OHSAA officially cancels spring sports season

The Ohio High School Athletic Association officially announced the cancellation of the spring sports season Tuesday, a day after Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said schools would not reopen for this academic year. OHSAA director Jerry Snodgrass notified athletic directors Monday following DeWine's daily coronavirus briefing. A mandatory no-contact period for all interscholastic sports remains in effect until at least May 3, and a news release from the OHSAA said it could be extended. Coaches and school administrators are encouraged to have non-mandatory electronic and online communications with their student-athletes. Schools remain closed, including all athletic and training facilities. "I've heard from so many people who have said 'You really need to understand what this means to our kids,'" Snodgrass said during the interview. "I'm a parent. I was a coach. I grew up every day as a player and a coach wanting to play high school sports and get to the state tournament. So I do think I understand that. I also have to go with the fact that my number one concern that I have, over everything, is the health and safety of everyone involved. It's not just our student-athletes. It's the parents, coaches, umpires, officials, the scorekeepers. All those things enter into this. It's a tough decision and it's one that I and all the other Executive Directors of the other states never thought we would have to do. Never did I think this would be the case, but I've tried to be as prepared as I could every step of the way." In his briefing Monday, DeWine said that no decision had been made about reopening schools in the fall, and suggested some districts may reopen with a combination of online and in-person learning. Snodgrass also addressed the summer and start of fall sports in the interview. "July is a very physical month for our student-athletes entering fall sports, so we have already started looking at, if this continues through the summer, we'll have the potential of having a lot of kids who haven't had the physical activity that they would normally have going into a fall season. So for the health and safety of everyone, we have to look at the acclimation periods going into the fall, if that happens. We have to be prepared for that. We're also talking about that, if this does go through the summer, what is the likelihood that a student can get in to get a physical (annual medical exam). We have a sport medicine advisory group that is looking at that. They are looking at all aspects such as whether artificial surfaces need to be treated. We are relying on the advice of experts in our decision making."