MIAA delays start of spring season
Heeding the recommendations and mandates from Gov. Charlie Baker and various health agencies, the MIAA Board of Directors voted Monday to move the start of the spring season back three weeks to April 27.
Under the current parameters, if all systems are ready to go on that day, the season could start as soon as May 7 and all championships would be concluded by June 20 (June 21 in the event of weather or other extenuating circumstances).
“My thought process was to try and give the kids hope,” said Duxbury athletic director Thom Holdgate, who serves on the board of directors. “This is a unique situation, we want to provide the best possible experience for the kids.”
While no one knows what will transpire over the next six weeks, many officials were happy that the MIAA is working toward trying to get the student-athletes out on the field as soon as safely possible.
“Everything changes day to day, but hopefully we can get out there six weeks from now,” said Tewksbury athletic director Ron Drouin. (The MIAA) is doing all they can do to salvage spring sports.”
While the first day of practice is now in place, when teams can actually start the season still has to be ironed out. By MIAA rules, teams must practice for 11 days before playing. The Tournament Management Committee will meet later in the week and the prime topic on the table will be whether an adjustment can be made to that in order to start the season sooner.
“Kids are going to be ready to play,” said Wellesley athletic director John Brown, who is a member of the TMC. “If we actually get to start on April 27, I really think they would be ready to play in a week.”
The extra time also gives schools an opportunity to make adjustments to their schedule. Many schools will be looking at the possibility of playing anywhere from 8-10 games.
“This gives us a more realistic time table,” said St. Mary’s athletic director Jeff Newhall. “We have to start to plan our schedule as we’re going to be playing a smaller version of a regular season.”
As for how many games and what kind of tournament can be contested in a short period remains to be seen. Central Catholic baseball coach John Sexton spoke for many when he looked at Monday’s news from a positive standpoint.
“Anything is better than nothing,” Sexton said. “The biggest thing is the health and well being of everyone. If we get the clearance from the governor to play, that would be great. I have 12 seniors on the team and I don’t want to go to them and say that everything is canceled.”