Fall athletics at Powell High School looked a bit different from past years, with social-distancing precautions and masks at sporting events for players, coaches and spectators. For winter sports, the regulations will become stricter.

Due to the increasing number of COVID-19 cases in Park County and Wyoming as a whole, the Wyoming High School Activities Association found it necessary to revamp its athletic plan after the fall sports season. Further, State Health Officer Dr. Alexia Harrist, working in conjunction with Gov. Mark Gordon, recently issued a new public health order that puts tighter limits on gatherings through at least mid-December. As a result, high school basketball, wrestling and swim competitions are being limited to 100 spectators. Events hosted at PHS will use tickets, and those with tickets will be the only patrons permitted to attend.

“With the number of spectators, we were fortunate to have variance in the fall, but that will change,” PHS activities director Scott McKenzie said. “It will be hard that a lot of the true sports fans will be unable to come, as well as the student body.”

With limited attendance, fans will be required to find new ways to support the Panthers.

Competitions hosted in the main gym will be streamed online via the NFHS Network — www.nfhsnetwork.com — and Park County School District 1 has paid for the streaming to be available for free. McKenzie also said he encourages PHS fans to follow along via the Tribune’s coverage, as well as KPOW 1260 AM’s broadcasts.

While it’s disappointing for the student-athletes to have fewer fans supporting them in the stands, McKenzie said he hopes they treasure the opportunity to even compete during a global pandemic.

“Almost 40 states are still not doing anything,” McKenzie said. But here in Wyoming, student-athletes are “getting to participate in something they love,” he said, “and we’re going to do everything we can to keep them safe.”

When it comes to enforcing the new guidelines, McKenzie’s and other faculty members’ priorities are simple: Put the kids first and keep everyone safe.

“This is all for them,” McKenzie said. “It’s not about us as adults or parents; it’s about the kids. Fans will have to wear a mask the entire time, even when in the bleachers, and we’ll provide them one if they don’t have one.”

McKenzie said he plans to be creative with scheduling winter sports. The activities director said he hopes to run basketball games in the main and auxiliary gyms at the same time.

For example, McKenzie’s idea is to have JV boys in the auxiliary gym while varsity girls play in the main. Once those contests finish, the gyms would be cleared, then varsity boys would play in the main gym while girls’ JV is in the auxiliary. With that setup, the school would be able to get 200 spectators between the two gyms.

Powell High School’s winter sports season is set to kick off on Dec. 10-12, with the basketball and swims teams on the road.

Wrestling begins its season in the Panther Gym with quads on Dec. 11-12, and McKenzie plans to allot a certain amount of tickets for each team competing in the meet. Just like basketball, PHS will be limited to 100 patrons in each gym at a time.

For boys’ swimming, only home fans will be permitted into aquatic centers, so Panther swim supporters won’t be allowed to attend road events.

The restrictions aren’t ideal from a spectator’s perspective. But McKenzie said he thinks following them will serve the athletes well and set up for future success.

“These things that health officials and WHSAA have decided upon are true intentions for keeping everyone safe as possible,” McKenzie said. “We’re going to do everything we can to complete the season and hand the baton to the spring sports.”