When will we know if there be a spring sports season? What would the season look like? Boil down the 22 questions offered up during a Minnesota State High School League video conference call with 200 school administrators last week and those two themes remain. The league replied via e-mail Monday but offered no answers. Because it can't. Because key information isn't known. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Gov. Tim Walz closed schools in favor of distance learning until at least May 4. The league remains cautiously optimistic about resuming the spring season while simultaneously wondering about logistics as far out as next school year. The first of the league's 22-question Q&A set the tone. Q: Will the League's decision on play or no play be determined the Governor's decision on return to school? A: The governor's decisions regarding "Return to School" as well as social distancing mandates have a direct impact on every decision the MSHSL Board of Directors make regarding spring participation. The best the league can do right now is assure its member schools that it is gathering all the needed information and considering the various scenarios to make a modified spring sports season work. A reply to one of the 22 questions indicated "there are a number of variations for a Spring season that we will discuss" on Thursday, during the second installment of the league's new L.E.A.D. Network, which stands for leadership, education, administration and development. The network will provide weekly outreach while all Minnesota schools remain closed. Another reply foreshadowed a longer road back to normalcy ahead. Q: Piggybacking on some of the other comments regarding the "spike" or "peak" of the virus being in the mid-summer time frame, have there been any discussions regarding how this might impact the fall activities? A: Yes, those discussions have and continue to take place at multiple levels. We all need to think about what participation may look like for Spring and Summer as well as the 2020-2021 school year.
