Coronavirus puts Idaho high school sports on hold for at least three weeks
The governing body for Idaho’s high school sports suspended all spring sports and activities for three weeks and canceled the state cheer and dance championships scheduled for this weekend Monday morning in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
The suspension of spring sports starts Tuesday and runs through Sunday, April 5 — a week longer than the suspension put in place by the 5A and 4A Southern Idaho Conferences in the Treasure Valley.
The Idaho High School Activities Association cited advice from public health officials, balancing competitive equity across the state and trying to maintain the schedule for the spring state tournaments as reasons for the suspension in a news release.
Idaho hosts the state tournaments for its sanctioned spring sports May 11-16, the weekend before Memorial Day. The IHSAA said it will not extend the season past those dates.
“We heard from our superintendents about graduation and end-of-the-year activities,” said Mike Federico, an assistant director with the IHSAA. “They didn’t want it to be extended because then you have seniors leaving. Trying to change those schedules at the end of the year is really, really hard.”
Idaho’s sanctioned spring sports include baseball, softball, track and field, tennis and golf.
The suspension includes all games, practices and meetings by all members of the IHSAA.
Idaho’s high schools boys and girls lacrosse leagues, which are not governed by the IHSAA, have also suspended their games and practices until further notice.
The IHSAA planned to host its state debate championships last weekend at Boise High but had to postpone the event. It said it will try to combine debate with the state speech championships April 17-18 at Coeur d’Alene High.
The state governing body’s decision follows a hectic Sunday as schools throughout the Treasure Valley and Idaho weighed closing their doors. Idaho declined to shut down its schools statewide, unlike many of its neighbors — instead leaving the decision up to local school districts.
The Boise, West Ada and Middleton school districts closed for two weeks effective Monday. Nampa, Caldwell, Emmett, Kuna and Vallivue will remain open Monday and Tuesday before shuttering Wednesday until April 6.
Superintendents of districts in the Southern Idaho Conference met via a conference call Sunday and agreed to postpone all of their sports and activities until March 30, the first day after the scheduled spring break.
The IHSAA’s decision extends that suspension for an additional week.
“Our Southern Idaho Conference superintendents agreed today we are going to temporarily halt all sporting events through spring break,” Kuna Superintendent Wendy Johnson said in a Facebook video Sunday night. “And we would regroup to see if we are going to make that permanent through the rest of the season, or if we were going to feel comfortable enough to get sports started again.
“Kind of our rule of thumb is if school isn’t in session, sports aren’t in session. I know that’s disappointing to many of you that are involved and active in spring sports. But again, the biggest reason is to halt the spread.”
This story was originally published March 15, 2020 at 9:08 PM.
