Ohio High School Softball/Coronavirus

Poisonut

Member
Knowing now that all Ohio schools will be shut down for the next 3 weeks any thoughts on how this will affect the softball season?
1. I would think teams would be prohibited from practicing during this period
2. Would they give them a week to warm back up before starting the season?
3. Would they push back the season?
4. Being that it is not a revenue sport could they just decide to cancel the season?
 
 
I would think that cancelling the season would be across the board. Either all the OHSAA Spring sports are cancelled or none of them are.

Personally, I hope they wait with their decisions. Even if the season ends up just being the tournament, I could live with that. Maybe even make the district double-elimination and play games more frequently.
 
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This is the time for outside the box thinking. If you have to cancel part of the season, that is fine but don't make a decision on the rest of it until the last minute. The tournament can still be run. Play 3-5 games in a week. Play weekend double-headers. Push it back a little into the Summer. Way too early to scrap the whole thing like the NCAA did.

It's like cancelling a game two days away because it is supposed to rain. Wait and see whether if it rains before cancelling.
 
Our school was told tonight that it was their last practice until April 6th. Everything was shut down and will not be started again until classes resume.
 
Currently its a state directed mandate starting Monday 3/16 that for three weeks no school and no extra curricular activities.
With HS winter playoffs getting canceled and the expected announcement to run to April 30th it does not look good for spring sports this year.
 
Currently its a state directed mandate starting Monday 3/16 that for three weeks no school and no extra curricular activities.
With HS winter playoffs getting canceled and the expected announcement to run to April 30th it does not look good for spring sports this year.
Where did you see winter sports were canceled? I've only seen that it is postponed. Also where did the April 30th come from? I listened to the press conference and it said things would be revisited on April 3rd no the 30th. April 3rd is only a week into the spring season, if that is the case there is still plenty of time to get the season in.
 
As a summer coach, I would welcome delaying and playing HS season into late June and giving up some summer tournaments. The girls work so hard that I would hate to see a rush to judgement on HS season.
 
Where did you see winter sports were canceled? I've only seen that it is postponed. Also where did the April 30th come from? I listened to the press conference and it said things would be revisited on April 3rd no the 30th. April 3rd is only a week into the spring season, if that is the case there is still plenty of time to get the season in.
Arbiter is sending notices to coaches / ADs on canceled games. (I received 6 today out to April 10). Our school has canceled all spring activities including Practice from 3/16 until further notice.

As school districts gear up for the alternative instruction that could go into late April look for athletics to not be a priority. It sucks but I think districts are afraid of getting sued. Heck some SW and SE districts have already called off through mid April as well as the SW HS coaches meeting this weekend.



 
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Interestingly, they just announced that the Winter sports championships may still be played at some time in April. This seems like the first little ray of sunlight through these dark clouds.
 
Interestingly, they just announced that the Winter sports championships may still be played at some time in April. This seems like the first little ray of sunlight through these dark clouds.

Its kind of BS the way information has been handled by OHSAA especially for the student athlete. UPDATE your darn website!

Jerry Snodgrass is in a tough spot but the communication has to be better...You do not go out on the 9th and say we will play without spectators then two days later change your mind...Its stressful enough for the students let alone with all of the changing and vague info....Hopefully over the weekend OHSAA, ODE and the Health Department can get some consistent direction so school districts, programs, students and parents are not held in limbo...
 
Arbiter is sending notices to coaches / ADs on canceled games. (I received 6 today out to April 10). Our school has canceled all spring activities including Practice from 3/16 until further notice.

As school districts gear up for the alternative instruction that could go into late April look for athletics to not be a priority. It sucks but I think districts are afraid of getting sued. Heck some SW and SE districts have already called off through mid April as well as the SW HS coaches meeting this weekend.




Title is misleading quote from the article

The OHSAA said in a news conference Thursday it has decided to postpone indefinitely the regional boys’ basketball tournament, the state girls’ basketball tournament, the state ice hocket tournament and state wrestling tournament.

I agree that spring sports are in jeopardy, but I still think if things clear up they will try to put together a condensed season starting mid-April and run into early June. If things don't level out or clear up, I think you will begin to see other things like senior proms and graduation ceremonies canceled which will be very unfortunate for the young people involved.
 
It will be interesting to see the response if the major sports begin playing again in a few weeks. If the NBA and MLB think it is OK to play in front of crowds of 20,000-40,000, it will be tough to tell the kids that they can't play a sport where the attendees are measured in the dozens and it is outdoor.
 
Title is misleading quote from the article

The OHSAA said in a news conference Thursday it has decided to postpone indefinitely the regional boys’ basketball tournament, the state girls’ basketball tournament, the state ice hocket tournament and state wrestling tournament.

I agree that spring sports are in jeopardy, but I still think if things clear up they will try to put together a condensed season starting mid-April and run into early June. If things don't level out or clear up, I think you will begin to see other things like senior proms and graduation ceremonies canceled which will be very unfortunate for the young people involved.
The verbage used by OHSAA is what is causing such issues. Jerry needs to be black and white. Using "Postponed Indefinitely" was a bad choice of words...Leaving kids and parents thinking there was hope for a restart of the tournament with the word Postponed...Its done and he needed to state that in plain english as canceled it averts what is currently happening.... Looking at the OHSAA schedule there is no opportunity to get both winter events and spring events going back up in mid to late April. I hope they get it together and we can start spring events in three weeks.
 
I agree that it doesn’t look good. They don’t expect the virus to peak until the end of April, if that turns out to be the case then I think they forego the season. I’d feel terrible for the kids and it would serve as a really hard life lesson, but if that’s what needs done than it’s what needs done.
 
Its kind of BS the way information has been handled by OHSAA especially for the student athlete. UPDATE your darn website!

Jerry Snodgrass is in a tough spot but the communication has to be better...You do not go out on the 9th and say we will play without spectators then two days later change your mind...Its stressful enough for the students let alone with all of the changing and vague info....Hopefully over the weekend OHSAA, ODE and the Health Department can get some consistent direction so school districts, programs, students and parents are not held in limbo...

That’s just a sign of how rapidly things changed this week. Every organization was in the same boat. Unless you were responsible for making decisions like this you wouldn’t understand.

Are you all opposed to this or hoping we come back in April even looking at the statistical models? There is no way we are coming back in April. Do you think Harvard shut down without speaking to the brightest people in the business? Do you think the brightest people include Alex Jones?
 
That’s just a sign of how rapidly things changed this week. Every organization was in the same boat. Unless you were responsible for making decisions like this you wouldn’t understand.

Are you all opposed to this or hoping we come back in April even looking at the statistical models? There is no way we are coming back in April. Do you think Harvard shut down without speaking to the brightest people in the business? Do you think the brightest people include Alex Jones?
Yes every organization was in the same boat however there is a difference in how other sports organizations handled communication....Yes, OHSAA is in a tough spot and the rapidly changing environment does make it tough but it is important to give clear information and direction.
Their press releases on the 9th and 11th could have been better IMO.

What the NCAA has done and are doing actually is a good model for communication and helps the athletes, programs and schools deal with the disappointment and leaves no room for false hope... (Heck, even in this thread there are posters that think winter tournaments may start back up)....
I would love to see spring sports start up in mid April, however realistically like you stated and the Ohio Health department has stated they think it will be mid to late April for the virus to even peek. (Thus why school districts have been told to plan to find alternative means to deliver instruction up to April 30th so if students are out that long I do not see Spring sports starting back up).
As far as Alex Jones, I will have to say listen to the Health experts. Not TV/Radio host, entertainers or most politicians...
 
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The memo said as of now games can start back up on 4/11
Its really wishful thinking that sports will start back up April 11th.. In SW Ohio a lot of schools are out through April 13th? and, there will be a re-evaluation prior to that date for extended timeline. The OHSAA memo sent out Friday 13th stated that these dates are tentative based on the shutdown and return from Governor DeWine allowing schools to April 6th.
 
OHSAA Email


March 13, 2020

TO:
Member School Administrators
FR: Jerry Snodgrass, OHSAA Executive Director
RE: Winter and Spring Sports Update

Good afternoon to each of you in these challenging and unique times! This communication is to update you on several issues that are related to Ohio Governor Mike DeWine’s recent order mandating school closures beginning next week and their impact on school-based athletics. Please note this communication contains an attachment of “Q and A’s” that should address all questions you and/or coaches may have. Those can be found here: https://ohsaaweb.blob.core.windows.net/files/Sports/OHSAASpr-WinQ'sA's.pdf

I am asking that you share this communication with your administrative team to include principals, superintendents and athletic administrators and be especially sure that all coaches are aware of the items in this communication.

OHSAA Regional and State Boys Basketball, State Girls Basketball, State Ice Hockey and State Individual Wrestling Tournaments

As announced Thursday, the above-mentioned tournaments are postponed indefinitely. Given the rapidly changing events nationally and statewide, we are assessing the situation daily. It is impossible to make a determination today . . . the reason for continuing them to be ‘postponed.’ If your team remains in the tournament, you need to remind them that the “non-interscholastic rule” remains in effect. Further, we have implemented indefinitely a no-contact period, which prohibits any coach, paid or volunteer, approved by the Board of Education to provide coaching, instruction or supervising conditioning and physical fitness programs or open gyms to members of a school team in their sports. Again, we are assessing this daily and we WILL keep you up-to-date on a regular basis.

All Sports
A MANDATORY no-contact period is in effect for all school-sponsored sports March 17-April 5, 2020. Additionally, there will be a mandatory shut down of facilities used for the purpose of conducting athletics activities from March 17-April 5, 2020.

A couple key points to remember:
  1. We are RELYING on your communication with your coaches to ensure compliance. Bylaw 11 (Penalties) of the OHSAA Handbook outlines the ability to assess penalties for violation. Obviously, we do not want violations, which makes your oversight and communication vital.
  1. The OHSAA Non-Interscholastic Rule is still applicable to all athletes, including spring sport athletes. For spring sport athletes, they are in violation of the non-interscholastic rule if they participate in any non-school sport in the same season if they have already participated in a scrimmage or contest for the school team in that sport. Additionally, at no time are they permitted to participate in any non-school sport exceeding the 50% limitation defined in General Sport Regulation 7.

Spring Sport Out-of-State Travel
Obviously, this is highly discouraged, and we urge all schools to cancel these trips. We also know that it is impossible in a few cases to obtain refunds. In those instances, we have no choice but to permit that to continue. However, please note:
  • Any contest played will be counted toward the total number permitted;
  • No NEW trips may be scheduled that have not previously been scheduled, and
  • It is highly recommended that the conditions outlined in Ohio Department of Health Director Dr. Amy Acton’s order be followed regarding the number of individuals permitted at the event (see the Q’s and A’s for more information).

With the return to school date tentatively set by Governor DeWine for April 6, the following will TENTATIVELY be in place:
April 6 – 10 MANDATORY Practices and/or Acclimatization (if required)
April 11 All Scrimmages/Regular Season Contests may begin
Tournaments will remain on dates as currently scheduled

Please note: Since the current situation is rapidly changing, any of these may need to be adjusted. IF they are, notification will go out immediately to schools. Thank you for your attention to this matter!


Serving Our Member Schools and Enriching Opportunities for Students
url




PLEASE NOTE: This email, attachments and any response to it may constitute a public record, and therefore may be made available upon request in accordance with Ohio public records law. (ORC 149.43)
 
Everybody likes to think they would have done a better job responding to a crisis. ?

My guess is most of those people have no responsibility for doing such things in a public forum.
 
That’s just a sign of how rapidly things changed this week. Every organization was in the same boat. Unless you were responsible for making decisions like this you wouldn’t understand.

Are you all opposed to this or hoping we come back in April even looking at the statistical models? There is no way we are coming back in April. Do you think Harvard shut down without speaking to the brightest people in the business? Do you think the brightest people include Alex Jones?
Totally agree. The higher ups are just lessening the blow when it happens.
 
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