(1-13-21) More bad news for Illinois High School athletes and fans.
From the IHSA web site –
As of January 12, 2021, the Illinois Department of Public Health has made no changes to its COVID-19 mitigations tier status. IHSA sports remain on pause as a result. We will report to our member schools and provide public updates as soon as any are available.
Wednesday, January 13, 2021
The Illinois High School Association (IHSA) Board of Directors met for its regularly scheduled meeting on Wednesday, January 13, 2021, where the Board announced that all IHSA sports not operating under an official IHSA season calendar may begin to conduct contact days as soon as they are allowable per Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) mitigations and local school guidance. Contact days normally exist within the IHSA as informal voluntary offseason workouts.
IHSA Executive Director Craig Anderson
“The IHSA acknowledges the immense mental, emotional, and physical strain that a lack of contact with school programs is causing Illinois high school student-athletes. It is our intention that these contact days provide sport-specific training under the leadership of high school coaches. This is an effort to provide a viable sports option to high school athletes given the growing number of student-athletes opting for higher risk opportunities within the state and across state lines.”
Additionally, the Board reviewed several options outlining a sports schedule framework for the remainder of the school year. The Board directed the IHSA staff to take feedback from today’s meeting, as well as any insight gained in the coming weeks, and bring forward viable scheduling options for a special Board meeting on January 27, 2021. The Board will provide an update following that meeting.
Once state leadership allows for low-risk winter sports (Boys & Girls Bowling, Cheerleading, Dance, Girls Gymnastics, Boys Swimming & Diving) to begin participation, those teams will be allowed to begin practice immediately and then continue their season through the season calendar established by the Board later this month.
The IHSA Board of Directors released a joint statement following today’s meeting:
“We realize there is a desire for finality on a sports schedule for 2020-21, however, we did not believe it would be prudent to lock ourselves into a schedule at a time when IHSA schools are unable to conduct any sports. Per Governor Pritzker, we have hope that low-risk sports may be permitted in certain regions of the state as early as this Friday (January 15). With that in mind, February seems like a realistic timeline to have sports resume statewide. We expect that the events of the next two weeks will go a long way toward informing our opinion on which scheduling option we decide to proceed with. We recognize that if no sports have resumed by February, season lengths could be impacted in certain sports, and that we may need to take a longer look at the likelihood of true seasons being conducted in high-risk sports this year. Our overall goal remains unchanged, as we hope to conduct all IHSA sports during the remainder of the school year calendar. Please know that we see and read many of the comments and messages from student-athletes, coaches, and parents, and that we are doing everything we can to try and bring IHSA sports back within the current parameters we are working in.”
The IHSA successfully conducted seasons in golf, girls tennis, cross country, and girls swimming & diving through Sectional competition this fall, but all IHSA sports have been paused since November 20.
Anderson added:
“We remain collaborative in our efforts with IDPH and the Governor’s office. We are trying to do our part to fight the pandemic, while simultaneously seeking safe participation opportunities for our student-athletes. We understand the real mental toll this pause in athletics is having on Illinois high school student-athletes. We believe that school-based athletic participation is better regulated, making it the safest participation option for our students, and more data continues to emerge supporting that stance. We will continue to share that information with state leadership in hopes that we can work together to provide participation opportunities for young people in our state.”
Stateline Sports Network 
My son is a senior. We are adults and just want at least want to see him play football for one last season. The sport has been played in neighboring states and at the college level with few incidents. We accept the risk! Let. Them. Play! This obscene lockdown is creating a mental health crisis that is worse for teens than the pandemic! Let. Them. Play!
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If HS Sports are that critical to kids’ mental health, what are most of them going to do after HS when they’re no longer able to play organized sports, dissolve into a puddle of emotional uselessness? This seems to be more of an issue for parents than most of the kids I’ve talked to. If parents cannot find other avenues or interests to engage in with their children during this time, its a parenting issue, not a lockdown issue. Both of my HS kids start & play in multiple sports & both are well adjusted enough to handle missing a season(s) of sports. HS Sports are an optional hobby & pastime, not a live or die activity that will derail a kid’s life from HS on. Perhaps it’s time to take a personal inventory, prioritize what is truly important, & set a good example by conveying that to your children.
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If HS kids’ mental well being is so tied to HS Sports, that missing a season will reduce them to a puddle of emotional uselessness, that is a parental issue more than a lockdown issue. I have 2 HS athletes that both play & start in multiple sports, & while they don’t like the current situation, they’ve learned to cope with it. Isn’t that truly the best lesson sports can teach, the ability to deal with disappointment / loss? My experience has been. this mainly upsetting to parents more concerned with, living vicariously through their children’s athletic exploits (& somehow using that a proof of their parental efficacy), than being good role models & helping their kids find other worthwhile interests / hobbies. Set a good example & do not allow life to be derailed by something you have no control over. Perhaps everyone needs to utilize some self introspection & find alternative ways to enrich their lives & examine what their priorities are.
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