Virginia Looks For Spring Sports Options As Schools Close Permanently For The 2019-2020 Academic Yea

On Monday, Virginia Governor, Ralph Northam, announced that schools in the Commonwealth of Virginia will remain closed for the 2019-2020 academic school year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. With that decision being made, the Virginia High School League, the governing body of high school sports in the state, held a conference call on Tuesday morning to discuss their options for the currently suspended spring sports season. The outcome of the call was that the VHSL would delay a final decison on spring sports until May, but as noted by the VHSL executive director, Dr. John W "Billy" Haun, "this is extremely serious and a lot has to happen before May for us to extend the season," adding, "in every situation, every decision we make, has been and will be made in the best interest of our student-athletes and public safety." During the call, it was noted that in order for teams to practice and play during the summer, the VHSL Executive committee would need to provide a one-time waiver allowing teams to practice and play during the July dead period which is the first week of the month. In addition, should there be any games played during the summer, there will not be any 2020 VHSL Champions recognized for spring sports.