The National Scholastic Athletics Foundation made the decision Monday night to cancel Outdoor Nationals, the high school track & field championship rescheduled to South Dakota next month.
With the increase in coronavirus cases across the country, the organization said it could not meet the complex guidelines that were put in place in order to safely hold the championship, set for July 30-Aug. 2 at Howard Wood Field in Sioux Falls.
“We needed to guarantee that every one of the several thousand athletes, coaches, and officials would be able to get the two COVID-19 tests within seven days prior to their last day of competition at the championships, necessary to meet the recommendations and guidelines established by USA Track & Field in cooperation with the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee for the level of meet we wanted to host, and we could not do so,” longtime NSAF Medical Director Dr. Rob Jones said in a statement.
The meet, formerly known as New Balance Nationals Outdoor, had originally been moved to July 16-19 at North Carolina A&T State University in Greensboro. With the campus closed through August, the NSAF announced earlier this month that the meet would be moved to South Dakota.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the NSAF board of directors set a deadline, which was Monday, to make a final decision on whether to proceed with or cancel the championship.
“The NSAF Board recognizes and applauds the incredible commitment and effort that the athletes, coaches, support staffs, and their families dedicate to our sport and becoming everything they can be in and through track and field,” NSAF Executive Director Jim Spier said in a statement. “And it is heartbreaking that we will not be able to reward them by hosting the national outdoor championships this year, as we have done every year since 1991.”
The final decision was made based on three factors the organization set earlier this month:
■Compliance with USATF sanctions and guidelines, which are intended to ensure the maximum safety and well-being of athletes, officials and spectators.
■The advice and recommendations from the NSAF medical director, based on consultation with various government and private infectious disease experts, including those at the CDC.
■The ability of Sioux Falls to implement protocols required to ensure the health and safety of athletes, coaches, officials and spectators.
“It’s been our mission to provide this year’s athletes that same special national championship experience – especially in this COVID-19 year when so much has already been taken away from them,” Spier said. “But we have to hold ourselves to the highest standard, and certain ‘boxes’ absolutely had to be checked in order to safely host the meet and we could not with absolute certitude check all of those boxes. We determined that it is not possible to conduct the championships at the level we and the athletes, coaches, and parents from around the country expect of the NSAF.”
Times and distances from the 2019 outdoor season, as well as the 2019-2020 indoor season were set as qualifying standards.
Amherst Regional, Northampton and South Hadley had several athletes who were eligible to compete at nationals.
Amherst — Isabela Shepard, Juliana Shepard, Danielle Beason and Anajisa Robinson from the girls team; Junior Pontes da Veiga from the boys team.
Northampton — Tobias L’Esperance, Benjamin Howe, Simon LaClair and Tim Jacques from the boys team.
South Hadley — Lindsay Marjanski, Maddie Doolittle, Farrell Dawson and Anna Evans from the girls team; Jonas Clarke, Justin Kennedy, Bradyn Cote and James Couture from the boys team.
“As a former collegiate pole vaulter, I understand as well as anyone, how important it is to compete in ‘The Nationals,’ Dr. Jones said. “But as a doctor and a parent, I also understand health and safety; and the health and well-being of our athletes, coaches, and officials, and their families must always come before athletic opportunity … and unfortunately that is the situation we and the world face right now. We, like many others, just pray that next year will see a return to normalcy and the NSAF will now refocus our efforts on making the 2021 Championships and our other events and programs the best ever.”
Mike Moran can be reached at mmoran@gazettenet.com. Follow on Twitter @mikemoranDHG.