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It is a go for High School Cross Country in Illinois

Published by
ILXCTF - Mike Newman   Jul 29th 2020, 11:40pm
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It is a go for High School Cross Country in Illinois

 

 

 

By Michael Newman

 

[email protected]

 

 

 

The Illinois High School Association (IHSA) announced on July 29 their guidelines for the upcoming 2020-2021 school season. Cross Country was one of the four sports that was allowed to begin practice on August 10 with an end date of October 24. State series events will be determined by the advisory committee of that sport.

 

In an e-mail reply, Kraig Garber, Assistant Executive Director for Cross Country for the IHSA, set the possibility of a state series is to be determined. Another source indicated that they are willing to find a way to hold a state meet.

 

IHSA Announcement for 2020-2021 school year

 

However, having a state meet this fall is not a guarantee. We will just have to say how this plays out. The advisory committee will also have to figure out how a Pandemic Cross Country meet will be conducted. There is a great possibility that spectators will not be allowed on the meet site. Again, that is yet to be determined.

 

The release of the guidelines by the IHSA was delayed close to one hour to nearly 3:00 PM CDT. There was so much anticipation what was going to happen that the IHSA website crashed for close to one hour.

 

What was not also anticipated in how things would be released. It was supposed to be the IHSA first followed by the State of Illinois.

 

That was not the case.

 

Governor JD Pritzker (D) of Illinois in his noon time press conference established the guidelines from the State of Illinois in which sports could be conducted in the state. For Cross Country, the sport was considered a “Lower Risk Level” Sport.

 

State of Illinois Guidelines

 

“It’s very painful, frankly, for all of us to make this realization,” Pritzker said. “With rising rates of spread and rising positivity rates throughout Illinois and the United States this is a situation where the toughest choice is also the safest choice.”

 

Craig Anderson, the IHSA Executive Director, said in a media conference call late Wednesday afternoon that the IHSA would release their guidelines first. “When I was in the Board of Directors meeting, I received a text that the Governor was speaking first,” Anderson said. “I have not heard what Governor Pritzker said. That is how it played out.”

 

Anderson said also during the call it will be up to the particular school if they want to participate in the sport. There have been a couple of schools that said their Football team will not participate during the spring.

 

Anderson also said in his 50 minute call that what was going on in the states around Illinois did play in the final decisions that were made.

 

“I was aware what was happening around us,” Anderson added. “Each of the heads of the state associations would have zoom calls every week. The calls recently had people in the national federations discussing the upcoming season.”

 

What happens next will take a ton of work within the IHSA, the coaches in the sport, and the athletes on how meets will look this fall. According to the state guidelines, Cross Country is at Level 3 of 4 levels. In that level, Intra-Conference, or Intra-EMS Region (State of Illinois regions) meets will be allowed. State or conference/league championships will be allowed for low risk sports.

 

Hours after the IHSA announcement was made, coaches were all over twitter looking for teams for meets. The change had already begun. What also needs to be thought out is that some schools will begin with online learning to begin the year. Will those school districts allow student/athletes to participate in sports? That will be a decision the school districts will need to decide on.

 

There will be sacrifices that need to be made. Meets will look different than we have been at in the past.

 

No fans is a possibility at meets. Different ways that we run the race with flights or staggering starts could be a possibility.

 

If we can continue with the sacrifices that we have made with wearing masks and following social distancing, this season could be a season that we can celebrate for more than one reason.

 

 

 

 

 



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