After more than two months without high school sports, the Minnesota State High School League on Wednesday provided the first concrete step toward possibly resuming competition when it approved a June 15 starting date for summer training by coaches and athletes.
The decision, pending final approval Monday by the league's board of directors, likely will bring clarity to what's allowed this summer across Minnesota high school sports. Achieving clarity for the next season — the fall sports calendar — will take more time.
The summer waiver period, when coaches can work with their athletes, had previously been set to start on Monday. It remains scheduled to end Aug. 7, with fall activities scheduled to begin Aug. 17. League Executive Director Erich Martens said the league "will look at the results of the summer programs" and follow the guidelines set by Gov. Tim Walz before considering any delays or cancellation of fall activities because of the coronavirus pandemic.
With summer coming into focus and fall still hazy, metro-area activities and athletic directors said in recent conversations with the Star Tribune that they are moving forward with plans for fall athletics. The reason, in short: It's easier to plan now and pause later, if necessary, than to sprint at the end of summer.
"We're moving forward as if we're going to have a season," said Antony Fisher, athletic director for Minneapolis Public Schools. "We've found it's much easier to cancel on short notice than to schedule facilities, officials, those sorts of things."
Most stressed that planning doesn't equate to an expectation of competition this fall, acknowledging there are still too many variables to project that far in advance.
The MSHSL has taken its cues from the Minnesota Department of Health and the governor, but the situation's fluidity has kept it from devising a definitive timeline for the possible resumption of activities. That unpredictability trickles down to athletic offices, which fall back on normal routines with the understanding that things could change quickly.
"It might be helpful for planning to know what fall practices and sports would look like," said Troy Urdahl, St. Anthony athletic director, "but that decision can't be made in May when we don't know what the next two, three months will look like."