As snow pummels swaths of Virginia, the Virginia High School League (VHSL) announced today that there will no longer be any state competitions this weekend. This change impacts hundreds of elite athletes across the state in gymnastics, swimming, diving, and wrestling.
This news release comes after several updates throughout the week, notifying coaches and athletes of schedule changes due to the looming snow storm. The storm in question delivered, dumping over 10 inches of snow in parts of the state, even breaking snowfall records along parts of the coast.
In light of the extreme snow, VHSL Executive Director John W. Haun released a statement explaining the league’s decision.
“The VHSL staff has been monitoring the severe weather conditions that have impacted different regions of Virginia. After communicating with several school divisions in those areas and the Governor’s issuing a State of Emergency for the Commonwealth, the VHSL has made a decision to cancel all VHSL state championships scheduled for this weekend.”
Haun continued by thanking the many groups impacted by this decision.
“I want to thank the VHSL staff, venues, and tournament directors who worked hard to accommodate these events this weekend. Safely always has to be a priority for any school event. We cannot ensure that asking school divisions to have students travel on Saturday would be safe.”
So far, only the gymnastic state championship has been officially rescheduled. It will take place at Lake Braddock secondary School on Friday, February 28, and Saturday, March 1.
On the wrestling side, there is more uncertainty as six high school locations that were going to host the state championship are no longer available next weekend.
For swimming and diving, there are similar challenges. Original venues could be unavailable next weekend and meets depend on the availability of stroke and turn judges.
For many athletes, states is the culminating event of their sports season and for seniors, it could be the last time they compete with their teammates and friends. Haun acknowledges the uncertainty of the situation in the news release, promising that the staff are doing everything possible to finalize a new schedule.
While the snow storm swerved parts of Northern Virginia, including Fairfax County, other parts of the state are facing devastating conditions. Clean up efforts will likely play a large role in the rescheduling of state competitions. In the meantime, athletes eagerly await news.
