Fall seasons canceled for middle school teams

BREAKING NEWS

AVA KENNEY participates in a CCMS softball camp on Thursday, the same day the IESA Board met to decide that all fall sports for middle school students will be canceled.

 

The Illinois Elementary School Association announced today that all boys and girls fall sports including baseball, softball, golf and cross-country have been canceled for the 2020-21 school year.

The IESA Board of Directors unanimously voted to cancel the seasons and the IESA state series during a board meeting on Thursday.

The Board reasoned the seasons were not possible under the Illinois Department of Public Health’s guidelines.

There is no plan to reschedule any of the fall seasons. “COVID-19 has changed the world. However, this decision is not the end of the world,” IESA Executive Director Steve Endsley commented in a letter to member schools.

“It is not the news that most students and parents want. At the end of the day, we work with junior high and middle school students. They are not professional athletes; they are not college athletes; they are not high school athletes. They will not be missing out on any college scholarships. These are mainly 12-14 year old kids who will have many more opportunities to participate (perhaps even later this school year in other activities).

“We recognize that athletics play a huge role in the lives of students. Activities, despite their importance in the development of students, can never take precedence over the health and safety of those same students as well as the health and safety of contest officials, game management, and parents/fans who attend contests.

“The IESA Board of Directors made a difficult decision but in the end they simply felt that there are too many unknowns to proceed safely at this level of play. As you process this information, I hope you will keep in mind that the Board believes they made the best decision for jr. high/middle school students.”