All spring sports activities are suspended due to the spread of COVID-19

At around 2 p.m. on Thursday, the Michigan High School Athletic Association decided to cancel postseason winter sports due to the spread of the coronavirus. Twenty-four hours later, the association has directed all schools to suspend all sports activities from Mar. 16 to Apr. 5. This falls in line with Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s order that all schools are closed for the next three weeks.

“By suspending all sports activities for the next three weeks, we are taking an additional step to maintain safety and minimize risk first, and also keep a level playing field for our schools and teams during this time of uncertainty,” MHSAA Executive Director Mark Uyl said. “A number of schools across the state already were making this decision, and setting this as the standard across our membership is appropriate especially given the quick pace with which this situation is continuing to evolve.

Alpena High School suspended their spring sports activities hours before the MHSAA’s announcement.

There is a lot of uncertainty on this,” said Alpena Athletic Director Tim Storch. “You wonder how serious this is, whether if we are doing enough or are we doing too much. The bottom line is that safety is the primary concern.”