Mar 16, 2020 3 min read

Linda Messich sympathizes with the plight of spring sport athlete and realizes this is a difficult time for all the school districts that are not in session because of the coronavirus threat.

The Mapletown athletic director and WPIAL board member would like to give them good news about the future but this is uncharted waters and, quite frankly, she doesn’t know what lies ahead.

“We’re aware everyone wants to get back to usual but it’s out of our hands,” she said. “We make our decisions on what the governor says and what the PIAA says. We’re sympathetic to what’s going on but our hands are tied. It’s heartbreaking, especially for the seniors.

“I have a granddaughter in Baltimore who is a senior and a grandson who is a freshman. I asked their dad how they were doing. He said Katie is bummed out missing the senior trip, the prom and other activities. David was happy about getting a vacation to spend more time on the computer playing his games.”

The PIAA and WPIAL each had releases Monday indicating that athletics are in a holding pattern and will remain that way until more guidance is given from Gov. Tom Wolf.

The outbreak of the coronavirus has brought everything in education to a grinding halt for two weeks at least, and possibly longer. No one is quite sure when things will return to normal.

The PIAA released a statement that said:

On Friday, March 13, 2020, Governor Wolf issued a directive to close all schools in the commonwealth for 10 business days starting today, March 16, 2020. This means all school activities including sports practices, plays, musicals, mock trial, field trips, etc.

The intent of this is to limit people gathering together to minimize the potential spread of the coronavirus. We have been informed that some schools’ sport teams may be organizing captains’ practices or informal workouts off-site. It’s our position this is contrary to the intent of the Governor’s order and these activities are not permitted.

To illustrate this intent, the Governor has ordered non-essential businesses to close in a 4 county area and the Department of Community and Economic Development has recommended the closing of community and recreational centers, gyms, spin facilities, golf courses and sporting event venues across the commonwealth. It very clear of the intentions of our state government, so please assist them in preventing inappropriate off-site practices or workouts.

As we move forward, PIAA will continue to work with the Governor’s office, the Department of Health and the Department of Education to provide updated information regarding spring sports and any possible re-start of the winter championships. This information may change on a day to day basis and some of the qualities that are fundamental lessons of interscholastic athletics are at play here: cooperation, patience, sacrifice, responsibility, respect and teamwork. We will provide more information as it becomes available to us.

The WPIAL followed with a statement of its own:

The WPIAL, aligning with the PIAA, will follow and support the directives of Wolf for all school-based activities, including interscholastic athletics.

To minimize the spread of COVID-19, schools and/or teams are reminded that having off-campus practices or workouts during a mandated closure defeats the spirit and intent of the shutdown. Schools should stop any of these activities from occurring.

The WPIAL Board of Directors will not release or discuss any information about spring sports until directed by the PIAA.