On October 28 2020, Governor Pritzker announced that basketball would be pushed back until spring. Furthermore, the wrestling season was pushed back until the summer.

There were also a number of winter sports that were not canceled since they are labeled as low risk. These include swimming, diving, cheerleading, dance, boys and girls bowling, and girls gymnastics.

Boys basketball coach and Social Studies teacher Rick Runaas says, “It probably has something to do with the realization that basketball can be a very physical sport with physical contact between participants.  Players are sweating and breathing heavily in close contact with each other”

Athletic director John Young says “High Risk Sports are more unlikely to take place in a normal season or time of year unless major modifications are made to allow for control of the spread of Covid-19 through respiratory droplets”

Announced Nov. 16, the Moderna vaccine has found significant success in tests. This brings the question on whether a vaccine can ultimately alter the delayed start of the basketball season.

“I haven’t seen any connection between a vaccine and the start of the season.  I think the feeling is that if we can get this surge under control we may be able to start a basketball season.  A vaccine would help that, but it seems like that is still well off into the future.  We will need to start before then to have a viable season” says Runaas.

It had been brought up that there were a number of schools that were defying the order that Pritzker announced due to the fact that IHSA themselves said that they wouldn’t enforce the order.

“I have seen a few private schools that are pushing forward, but don’t know any local schools that are playing at this point” says Runaas

Ultimately the governor declined to attend the IHSA board meeting regarding the fate of winter sports. These mitigation efforts were put into place to avoid the spread of the virus and keep it under control. The IHSA winter season is planning on just being delayed and not canceled.