Due to COVID-19, the past 10 months have brought unknown after unknown, with all of us searching for the right answers.
The IHSA has come up with a plan — including the at-the-moment four-season calendar that would allow each sport a season — each step of the way as to how things could go if the state government and pandemic allowed.
However, as the days go by, it looks as if there will need to be an update to that calendar, especially if the IHSA hopes to not have to cancel any sports. Could that update have sports running at the same time? Say, girls basketball and volleyball, or boys soccer and baseball, or any other unusual combination?
If that ends up being the case, smaller schools will have a number of tough decisions to make.
“I know speaking for myself as an AD, I’ll do my best to make whatever they let us do work. If this happens, two sports running at the same time, ADs, coaches, athletes and everyone involved are just going to have to be flexible.”
— Brian Yoder, Flanagan-Cornell High School
“We can’t predict the future, but the nightmare scenario would be if, let’s say they push boys and girls basketball plus volleyball to the original spring season. My concern would be, at least for us, is that we have one gym at the high school. I’m not sure how we would schedule all of the sports together between practices and games,” said Matt Emmons, Henry-Senachwine athletic director and baseball coach.
“It would be tough, but we would also have to figure out how to allow and make it possible for the girls to do both if they choose. Another tough scenario would be if they pushed boys basketball to the summer with baseball. Maybe we’d get together as a conference and schedule baseball games in the morning and basketball games in the evening.
“I’m frustrated with the IHSA. I feel like when they came out back in November and they basically said, ‘Hey, don’t listen to the governor, we’re going to move forward anyway,’ I feel like they soured the relationship with our state government. I understand the governor wasn’t and isn’t meeting with them, but I feel [the IHSA] could have done things in a different way.
“My hope is they do sit down and talk, regardless of what the outcome may be.”
Woodland AD and Woodland/Flanagan-Cornell girls softball coach Jordan Farris says he would hate for an athlete to have to choose between sports. His hope is that, if the calendar does have sports side-by-side, they can find a way to make things work, especially for the kids’ mental health.
“Being at a small school where coaches may have to share athletes, [seasons running parallel] or them having to pick their favorite over their second favorite would put a burden on the student-athlete, wherein a normal year that wouldn’t be a factor,” said Farris. “That scenario isn’t good for the student, their families, the sport or the school. I know I wouldn’t feel comfortable making an athlete choose. I know we will work with the athletes the best we can to give them every opportunity that they would be afforded in a regular year.
“The not being to be able to physically gather together, especially for the sports that have already been impacted this year and the one’s last year, that social camaraderie from a team sport or just being around friends is hard to get through. It’s been months of the same message, but there is a certain point when you say, ‘You just have to deal with this,’ but we have to start looking for alternatives, solutions to the problems.
“I’m not a healthcare professional, I’m not going to question the IDPH guidelines, because that’s not my area. But I know socially and emotionally for the kids’ health, there needs to be some kind of dialogue opened up between the two sides so maybe we can salvage something out of this school year that helps the kids.”
“It could really cause some tough decisions from the coach’s perspective — if an athlete chooses more than one sport, when will they practice considering there will likely be games every day of the week? If they do choose one sport, will we have enough athletes to field the opposing sport’s field or will we have to forfeit a season?”
— Shawn Collins, Earlville High School
LaMoille AD and graduate Wanda DeLong admits parallel running sports would be tough at her school.
“I was a member of every athletic team available to me throughout the year as well as other extracurricular activities,” said DeLong. “This was an important factor in my motivation to do well in school and stay active and healthy, both physically and mentally.
“A new plan to play many sports at once would cause more issues for small schools with small populations, and as part of multiple co-op sports teams, this could affect our numbers going to our co-op sports and those sports we have in house.”
Dean DeRango, Serena AD and boys soccer coach, says his school will do everything it can for its athletes.
“We are going to try to offer all the regular sports as the seasons are scheduled,” said DeRango. “We are going to allow our kids to play multiple sports, and try to schedule accordingly. Practice days will be very limited if the athlete plays multiple sports.”
Earlville AD Shawn Collins said the thought of an athlete having to choose between two sports is heartbreaking. He added two sports running at the same time could lead to one of those sports ultimately not being played due to lack of numbers.
“Yes, this is, of course, a great concern especially being in a small school. The idea of student-athletes either choosing one sport or tackling more than one is a heavy decision,” said Collins. “It could really cause some tough decisions from the coach’s perspective — if an athlete chooses more than one sport, when will they practice considering there will likely be games every day of the week? If they do choose one sport, will we have enough athletes to field the opposing sport’s field or will we have to forfeit a season?
“This is without a doubt a very stressful time, especially considering the number of states where high school athletics, college athletics and professional athletics are continuing to play. Almost seems unfair.”
Brian Yoder, Flanagan-Cornell AD and boys basketball coach, says he would hate to see kids have to choose, but says at that point they’d be getting a chance to practice and play.
“First of all, I hope we have to worry about it,” said Yoder. “It could be a good problem and one that would at least mean the kids are playing, and that to me would be better than where we are at right now. I would hate the kids to have to choose one sport over another, but I also think about the softball, baseball and track athletes that missed out on a whole year of not being able to play or compete in a sport they love. I just hope they all get to do something this year.
“I know speaking for myself as an AD, I’ll do my best to make whatever they let us do work. If this happens, two sports running at the same time, ADs, coaches, athletes and everyone involved are just going to have to be flexible.
“To be honest, kids can run all day, and with what they have already had to go through this school year, if we told them they had five games in a day they’d probably be asking for a sixth.”