PIAA decision to postpone sports by 2 weeks met with excitement, concerns

Jody Brockett nervously awaited the PIAA’s announcement Friday as to whether high school athletics would proceed in the fall. Her daughter Leah, a freshman, plays soccer at Burrell.

She feared the season would be canceled. She worried about her daughter, who has been having a hard time coping with the covid-19 crisis and the uncertainty around her soccer season.

“My daughter has recently been diagnosed with depression and I think this is the main reason,” she said. “Our kids — their mental health is in danger.”

The news to postpone the season by at least two weeks — rather than pushing it to 2021 or cancelling it altogether — was “absolutely great news” for Brockett and her daughter.

“I feel like they’re really thinking about our kids’ mental health and what’s best for them,” she said.

Danielle Kowalkowski had experienced similar anxiety. She feared the PIAA would scrap sports for her three kids, who are involved in soccer, basketball, track, cross country and cheerleading at Burrell. She launched a Facebook group called Let Them Play, supporting the idea that athletes should have the choice of whether they want to compete this year — much like many students can choose whether they want to attend school in person.

Kowalkowski said it’s “an absolute relief” to learn fall sports are moving ahead for her children and students across Pennsylvania.

“Sports is an outlet for them — a healthy one,” she said. “The life lessons they learn from sports, it’s invaluable. It’s more than just the athletics — it’s the connections with the coaches, it’s the discipline that carries into all aspects of their lives, it’s the structure.”

For her oldest daughter, Jordyn, soccer has been a beacon of hope in the midst of much uncertainty.

“With everything closing, it’s the light in a lot of our lives. It’s what we all look forward to each day,” Jordyn Kowalkowski said.

She’s eager to get on the field for her senior year.

“Senior year is what everyone looks up to. You have a lot more responsibility and leadership. It’s your last year you get to play with people you grew up with. It’s something that would impact our lives greatly. If we have it, it’s something we remember forever. If we don’t have it, it’s a huge disappointment,” she said.

At Apollo-Ridge High School, football coach John Skiba shared in the excitement over today’s announcement.

“It’s a positive, because they didn’t stop us yet. Nothing’s been canceled,” he said. “I know this is a good sign. They’re taking a good look at it.”

Francine Garrone has two sons in the Apollo-Ridge School District. One is a high school senior and the other is in eighth grade. They are both in multiple sports.

She said she’s glad the PIAA hasn’t given up on the fall season.

“I’m just happy the PIAA is thinking about our kids,” Garrone said. “I’m just happy that they have considered all possibilities.”

Not everyone is so optimistic.

Dave Arledge, whose son Alex is set to be the starting quarterback for Burrell’s football team this year, isn’t getting his hopes up yet.

“They’re just dragging this along, just to buy more time,” he said. “All they’re doing is stressing the kids out worse. This is just another way of not making a decision.”

He remains concerned that his son won’t get to perform in front of college recruiters, noting that several Division I coaches — some even from Ivy League institutions — were interested.

And not everyone agrees sports are safe.

Dr. Todd Wolynn, a pediatrician and CEO at Kids Plus Pediatrics with three Pittsburgh-area locations, says there should be no sports till there’s a vaccine. He agrees with Governor Wolf’s cautious approach and thinks spring sports may also in jeopardy.

“We’re not far from a vaccine,” he said. “But anything before a vaccine is playing with fire.”

Wolynn said there’s a risk of contracting covid-19 every time someone leaves the house.

For Wolynn, playing sports may not be worth that risk for many students and their families.

“It very quickly becomes a risk mathematics questions,” Wolynn said.

Wolynn acknowledged that younger ages “seem less likely to have bad outcomes” if they do contract covid-19. He said he still worries they could get sick or spread it to more vulnerable populations.

“If you’re asking a health professional, our primary concern is making sure kids don’t get sick and die,” Wolynn said.

Yet some parents are still so committed to helping their children return to sports that they’re willing to take action. John Rooney, whose youngest son is gearing up for his senior year of football at St. Joseph’s Prep School in Philadelphia, organized a Twitter movement and said he plans to lead a protest in Harrisburg if sports are delayed further.

Rooney said he feels high school sports can be played safely and no one is forced to participate if they’re not comfortable with it.

“I don’t think this is the same as putting people back in a classroom – you’re not forcing kids to go back into a classroom with poor ventilation,” he said. “This is kids volunteering to go do something outside. This is a coach that wants to coach the kids out in the field.”

He said he particularly sympathizes with seniors who are either trying to impress college recruiters or simply enjoy their very last year of organized sports.

“Delaying your life for three months or six months or eight months when you’re an adult, it doesn’t really change your life much. But when you delay a high senior’s life by six months, you can be completely changing their life,” Rooney said.