WESTFIELD – One of the final dominoes has fallen in the sports landscape. On Thursday, the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association announced it would be suspending the start of the 2020 high school sports spring season due to the outbreak of the Coronavirus, or COVID-19.
Tryouts and practices, which were expected to begin across the region on Monday, have been suspended until March 30.
“This decision is based on available information from numerous health agencies and is made in the best interest of our student-athletes, schools, and communities,” MIAA Director of Communications Tara Bennett stated in an e-mail sent to participating schools’ athletic directors.
Due to this change in the schedule, teams are not allowed to start regular season play until 11 days following the first day of practice.
“The MIAA is just taking the necessary precautions,” Westfield High School athletic coordinator Ryan Dunphy said.
Under the new guidelines, several local teams could lose close to two weeks of regularly scheduled games. No details regarding a schedule “fix” have been provided at this time.
It has been a whirlwind week in the sports community – and around the nation – as major professional sports leagues, collegiate athletics, and semi-pro sports have all been shut down, some indefinitely. March Madness, which generates close to a billion dollars annually, headlined the week’s list of cancellations.
The MIAA also suspended the conclusion of state basketball and hockey tournaments and championships.
