Deep Down, We Knew ... And It Still Vacuums*

April 3, 2020 at 2:39 a.m.
Deep Down, We Knew ... And It Still Vacuums*
Deep Down, We Knew ... And It Still Vacuums*

By Mark Howe-

I had a feeling, and made a point not to say so in this space a week or so ago, that the spring sports season wasn’t going to happen.

Thursday, in a statement far more brief than its impact, the IHSAA did what had to be done; cancelling the spring sports season.

And it truly sucks. (* – I wasn’t sure the boss would like the word “sucks” in a headline, but this whole thing with the coronavirus does.)

I commend the IHSAA for holding on to hope as long as humanly possible, and its announcement came within a couple of hours after Gov. Eric Holcomb closed school buildings while education continues electronically and via the US?Postal Service. Again, there really weren’t a lot of alternatives.

There’s a lot of computer games out there, but I’ve not seen one for high school sports. So no simulations to tide us over until fall.

It’s bad for high school seniors, who look like they may have to have a drive-through high school graduation (it might be kinda cool to let each senior set up a booth in the parking lot and let people come through in cars to check things out.) Hard to say whom, but some of these student-athletes needed a good spring to help secure sports-related scholarships.

It sucks that there will be no come-from-behind wins, no dog piles, no heartbreaking losses, and no trophy-hoisting. At this point, it hurts that there will be no late-night bus rides, no stopping for a quick meal at a Dairy Queen or other drive-through restaurant, and no Senior Day/Night celebrations.

No freshmen in their first varsity competitions, no pushing toward personal bests, no “did you record that” moments to post online.

It all went away for good, officially Thursday but in reality three weeks ago.

Make no mistake, the first Friday night after the restrictions are lifted will be epic. People will flood to places like restaurants, golf courses, lakes, bowling alleys ... really anywhere people have fun together.

And shortly thereafter, we will have sports to cheer. In August, I believe high school sports will return with more enthusiasm than ever, because what we’ve taken for granted since any of us can remember will have been gone and returned to us.

On Aug. 21, The Warsaw Tigers travel to Huntington North to start high school football season. Manchester hosts North Miami,  Triton travels to South Central - Union Mills, and Whitko will host Prairie Heights.

Tippecanoe Valley and Wawasee still have holes in their schedules for that date, according the JohnHarrell.net. Hmmmm ...

It might be a great thing to treat homecoming games as a de facto Senior Night for spring sports. That would provide a chance to hear the cheers one more time, but obviously not everyone would be able to attend. In that regard, there is no perfect solution.

But make no mistake, we will get through this, and we will be better than we were before.

There’s a lot to which we can look forward. We may as well look ahead, as the present, well, you know ...

I had a feeling, and made a point not to say so in this space a week or so ago, that the spring sports season wasn’t going to happen.

Thursday, in a statement far more brief than its impact, the IHSAA did what had to be done; cancelling the spring sports season.

And it truly sucks. (* – I wasn’t sure the boss would like the word “sucks” in a headline, but this whole thing with the coronavirus does.)

I commend the IHSAA for holding on to hope as long as humanly possible, and its announcement came within a couple of hours after Gov. Eric Holcomb closed school buildings while education continues electronically and via the US?Postal Service. Again, there really weren’t a lot of alternatives.

There’s a lot of computer games out there, but I’ve not seen one for high school sports. So no simulations to tide us over until fall.

It’s bad for high school seniors, who look like they may have to have a drive-through high school graduation (it might be kinda cool to let each senior set up a booth in the parking lot and let people come through in cars to check things out.) Hard to say whom, but some of these student-athletes needed a good spring to help secure sports-related scholarships.

It sucks that there will be no come-from-behind wins, no dog piles, no heartbreaking losses, and no trophy-hoisting. At this point, it hurts that there will be no late-night bus rides, no stopping for a quick meal at a Dairy Queen or other drive-through restaurant, and no Senior Day/Night celebrations.

No freshmen in their first varsity competitions, no pushing toward personal bests, no “did you record that” moments to post online.

It all went away for good, officially Thursday but in reality three weeks ago.

Make no mistake, the first Friday night after the restrictions are lifted will be epic. People will flood to places like restaurants, golf courses, lakes, bowling alleys ... really anywhere people have fun together.

And shortly thereafter, we will have sports to cheer. In August, I believe high school sports will return with more enthusiasm than ever, because what we’ve taken for granted since any of us can remember will have been gone and returned to us.

On Aug. 21, The Warsaw Tigers travel to Huntington North to start high school football season. Manchester hosts North Miami,  Triton travels to South Central - Union Mills, and Whitko will host Prairie Heights.

Tippecanoe Valley and Wawasee still have holes in their schedules for that date, according the JohnHarrell.net. Hmmmm ...

It might be a great thing to treat homecoming games as a de facto Senior Night for spring sports. That would provide a chance to hear the cheers one more time, but obviously not everyone would be able to attend. In that regard, there is no perfect solution.

But make no mistake, we will get through this, and we will be better than we were before.

There’s a lot to which we can look forward. We may as well look ahead, as the present, well, you know ...
Have a news tip? Email [email protected] or Call/Text 360-922-3092

e-Edition


e-edition

Sign up


for our email newsletters

Weekly Top Stories

Sign up to get our top stories delivered to your inbox every Sunday

Daily Updates & Breaking News Alerts

Sign up to get our daily updates and breaking news alerts delivered to your inbox daily

Latest Stories


Public Occurrences 10.04.24
County Jail Booking The following person was arrested and booked into the Kosciusko County Jail:

Warsaw Defeats NorthWood, Gets Share Of NLC Title
In what has become a rivalry between the two premier teams in the Northern Lakes Conference, the Warsaw and NorthWood volleyball teams met at the Tiger Den Thursday night for a game with major conference implications. The Lady Tigers were able to keep their perfect conference record alive, clinching at least a share of the NLC for the third straight year with a 3-0 win.

Warsaw, Wawasee Secure Spots In Sectional Finals
Three local teams made up the four spots at the IHSAA tennis sectional semifinals at Warsaw Thursday evening. With the Tigers taking on Whitko and the Northern Lakes Conference Champions Wawasee facing off against Columbia City for the two spots in Saturday’s final, there was plenty of action on the courts. In the end, the two NLC competitors were left standing after a 5-0 win for Warsaw and a 5-0 victory for the Warriors.

An Estimated 400-450 Attend Historical Walk At Oakwood Cemetery
Sexton Hal Heagy told the Oakwood Cemetery Board of Regents Thursday that there were an estimated 400 to 450 people that attended the A Walk Through Our Past historic walk on Sept. 14.

North Manchester Town Council Hears Water Bond Ordinance
NORTH MANCHESTER – At Wednesday night's meeting, the North Manchester Town Council heard from Brenda DeVries of Bose, McKinney and Evans LLP of Indianapolis regarding a water bond ordinance that is the first step in securing funding for the town's upcoming water system improvement projects.