage this properly and do things the right way.”
He added at a football game with players, cheer, dance and band, plus parents and the opposing team – there is 350 tickets remaining which will be available for the high school seniors – a hope he had when they were figuring out how the numbers would go.
For indoor events such as volleyball and girls middle school basketball, 500 is allowed. But swim is still closed to spectators due pool restrictions.
For outdoor events at Clarkston Junior High School, the limit is 350.
“We are asking adults and kids to still be smart – nothing has dropped as far as masks and social distancing,” Kosin said. “We are still making sure that’s part of the routine we continue to do in order of us to be successful and do what we are asked to do with sports. We will still be masked up. Our motto is ‘Real Wolves wear masks.'”
He added, safety for the students and community is the the top priority going forward.