MSHSL announces spring sports limitations due to Coronavirus concerns
MINNEAPOLIS - With the remaining winter state tournaments canceled and the spring activities on hold for now, the Minnesota State High School League released new guidelines and limitations Tuesday for spring sports.
Due to Coronavirus concerns, all spring competitions and practice have been halted. Governor Tim Walz ordered all Minnesota schools to be closed, starting Wednesday. The school districts that could closed Monday, and many have gone online for classes for the remainder of the school year.
MSHSL officials said Tuesday the state’s coaches and athletic directors may not have in-person contacts with participants, require or suggest groups of participants get together, suggest or support captain’s practices or open gyms, give evaluation or feedback on a participant’s performance, require participants to work out individually or in skills training or pressure participants into individual workouts or skills training.
So what can coaches and athletic directors do? They can contact participants via technological means, provide optional workouts or skills training via electronic communication and connect with those who are challenged in their daily lives by Covid-19 limitations and restrictions.
On Sunday, the Centers for Disease Control recommended that to prevent the spread of Coronavirus, there not be any public gatherings of 50 or more for a minimum of eight weeks. With that timeline, spring high school sports in Minnesota could not start at the earliest until the middle of May. That’s typically the time the spring postseason starts for most sports.
Due to Coronavirus, champions could not be crowned in girls basketball, adapted floor hockey and boys basketball. There’s now a chance that the spring sports scene won’t get the chance to start for baseball, softball, track and field, golf and tennis.