Is it possible to run OFSAA cross-country this fall?

Last week, Ontario announced their back-to-school plan, which includes a near-normal return for the province’s secondary students. Depending on the region, students will return to school with typical class sizes, with the addition of enhanced cleaning measures and an adapted model for boards in areas with a higher risk of infection. The adapted model will see class cohorts of approximately 15 students attending school on alternate schedules that would include in-person learning for at least half of the week. It was also announced that students will also be able to participate in extra-curricular activities, provided that distancing is possible and facilities can be properly cleaned. 

Cross-country is a sport that is practised outside and requires nearly no facilities, so based on the rules, a fall season seems possible. OFSAA, the governing body for secondary school sport in Ontario, has yet to make a ruling on the fall calendar. 

B.C. School Sports has said they’re leaving their emergency stoppage on in-person school sports in place until further notice. Most schools in B.C. will open in the fall, with the goal of giving students full-time access to in-person instruction. 

RELATED: OFSAA Track and Field cancelled for 2020

In March, OFSAA was quick to pull the plug on spring sports, suspending all activity and cancelling championships by March 31, only three weeks after the pandemic took full hold in the province.

Ethan Davenport, a teacher with the Toronto District School Board and a coach with the University of Toronto Track Club, feels that a fall season isn’t impossible, but certainly presents challenges. “If schools are scrambling to figure out the academic side of things, there might not be much energy left to go to great lengths to get OFSAA cross-country off the ground,” he says. “It takes an extremely organized PSO [provincial sporting organization], plus some motivated and passionate coaches, to get this off the ground. Racing in extraordinary times requires extraordinary effort in organizing and planning.”

Davenport says he feels there are possible solutions to get the season going, but he also acknowledges that it won’t be easy. “Athletics Ontario has done a great job of organizing safe races this summer. If they can do modified track meets, I think we can also do modified cross-country this fall.”

RELATED: U Sports, OUA and AUS cancel fall sport seasons

Club cross-country looks more likely

If the high school cross-country season isn’t able to get off the ground, there’s a strong possibility of club cross-country racing as a competitive option for high schoolers. While nothing is officially scheduled for the fall as of now, AO has managed to schedule several track meets in August. Provided they’re safe and successful, there’s certainly the possibility of a modified fall cross-country season. 

In order to compete in Athletics Ontario races, runners need to be registered with their provincial branch. This registration costs around $70 for a single-season (cross-country for example) competitive membership fee. Runners don’t have to be affiliated with a club, but they do have to be registered with their province’s sporting organization to race.