Olivia West, Editor
@oliviawcourant
On Tuesday, March 10, Executive Director of the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference (CIAC), Glenn Lungarini, announced that, after consulting with many school districts and officials, the CIAC has made the decision to cancel remaining state tournament games due to the uncertainty of COVID-19 (coronavirus). This means the end of the season for boys basketball, boys ice hockey, and boys swimming and diving. Because girls ice hockey is not a CIAC-affiliated sport, whether or not they continue is up to the teams themselves.
Boys basketball coach Danny Melzer was disappointed that the tournament was canceled so quickly. Last year, the boys won the Division IV CIAC Championship, and they just beat Bloomfield on Monday, March 9 to advance to the second round of the Division III tournament. “I feel terrible for all of the kids, especially the seniors, as this is their last opportunity to play,” he said. “I think that the CIAC might have jumped the gun with this; I understand games with no spectators, but to cancel the games entirely is very unfortunate and I truly feel badly for all of the students.”
Junior Strider Bennett on the boys swimming and diving team said that while the team won’t suffer in the future because of the cancellation, it negatively affects each individual swimmer. “I’ve been training for close to eight months on club and high school teams for states, and now the tournament is canceled,” he said. “Not only is all of that work for nothing, but it could also seriously affect my college recruiting process, as I don’t have the new times that I would have displayed at states to show the coaches.”
Sophomore stage manager Noora Holtapples was concerned about the future of the winter musical. With all the preparations in case school closes and now the tournament cancellations, Noora said that the musical might have to be pushed to the spring, meaning the spring musical would be pushed to the fall. “Our director, Dee, doesn’t seem fazed by it, however; she’s just a little annoyed because she wants to get the show done. She really doesn’t want to push anything back, and she has a type of can-do mentality,” she said. “Everyone’s hoping that we have the chance to finish the show and get it done by the actual date, but you never know.”
Senior lacrosse captain Jane Charlton was disappointed that the CIAC tournaments got canceled, and unsure of how it would affect her upcoming season. “Going into lacrosse season, there’s not too much anyone can do except wait. If we’re allowed to play, then that’s great and we’ll proceed as normal. If we’re not allowed to play, then there’s nothing we can do except stay in shape, practice at home, and wait until we’re able to play again,” she said. “Regardless, I’m excited for this season and I think this year’s team has the potential to do something really special.”
Nearly everyone is disappointed about the CIAC tournaments have been canceled, and the evolving status of the coronavirus means that the future of extracurricular activities and even school is uncertain. While many appreciate the precaution surrounding COVID-19, others have said that they think the decision to cancel was made too soon, and that other options should’ve been further explored. “I understand the concern about the coronavirus, and I appreciate the efforts that are being made to protect staff and students against it,” Jane said. “I don’t believe, however, that preventing a couple dozen kids from facing off in a sport one or two times is the most effective way to stave off the spread of the virus, especially when school, where students and staff are exposed to thousands of other people for a significantly longer period of time, continues all across the state.”
