To be, or not to be?
That’s the burning question for athletes, coaches and administrators preparing for the Indiana high school fall sports season.
Athletes at Columbus East, Columbus North and Hauser are waiting on a decision by the Indiana High School Athletic Association regarding this year’s fall sports season.
There are several scenarios that could happen: a full season of fall sports with no interruptions, a delayed start to the season that will have a conclusion, a start to the season that’ll be cut short if another wave similar to mid-March occurs, moving the largest contact fall sports events to the spring, or fall sports being canceled all together.
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While most players, coaches and fans hope the first scenario happens, the trends have been pointing in the wrong direction.
Cancellations started in the college ranks more than two weeks ago. On July 8, the Ivy League was the first to cancel its fall sports season. A day later, the Big Ten announced its teams will play conference-only schedules. The Pac-12 Conference followed the Big Ten’s lead 24 hours later, and it’s now looking likely all of the "Power Five" conferences will play conference-only schedules.
Locally, athletes fear that the collegiate cancellations are a sign of things to come.
"It’s definitely one of the biggest fears, not getting to play football," North senior running back Blake Huffman said. "Especially with the big colleges doing what they’re doing, it could definitely hurt stuff in the future. Hopefully, if we keep following the guidelines and keep doing what we’re supposed to be doing, we can have a season."
Since organized high school team activities started on July 6, positive COVID-19 cases have popped up at schools like Fishers, Silver Creek, Brownstown Central, Beech Grove, Terre Haute South (a Conference Indiana opponent for North) and Floyd Central (a Hoosier Hills Conference foe for East).
Earlier this month, Washington Township Schools in Indianapolis, which includes North Central, suspended all athletic activity until further notice.
"It’s something I’m definitely worried about since we’re already seeing some schools are canceling until further notice," East junior volleyball player Cadence Gilley said. "We definitely want a season, so it is very concerning."
Indianapolis Public Schools announced earlier this week that the schools are going to be delayed by at least two weeks due to the recent spike in COVID-19 cases, which also delayed athletic programs until at least Aug. 29.
Indiana’s high school athletic programs aren’t the only ones making tough decisions.
More than a dozen states, including New York, New Jersey, Tennessee, Arizona, Mississippi, West Virginia and Washington, have announced that all their fall sports will have a delayed start.
California, a football-rich state, has pushed back the start of prep sports until no earlier than December. Georgia, another football-heavy state, has pushed back its start to the football two weeks to Sept. 4.
Texas, the most popular state for high school football, has delayed its start, as well.
It could only be a matter of time until Indiana follows suit, but there could be some optimism. IHSAA Commissioner Paul Neidig, in an interview with WNDU-TV in South Bend on Monday, said the IHSAA doesn’t plan to cancel fall sports.
"There’s definitely been a lot of rumors that (fall sports are) not going to happen, but I’m trying to be optimistic and hope that we still do (have a season)," Hauser senior volleyball player Aunaka Wasil said. "It would be sad, and I would be really destroyed if we didn’t. It would be awful."
Despite the deceleration by Neidig, plans could still change in an instant.
The state is currently at Stage 4.5 in Gov. Eric Holcomb’s Back on Track Indiana plan. On Wednesday, Holcomb mandated mask usage by all Hoosiers, including high school students, starting Monday. It is not currently clear how the requirement will affect high school athletics. Stage 4.5 expires on July 31, but Holcomb has the authority to extend it even longer or move the state back a stage if conditions worsen.
With the spring sports being canceled earlier this year, having no fall sports could have a big impact on the community.
"I think it will have a huge impact on the kids, and just the community in general, because we didn’t even get spring sports last year, and even though I don’t play a spring sport, we would always go and watch some of my friends play baseball, softball, whatever it would be," North junior soccer player Jenna Lang said. "It’s a chance for kids to represent their school, and lets the whole community come together to watch the teams compete, and watch them compete in state tournaments. No one has really seen any live sports for a long time now, so I think that it will have a big impact on people."
