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The ongoing global pandemic profoundly affected everyone in many ways, causing new lifestyle changes. What started as a few cases at the end of last year
turned into hundreds, and now thousands of new cases in a single day. Due to the virus's progression, the Hawaii High School Athletic Association (HHSAA) decided to halt high school sports for the time being.
On March 23, 2020, the HHSAA put a temporary suspension on sports, this left athletes distraught. A more definite answer was given on March 30, 2020, when the HHSAA announced that the league's members agreed upon a "suspension" status for all high school sports practices and competitions until at least April 30th, which at the time was the end of the statewide stay-at-home order issued by Gov. David Ige. Although sports were canceled for yet, another month, many athletes believed there was still hope that there would be a continuation of sports. Senior Mary Joy Dinong, an athlete on the MHS Cheerleading team, notes, "Although everything was going downhill at this point, I still hoped that the season would continue."
Only 18 days after their previous announcement, the HHSAA voiced that the spring sports season was canceled due to the ongoing COVID-19 public health threat. HHSAA Executive Director, Chris Chun, issued a statement regarding the decision. He expresses, "This decision to cancel the remainder of the spring season was extremely difficult for all involved considering the impact it will have on our students, parents, coaches, and administrators throughout our state." Although many of us saw the cancellation coming, many athletes and coaches could not help but mourn. Senior Keelan Yagi, on the MHS Baseball team, states, "I felt annoyed yet sorrowful because we put in so much time, effort, and dedication into something that did not happen."
Although many were left sad that sports were canceled, this gave many students time for themselves. Senior Behlye Laferriere, an athlete on the MHS Cheerleading team, states that "I like being able to do other things such as work that cheer would take time out of. I also like being able to do some aspects of cheer by myself at home." Junior Jenna Payba, who plays for the MHS Tennis team, states, "This break allowed me to explore other passions. It was a good break that also enabled me to focus on myself and my family."
As the new school year slowly approached, many questions arose regarding high school sports. On August 5th, 2020, students finally got an answer; the HHSAA decided to postpone the start of moderate and high-risk fall sports. The HHSAA states that they hope to push back fall sports to January 2021. This change affects cheerleading, cross country, football, and girls volleyball. However, air riflery and bowling are shooting to proceed this fall due to their classification as a low-risk sport.
Although the HHSAA announced that they plan on continuing sports in January of 2021, many athletes and coaches have mixed feelings. Athlete Jeremy Peros, who plays for the MHS Basketball, Bowling, and Track team, still maintains hope that the sports season will continue, "Hopefully, we will be able to bring back a bit of normalcy, and that sport can come back sometime this year." Others are preparing for the worst, concluding that there will not be a sports season. "It is tragic because it is my last year, and I was looking forward to senior night and going out with a BANG!" states senior Jan Tyler Ucol, on the MHS basketball team. Coach Shelby Ah Wah of the MHS Cheer team says, "It saddens me, not because of all the relationships and bonding, all of the memories and moments that will be missed, but most of all the laughter and tears that will not be shared."
Ultimately, there is no definite answer to how sports will play out this school year. According to MHS's Tennis Coach, Denise Payba, "It all depends on the current situation. We want to prioritize our student's health, so we must wait out this pandemic. When that ends isn't clear." We must note that the decision relies heavily on how the world, nation, and state deal and react to the COVID-19 pandemic. HHSAA Executive Director Chris Chun notes, "If our state can flatten the curve, hopefully, these sports will be able to be played at some point in the school year."