The MIAA Tournament Management Committee unanimously approved a proposal on Wednesday to cancel the association’s sanctioned high school sports winter postseason. The motion also encourages districts and leagues to run local postseason tournaments as they see fit.
Although the vote passed, the cancelation of the MIAA sanctioned postseason is not set in stone. The Tournament Management Committee will now bring the proposal to the association’s Board of Directors. From there, the board will vote on the proposal and make a final decision.
Wahconah Athletic Director Jared Shannon, who also serves on the MIAA’s COVID Task Force, brought forward the motion during Wednesday’s meeting.
A roundtable discussion between members of the TMC followed Shannon’s initial address to the committee. Members discussed how their respective communities feel about the idea of winter sports and the ensuing postseason.
Northampton Associate Principal Kara Sheridan said that in conversations she has had the last few weeks with local athletic directors, there is more concern with executing a winter regular season than organizing a postseason.
“The question really has been, if we are not allowing kids into the schools on a regular basis, are we allowing them into pool areas, gyms, and other things like that?” Sheridan said. “The question of tournaments has not come up as much as regular season and if there is a safe way to do it.”
Sheridan went on to say that the execution of the Fall I season has gone well for her school and that keeping play at a local level moving forward into the winter would be a good idea.
Many other members of the committee also felt this way.
Westborough Athletic Director Johanna DiCarlo said that in a recent survey given out to athletic directors in Central Massachusetts, respondents overwhelmingly favored keeping play at a local level moving forward into the winter.
“I believe those of us that can compete this fall are managing it and are pretty proud of what is going on right now,” DiCarlo said. “I personally feel as if creating the same system for winter would be reassuring for districts and kids. They know what to expect. ... I understand we want to give the kids the opportunity to compete, but I feel like, in my area, we are doing that with pod championships and providing teams with an opportunity to have a postseason feel. I lean toward wanting more local control again.”
Although most committee members were in favor of canceling the MIAA winter postseason, there were some members initially that were not totally on board with the idea.
Dennis-Yarmouth Principal Paul Funk said that he favored implementing a cutoff date for regular-season games in the winter to leave the door open for a possible state tournament if coronavirus conditions improve.
“I’m on the side that we should move forward and try to have one,” Funk said. “Competition is key for our kids. I’m maybe wired a bit differently, but I understand it ... it’s a difficult decision.”
St. Mary’s (Lynn) Athletic Director Jeff Newhall echoed Funk’s stance.
“I’m in favor of a tournament of some sort,” Newhall said. “I don’t think we need to decide today what that looks like, but I think it’s critical for an advanced planning committee to come up with a cutoff date for regular season planning.”
During Wednesday’s meeting, Shannon said that if there were to be a winter statewide postseason, Wahconah would not participate because Berkshire schools cannot play schools outside of its geographic bubble. He said that the idea of having a statewide tournament where several teams would not be able to participate would be inequitable.
“There is a range of reasons why I firmly believe a state tournament will not happen,” Shannon said. “One reason is that a lot of schools won’t be able to participate or travel. ... I think why a decision needs to be made sooner rather than later is that a lot of us have to get plans approved by school committees after the EEA guidance comes out. ... Whether or not you have a postseason plays into how you schedule your season.”
Director of Athletics for Springfield Public School Dwayne Early was in favor of keeping play local moving into the fall. Early mentioned Springfield’s current situation of being on a two-week pause of athletics due to the city moving into the red and a member of a sports team testing positive for coronavirus.
A decision will be made the week of October 26th on whether Springfield schools will resume its athletic seasons.
“We have played in a bubble and kept it local, and it has been a good thing,” Early said. “It has been a challenge, but keeping it local is probably the best move for all involved.”
Before the vote, some members raised questions about the phrasing of the motion and how that would affect regions putting on sectional tournaments if it were to pass. Shannon said that with an approval vote, regions could theoretically put on sectional tournaments. Still, they would not be sanctioned by the MIAA and would have to be allowed under state guidance.
DiCarlo mentioned that Central Mass. puts on the Clark High School Basketball Tournament every winter, where teams are invited to play. She thinks that the districts could follow that same model moving into the winter.
“This is not much different than what we do already,” DiCarlo said.
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