I write in the hopes of bringing clarity and transparency to the situation involving the recent cancellation of the competitive high school wrestling season in Maine.

A disclaimer: as a teacher, coach, father, husband, and son, I have been completely onboard from day one regarding COVID restrictions — I am cognizant of and sympathetic to the vast number of cases and deaths across our nation, and continue to take all precautions to stay socially distant and to be routinely tested in my community. I am a strong advocate for the vaccines, especially for our educators.

That being said, I would like to offer a different perspective as a wrestling coach and parent. Wrestling can be done safely and, in fact, is this winter in 41 of the 49 states that offer wrestling in our nation.

For those unaware, the varsity wrestling season in Maine was finally canceled Feb. 26, after 14 weeks of uncertainty and delay by state agencies. Our season normally begins in the third week of November; this past fall the actual “start” was delayed until Dec. 7, and at that time we were permitted to condition and train virtually.

To be honest, I was surprised by the level of commitment from my student-athletes, most of whom were angry and upset at the state delay, but continued to show up day after day and train hard in a virtual environment. Part of their drive and commitment was the hope of a season being awarded to them Feb. 3. As that day approached, it became apparent that our competitive season was likely to be delayed again; in fact it was.

On that date, the Maine Principals’ Association released a statement indicating that it saw value in what we were doing as coaches and teams, namely training in a socially distant environment. The MPA offered a small concession: we would be able to train back in our wrestling rooms; however, we would not be permitted any contact or live drilling, and certainly no competition. The final decision date was again moved, to Feb. 22.

My frustration and anger is aimed at myriad agencies that have mishandled this situation. Many are quick to blame the MPA and local administrators, but the real drivers of this decision are hidden behind the curtain that shields the various state agencies.

The Maine Department of Economic and Community Development is mostly to blame. To place any sport into a “high risk” category early in the pandemic without any possibility of future reassessment is ludicrous.

The MPA recommended to the Maine Center for Disease Control & Prevention and other agencies that we offer a short, localized COVID-controlled competitive wrestling season in Maine similar to what they developed and are currently doing in New Hampshire. Unfortunately, this recommendation went nowhere.

Other contact sports like hockey, and near-contact sports such as basketball and volleyball, were luckier — their risk level was gradually reduced according to an original timeline, from Level 1 on Dec. 7 (physically distant training only), to Level 4 (in-person competition) on Jan. 11. Wrestling was offered no such timeline.

This is unacceptable to our athletes, coaches, or parents. For comparison, private wrestling clubs in Maine and New Hampshire followed ongoing updated protocol throughout the winter from USA Wrestling and the National Federal of State High School Associations, the national governing bodies for the sport.

Wrestling has continued for the lucky few who are involved in clubs wrestling in private facilities and have been traveling to competitions out of state. The athletes in my charge did not stop being driven individuals just because the state instructed them to stop. Goals of being state and national champions and wrestling in college persist, and in most cases, have only strengthened.

I feel a sense of ongoing frustration, betrayal, and anger for the apathy and lack of transparency from our elected officials in Augusta. They have once again failed our student-athletes by taking the lazy route.

There was no consideration of the changing conditions or data concerning the pandemic, including the dramatic drop in cases and transmission of the virus in our state, the low case and transmission numbers among high school students, and the move to a green color code for all Maine counties since Jan 26.

There was no consideration beyond the MPA for the state of mind and mental condition of the student-athletes in my charge, most of whom have now lost three sports seasons in a row. There was no consideration of the time and commitment our kids put into socially distant training for 14 weeks, holding out hope for competition.

I’m tired of reading about the negative impacts of increased virtual learning and isolation, including alarming levels of anxiety, depression, and suicide. If our elected officials really care about our students, they would have worked with stakeholders to develop a variety of strategies and solutions for our kids.

As a parent of a 16-year-old wrestler, I was naive in expecting more from my government.

Bryan Thompson coaches varsity wrestling at York High School.