March 12 likely marked the end of the 2019-20 high school sports season in Wisconsin, but we didn't know it at the time.
Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers issued a new Safer At home order on April 16, closing schools for the remainder of the 2019-20 academic year. That means high school spring sports are postponed under the order, which also forbids team sports and activities until May 26.
From the new Safer At Home order:
All non-essential businesses and operations must close. K-12 schools and public libraries are closed, with some exceptions including virtual learning, on-line services, and curb-side pick-up. The order closes public and private K-12 school buildings for the remainder of the 2019- 2020 school year. All schools must remain closed for instructional and extracurricular activities. Schools may also be used for essential government functions and food distribution.
It's further clarified that no team or contact sports are permitted in the order.
The WIAA is meeting Tuesday to try and find a solution to perhaps keeping the dream alive:
The Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Board of Control will discuss the membership’s options for the remainder of the spring sports seasons and for summertime regulations at its scheduled meeting on April 21 via video conferencing.
You can read the order by clicking here.
This story was updated April 16 with a release from the WIAA, which you can read here:
The Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association Board of Control will discuss the membership’s options for the remainder of the spring sports seasons and for summertime regulations at its scheduled meeting on April 21 via video conferencing.
Gov. Tony Evers extended the state’s Stay at Home order until May 26, 2020, and ordered all public and private K-12 schools to remain closed for the remainder of the 2019-2020 school year in an announcement made today.
In accordance with Gov. Evers’ new directive, all interscholastic training, practices, scrimmages and contests remain suspended. The WIAA postponed all athletic participation following an executive order issued by the governor on Friday, March 13 that closed all public and private schools on March 18.
The Executive Staff has discussed the best and worst case scenarios with the possibility schools may close for the remainder of the school year. Those will be reviewed with guidance from the Board of Control to determine the best course of action.
Last week, the University of Wisconsin-Madison announced it extended the cancellation of campus events through June 30, 2020, which eliminates the possibility of conducting the WIAAState Tournaments scheduled at campus venues this spring. Those events impacted were Boys Individual and Team Tennis Tournaments scheduled at Nielsen Tennis Stadium on June 4-6 and June 12-13, respectively; the State Boys Golf Championship at University Ridge on June 15-16; and the State Softball Tournament at Goodman Diamond on June 11-13.
The Stay at Home order and the closure of schools are in response to the information available regarding COVID-19 and efforts to prevent the spread of the disease.