Mother Nature’s timing is awful. In the midst of the state’s greatest October snowstorm since 1997, high school athletes are stuck in a holding pattern.
Saturday’s cross country state championships at Fossil Ridge High School in Fort Collins have been postponed until Nov. 7.
“With upwards of 18 inches of snow on the course, it’s not the championship course that it should be,” Colorado Activities Association assistant commissioner Tom Robinson said Thursday. “It would be near impossible to do and even if it started melting, they are still running in mud.”
With teams coming from every corner of the state, travel was a big concern as well.
Football, the sport most likely to play in adverse conditions, is in an awkward position in that playoffs for four classifications are to begin next week and most teams, including the vast majority in the metropolitan area, use district sites. Delays are magnified by schools not having their own fields and creating a backup.
However, schools are expected to be open today, and the go-ahead to play will be given.
The Cherry Creek district, on break fall this week, plans to clear its fields.
“It may help us that they don’t have to go out and immediately clear the parking lots at schools,” he said. “Our hope is to plow the fields and play.”
Jefferson County postponed its Thursday games, the lightest of the three days during the regular season, and is scheduled to get them in today and Saturday.
Others were expected to decide by this morning.
Class 5A and 3A boys soccer playoff teams have been given until Monday to complete their first rounds of play, including Sunday. The same time frame has been given to 4A teams to complete the second round (they completed the first round Tuesday).
Volleyball districts and gymnastics regionals should go off as planned with the random volleyball district being pushed to Monday.
The field hockey semifinals that were schedule for Wednesday at Stadium in Parker have been pushed back to Monday, with the championship Wednesday.
