The PIAA again indicated on Monday that it’s seriously considering moving forward with the fall sports season, even though Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf hasn’t budged from his recommendation that all youth sports be canceled until 2021.
“We feel fairly confident that we can get school sports up and running,” said Melissa Mertz, associate executive director of the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association, said in a radio interview with WITF on Monday.
A final decision on whether or not to proceed with fall sports will be made by the PIAA board on Friday.
Wolf made his “strong recommendation” earlier this month, despite the PIAA’s many weeks of planning and preparation to begin fall sports later this month. Wolf said he made the recommendation to help stop the spread of the coronavirus. The PIAA was caught off guard by the announcement and decided to delay the start of mandatory sports practices for two weeks while it decided its next move.
“We were shocked by that because up until that point we had not received any pushback (from Wolf on the issue),” said Mertz. “It’s caused us to tap the brakes.”
“Athletes are in close contact, not just on the field but in locker rooms and in transit,” said Lyndsay Kensinger, the governor’s spokesperson. “The virus is not stopping and spreads more easily when people are in close contact. Minimizing our exposure to COVID-19 is paramount. Our focus remains on safely getting students back to learning and, if possible, in the classroom.”
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