OHSAA spring sports officially canceled

VW independent/submitted information

COLUMBUS — After weeks of speculation, it’s now official – the Ohio High School Athletic Association’s spring sports season has been canceled due to COVID-19.

A day after Monday’s announcement by Governor Mike DeWine that all K-12 schools will remain closed for the remainder of the academic year, OHSAA Executive Director Jerry Snodgrass released a statement confirming the cancellation of baseball, softball, boys tennis, track and field and lacrosse.

“As we have stated in our previous communications (to schools), the announcement by Governor DeWine to close schools for the remainder of the 2019-20 school year also will now result in the cancellation of OHSAA-sponsored spring sports seasons including tournaments,” Snodgrass said.

For weeks, the OHSAA told schools that spring sports would be canceled if school facilities were closed. In addition to facilities not being opened, it was noted that it would be impossible to ensure the health and safety of all individuals and support personnel involved in practices and contests at all schools.

In an interview Monday afternoon, Snodgrass reflected on the unprecedented times that the pandemic has brought and the impact it has had on schools and interscholastic athletics.

“I’ve heard from so many people who have said ‘You really need to understand what this means to our kids,’” Snodgrass said during the interview. “I’m a parent. I was a coach. I grew up every day as a player and a coach wanting to play high school sports and get to the state tournament. So I do think I understand that.”

“I also have to go with the fact that my number one concern that I have, over everything, is the health and safety of everyone involved. It’s not just our student-athletes. It’s the parents, coaches, umpires, officials, the scorekeepers. All those things enter into this.”

“It’s a tough decision and it’s one that I and all the other Executive Directors of the other states never thought we would have to do. Never did I think this would be the case, but I’ve tried to be as prepared as I could every step of the way.”

Snodgrass also addressed the summer and start of the 2020 fall sports season in the interview.

“July is a very physical month for our student-athletes entering fall sports, so we have already started looking at, if this continues through the summer, we’ll have the potential of having a lot of kids who haven’t had the physical activity that they would normally have going into a fall season,” Snodgrass explained. “So for the health and safety of everyone, we have to look at the acclimation periods going into the fall, if that happens. We have to be prepared for that.”

“We’re also talking about that, if this does go through the summer, what is the likelihood that a student can get in to get a physical (annual medical exam). We have a sport medicine advisory group that is looking at that. They are looking at all aspects such as whether artificial surfaces need to be treated. We are relying on the advice of experts in our decision making.”

The OHSAA will continue to communicate throughout the spring and summer regarding any adjustments to OHSAA off-season regulations, academic eligibility standards, sports medicine updates, fall sports and more.