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Fall sports shifting to spring still a possibility

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By Ted Pennekamp and Jason Nihles

 

As of Wednesday morning, the fall sports season for Prairie du Chien and other area schools remains up in the air. 

As reported in the July 15 edition of The Courier Press, Prairie du Chien (along with other schools in Southwest Wisconsin) sent a letter to the WIAA requesting to have fall sports held in the spring. Under the proposal, spring sports would then shift to the summer for the 2020-2021 school year amid concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic.

It is expected that the WIAA will deliver clarity on fall sports within the next two weeks. In fact, the WIAA Board of Control is working on scheduling a business meeting later this week.

The WIAA said previously it planned to conduct its fall sports. The Board of Control would have to vote to make any changes.

Football practice is scheduled to begin Aug. 4. Volleyball can begin practice on Aug. 17.

The proposal to shift fall sports to the spring would be for the 2020-2021 school year only. If fall sports are played in the spring, winter sports might be delayed until around Jan. 1. Spring 2021 sports would then move to the summer of 2021 and the season could extend into July 2021.

“It allows superintendents to focus on the start of school,” said Cooperative Educational Service Agency District 3 administrator Jamie Nutter, who added that delaying the start of 2020–21 sports “would provide more of an opportunity for a more normal season to occur” if a vaccine becomes publicly available later this year.

Along with the WIAA, the Southwest Wisconsin Conference also hopes to have a meeting of athletic directors in July to discuss fall sports possibilities.

For now, area school districts are generally going ahead on the assumption that fall sports will begin as scheduled with practices starting in August.

Editor’s note: Jason Nihles is the sports editor for The Platteville Journal and The Fennimore Times.

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