By Adam Homel ‘21

The IHSA postponed all winter sports on Nov. 17 due to COVID precautions. The winter sports included: basketball, bowling, wrestling, and swimming.

Craig Anderson, the executive director of IHSA, made this decision in response to Gov. J.B. Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Public Health declined to attend the IHSA’s November 19th board meeting.

What does this mean for the high school winter athletes? No one knows what it means; winter sports could be played in the spring or they can never happen. This has many students worried about recruitments and if they will ever play their last season for their school.

Swim team captain, Kiernan Schumacher ‘21 said, “I will not be having meets and our practices are restricted to ten guys in the pool and shorter. I will be doing short practices for an hour four days a week and workout on my own at home. I don’t like how swimming got postponed , but I’d rather cancel sports and finally be done with the virus instead of having it another three months.”

Basketball player, Garrett Greene ‘21 said, “This is affecting me because now I have to find other ways to be recruited. I will keep working out and I might play for a travel team. I don’t agree with postponing winter sports, but I know why we have to.”

Bowling team captain Anthony Lundy ‘21 said, “IHSA canceling winter sports really affects me because it’s my senior year, my last year to really prove myself. I will be practicing for when bowling starts again. I hope bowling resumes like the fall sports because I want to make the best out of my last year.”

Wrestler Tommy Bennett ‘22 said, “IHSA postponing wrestling wasn’t a surprise, but now I get to have a couple more months to train. I will keep working out and using the opportunity rice has given us to have ten people in the weight room. I think postponing winter sports is the best interest for people’s health, but we should find a way to have a full postponed season for this to be successful.”

Every winter athlete is going to take his break and become better at what he’s playing. There could be ten people per room so each athlete could still work out but with less people. The IHSA is trying to let winter sports play in the spring, but they can’t make it official yet.