Despite conversations happening between University Interscholastic League (UIL) leaders all summer regarding the return to sports amid COVID-19, no concrete plan had been set. In a tweet last week, Big Springs head coach Cannon McWilliams detailed a conference call with UIL in which a plan to meet this week was discussed- the date tossed around was Monday, July 20.
Over the weekend during a THSCA Coaching School event, UIL AD Dr. Susan Elza reportedly announced that there was “no guarantee” on a Monday announcement. Dallas Morning News’ Greg Riddle tweeted out Dr. Elza’s remarks:
UIL AD Susan Elza at THSCA Coaching School: "We feel like we're going to have seasons. We're hopeful to have some sort of announcement this week. We're still in an approval process. There is no guarantee that there will be an announcement tomorrow."#txhsfb @SportsDayHS @uiltexas
— Greg Riddle (@DMNGregRiddle) July 19, 2020
Although there may not be an answer as early as today, the UIL is expected to clear the air on Fall sports and coronavirus this week. UIL sanctioned sports have not taken place since March. When the UIL shutdown their spring seasons, during the original outbreak, Alvarado Athletic Director Jeff Dixon had this to say about the decision.
“I’m not shocked, but what I did read from [UIL Director of Athletics] Dr. [Susan] Elza is that they are not canceling it,” Dixon said. “They’re still being optimistic. They’re going to try to let the dust settle, push it down the road a little bit, and, according to my understanding, they would like to complete the seasons that have already started and find a way to condense the seasons that haven’t started and then finish those.
“Now, what does that look like? I don’t know. … Although it wasn’t great news that they pushed it down the road a bit, it was not word that it’s completely canceled. Hopefully by May, that coronavirus curve is flattened out, and if that’s the case, maybe we’ll find a way to finish the 2020 year.” (Cleburne Times Review)
If they were optimistic before, they more than likely will be optimistic again. However, the end result from the original outbreak was the Spring seasons ultimately being shutdown due to the continued surges of positive tests. This is an ever-changing story and will be updated as more news comes.
