STATE

MHSAA's looming decision on fall seasons could impact its sports calendar

Brian Calloway
Lansing State Journal
Within the next week, the Michigan High School Athletic Association plans to make its final decision on its fall high school sports seasons.

Time is ticking for the Michigan High School Athletic Association.

Within the next week, the organization plans to make its final decision on its fall high school sports seasons after pushing football to the spring.

MHSAA Executive Director Mark Uyl said there's probably a half dozen different scenarios being weighed as they look to determine how they will proceed amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

How the MHSAA decides to move on with the fall will likely impact the rest of the sports calendar for the school year.

"It’s all interconnected because certainly if we were just a single-sport organization, we could make some decision and move some things without having to worry about the other moving pieces to that," Uyl said during an appearance on "The Huge Show" Wednesday.

"We are huge believers in having multi-sport athletes. That is something that if we have to get creative toward the middle or the back end of our school year, it’s going to be protecting those different experiences for those multi-sport athletes as best that we can."

December, January and February are difficult months for outdoor activities in the state, which is why Uyl could envision a spring football season and soccer beginning in March should they need to be moved.

The winter calendar would be altered and a spring season could conclude later than normal if the decision to move sports is made.

"As much as we would love to have wrestling culminate at Ford Field and both boys and girls basketball culminating at the Breslin Center with spectators, as we sit here right now on Wednesday, Aug. 12, I just don’t see that being in the cards," Uyl said.

"What we could then do is move up the end of our winter season to where if all winter sports could be done by the end of February – now once you hit the first of March – again this is a big roll of the dice in terms of weather – you would then look at any of your fall sports that couldn’t get in.

"If things have to get moved, you’re then probably looking at a redo of the fall in probably March, April and May and your spring sports with some overlap going in May, June and those finishing up July. That’s as accurately as I can speculate as of right now. Just speaking in a 30,000-foot view, that would be the most logical scenario right now."

The biggest positive in what's been a challenging last few months for Uyl is a sense that many are willing to cooperate and do whatever it takes for student-athletes to have a three-sport experience this school year.

"Hopefully the virus and circumstances will give us the opportunity to give those kids those three seasons," Uyl said.

"Everybody just needs to remain flexible and nimble, and hopefully an opportunity will unveil itself and we can get kids back playing again safely."