Butler Area High School athletic director Bill Mylan sometimes feels like he is wrestling again.

Trying to counter and anticipate moves from his opponent.

Only the maneuvers Mylan is trying to get a feel for these days are coming from Harrisburg.

Gov. Tom Wolf on Wednesday released preliminary guidance for high school and recreation sports teams to resume voluntary workouts and other in-person activities in the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic, which forced the cancellation of spring sports and sent athletic programs into a holding pattern for months.

But getting back to “normal” is not as easy as it sounds.

“I just texted all the coaches and told them to please be patient,” Mylan said. “When we do get the guidance, it's not going to happen the next day.”

Mylan said he is hopeful athletes can get back into the high school facilities and with their teammates and coaches soon.

There's still a lot to do to make that happen, however.

But Mylan, as well as some other schools in Butler County, have had a head start.

“Last week the PIAA suggested that we try to at least get a committee together to meet,” Mylan said. “We did that. We've talked about preliminary things we can do, like getting masks and hand sanitizer and sanitary wipes, those types of things. We've talked about getting an abundance of thermometers and things of that nature.”

Mylan said a meeting is scheduled Thursday morning to cobble together a formal plan to present to the school board for approval.

One of the stipulations for schools to open up voluntary off-season activities is to have a safety plan approved by the school board and posted on the district website.

“How quickly that will happen is hard to tell,” Mylan said.

But it is encouraging.

The PIAA is confident fall sports will begin on time.

Mars athletic director and football coach Scott Heinauer for one is happy to hear that.

He said that's an important message.

“It's something to look forward to now,” Heinauer said. “I look at this as a step in the right direction.”

What fall sports will look like is another matter.

Restrictions are still in place on how many people can be in the stands.

For counties still in the yellow — like Erie County — spectators are limited to 25. For counties in the green — like Butler County — that number rises to 250 or 50 percent capacity.

If those restrictions are still in place by the start of the fall season, schools will have to adapt.

“You're really just talking about essential personnel at these games,” Mylan said.

Of course, things can change.

“This is an evolving situation,” Mylan said. “What we have in place on June 10, by Aug. 10 could be totally changed, for the good or the bad. We're all hoping for the good.”

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For smaller schools, like Slippery Rock High, flexibility is key.

And so is due diligence.

Slippery Rock athletic director Dan Follett said some of the school's indoor facilities may not open right away, even after a safety plan is in place.

“Potentially,” he said. “As of right now, the weight room might be off limits still once we get this approved because we have to put some things in place or come up with a regular cleaning schedule and figure out our occupancy.”

Follett also wonders if other schools will also pause the opening of their weight rooms, wrestling rooms and basketball courts.

“The weight room is going to be the one that's going to be the biggest,” he said. “I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of schools hold off on opening their basketball gyms right away. That's just kind of a gut feeling of mine. Everyone is going to want to see how the fall season will pan out.

“School districts might say basketball teams can meet and play at local parks outside. They can do that. Wrestling can do dry land outside. Baseball, softball, track and field can be outside. We can get kids on the football field to social distance and work out safely.”

Follett said the big take away from Wolf's guidance is teams can meet in person again — something that can not be understated.

“This will still let you get together as a group, which is big,” he said.

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Mylan, though, hopes Butler will open up completely.

“I'm trying to be an optimist and make every attempt to get kids in all our facilities,” Mylan said. “The kids have missed out on a lot of time. Let's face facts here. A small percentage of kids went all out, went at it (during the coronavirus closures) and stayed in shape. A large percentage need to get in and get back to work. These kids have lost basically two months of their offseason.”

Indoor sports like volleyball, basketball and wrestling typically hold open gyms during the summer. There are also summer basketball leagues that most Butler County-area schools participate in.

Football has 7-on-7 drills and camps that had been put on hold, but now can potentially be held.

Aug. 17 is the first practice date for fall sports, except for golf and girls tennis, which typically begin earlier.

Most are still taking a wait-and-see approach.

“We're all hoping we can get back to normal,” Mylan said.

Heinauer said he wants to talk to other area athletic directors to get a feel for what their athletic safety protocols will be.

“We want the guidelines to be similar,” he said.

Heinauer said the biggest impact on athletes has been their inability to get into the weight room.

He said he anticipates kids will return with a wide range of conditioning level.

Just being back, though, is a big deal.

“We're going to do what we have to do to get sports back in our kids' lives,” Heinauer said. “Kids want this to happen. They're excited about it. It's a good thing. Whatever it takes.”

Gov. Tom Wolf released preliminary guidance for high school and recreational sports teams to resume voluntary workouts and other in-person activities.Here are some of the guidelines:- Schools must first develop an athletic health and safety plan that is approved by the local board of directors and posted on the school's website.- Gatherings of all participants, including players, athletic staff, officials and spectators are limited to 25 in the yellow phase and 250, or 50 percent capacity, in the green phase.- Coaches and other adult personnel should wear face coverings and screen athletes for symptoms before practices and games.- All participants must follow safe hygiene and social distancing practices, avoid unnecessary physical contact, and clean and disinfect equipment and facilities.- Sports equipment and other personal items should be separated and not shared. Equipment should be disinfected between users.