MHSAA remains committed to finishing volleyball season
Monday was another rough day for volleyball players around the state in an already challenging 2020. The extension of the epidemic order from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services will keep the 2020 MHSAA volleyball postseason from finishing…
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Continue ReadingMonday was another rough day for volleyball players around the state in an already challenging 2020.
The extension of the epidemic order from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services will keep the 2020 MHSAA volleyball postseason from finishing in the calendar year.
On Monday, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced that the order would be extended until at least Dec. 20 without any changes.
The MHSAA had scheduled the volleyball quarterfinals to take place on Tuesday, Dec. 15, while the state finals would be played Dec. 17-19 in Battle Creek. That was dependent on the MHSAA being given clearance to resume starting Dec. 9.
“Our goal is three seasons that will all reach the finish line, and that goal has not changed. We still have some time here in front of us, but certainly had a good, safe plan put together to let fall finish during the month of December, and very disappointed we weren’t given that opportunity or that option yesterday,” MHSAA Executive Director Mark Uyl said during an appearance on “The Huge Show” radio program.
“One thing sports teaches you is that when you get knocked down, you need to dust yourself off and get right back up. We are going to convene the meeting of our board tomorrow and see where we go next.”
Uyl wouldn’t commit to planning another date for volleyball to return, as he didn’t want to create another roller coaster of emotions following Monday’s latest developments.
The MHSAA has been in contact with the MDHHS and Gov. Whitmer about their plans to return to action. This most recent plan would have seen the volleyball tournament conclude without spectators, but that plan was not given the go-ahead.
“We had put together an incredibly well-thought-out plan, citing all of our evidence and data that we have collected from the first day of fall practice in August, and a very reasonable plan to let our three ongoing fall tournaments football, volleyball, and swim, be able to get the closure and to do it safely during the month of December,” Uyl said.
“I’m all about following the science and the data and the metrics, what we were told in that phone conversation is that the epidemiology would not allow sports to resume. When asked for specifics of that epidemiology or copies or evidence, we are still waiting for that.”
Uyl pointed toward the numbers during the volleyball season that each week, no less than 94 percent of teams were able to safely compete and didn’t have a COVID-19 situation that required them to quarantine.
The question now is a matter of when. When will volleyball be able to return?
Even in the current order, club volleyball faces challenges as well as they were set to get the ball rolling on their 2021 seasons.
Gov. Whitmer stressed on Monday that her focus is on the classroom before the athletic field.
“As a parent of a high schooler, and as the Governor of Michigan, I believe that our first priority should be getting students back in the classroom safely,” she said during the press conference. “That I believe is paramount.”
Uyl is hoping that the circumstances of 2020 will ultimately lead Whitmer to change her stance.
“When it comes to school and school sports in normal times, I would agree that the optics of not having in-person education but still playing athletics is not ideal. In normal times, that is not ideal. However, these are anything but normal times,” he said.
“If we believe that over the next two to three weeks until the holidays that it’s still not safe to bring every high school student back to campus and have all in-person education, that there is still some heartburn or some issues there, I can understand that, but why can’t we open up the parts of programs connected to the school that can be reopened and reengaged safely?”