Suburban athletic directors were planning to finish the school year without spring sports, and even summer camps were far from certain after Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced Friday that school campuses would remain closed to students through the end of the academic year due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The IHSA followed up with an official announcement Tuesday: spring sports are officially canceled. The organization left open the slim possibility for some semblance of organized sports later this summer, but those only would be for “closure,” and only if public health conditions permit. There will be no spring sports state tournaments.
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“We support the decision by Governor Pritzker and the Illinois State Board of Education, and given the logistics, we simply felt we could not conduct state tournaments that meet the expectations of our member schools this spring, ” IHSA executive director Craig Anderson said in a statement. “As disappointing as it may be for students, it is the right decision for their health and safety, as well as for the health and safety of the general public, as we cope with this unprecedented pandemic.”
Heading into the weekend, suburban athletic directors expressed their disappointment on behalf of their students, especially the seniors. Stevenson athletic director Trish Betthauser said some teams’ spring seasons had already begun before the governor closed schools on March 13.
“It’s really tough for seniors and teams with hopes for a special year,” Betthauser said. “I feel for all of them. I’m filled with sadness.”
Betthauser said she scheduled a meeting with her coaches less than 30 minutes after the governor’s announcement to discuss how to continue mentoring athletes during an extended time of online learning.
“Our softball coach is holding clinics on Zoom,” Betthauser said. “It’s useful for returning players next year. It will be useful for the seniors if they have children of their own they’ll coach one day.”
Loyola athletic director Genevieve Atwood said she feels badly for the 900 spring athletes among the school’s more than 2,000 students, but the lessons they are learning now go beyond the athletic field.
“This is about what’s good for the entire community,” Atwood said. “The students are a part of this. We’re all in this together. This is a small part of controlling a larger problem.”
Barrington athletic director Mike Obsuszt said athletics and coaching are about dealing with adversity. The pandemic is an opportunity to show what the Broncos and Fillies have learned.
“This is all part of a learning experience,” Obsuszt said. “The students look to their coach as a leader, and the coach will help lead them through this process.”
The changes are not limited to the spring season: the IHSA also canceled summer contact days, unless the state clears the way for public gatherings by then.
Heading into the weekend, Atwood and Hinsdale Central athletic director Dan Jones also questioned whether summer camps and fall sports would be affected.
“We’re going to hope for the best and plan for the worst,” Atwood and Jones said in separate interviews.
Several athletic directors said they cannot finalize plans for summer camps until they hear more from Pritzker and local government and public health officials. For now, they are developing contingency plans.
Atwood said Loyola’s summer camps might depend on whether the school hosts in-person or online classes for summer school. If there are fewer days to schedule camps, that might cause problems scheduling facilities for all programs to use. She said she hopes the IHSA will allow contact days between coaches and athletes in August if camps get a late start because of the pandemic.
Jones said social distancing measures could have athletic ramifications well past the summer.
“We’re looking at summer camps and getting ready for fall, if there is going to be a fall season,” Jones said.
When asked about the possibility of playing games in empty stadiums, Jones said, “We’ll do what the state says is safe for us to do.”
Pritzker emphasized safety when announcing his decision Friday. He said if schools reopened too soon, about 2 million students could be at risk for contracting the disease and taking it home to others.
Atwood, Betthauser, Jones and Obsuszt said athletes will receive their varsity letters or other recognitions for participating in their spring sports, even though no contests will take place. Any award ceremony will likely have to wait at least until the summer.
After Pritzker’s announcement, many schools continued the tradition of turning on stadium lights Friday night to show support for medical workers. This time, the gesture was especially poignant for the senior athletes who will not have the chance to compete again in high school.
“I’m sure our athletes still had a somber feeling from the governor’s announcement earlier in the day,” Obsuszt said. “Like many other schools, we simply wanted to ‘Shine the Light’ and thank our healthcare workers and first responders. We wanted our students to know we miss them.”
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Steve Sadin is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
Twitter @Pioneer_Press