By GERARD WELLBROCK
Hays Post
While the current coronavirus pandemic continues to alter just about every part of everyday life across the country, one of the first hit was the sports world.
The NBA's announcement on the evening of March 11 that it was suspending its season started a trickle-down effect. The next day the Kansas State High School Activities Association canceled their state basketball tournaments. The NCAA followed suit with the unprecedented canceling of their basketball tournament and eventually ended the entire remaining spring sports season.
“There’s no manual for it,” said Fort Hays State Athletic Director Curtis Hammeke. “None of us have been down this road before so we’re just adjusting on the run and trying to make the best of the situation.”
While some of the winter sports were already completed, the Fort Hays State’s women’s basketball team was in Warrensburg, Mo., for the start of the NCAA Division II Central Regional when word came that it was being canceled.
The Tiger wrestling team had five members in Sioux Falls, S.D., preparing for the start of the wrestling national championships and a couple of track and field athletes were preparing for the national indoor meet in Birmingham, Ala.
The Tiger baseball and softball seasons were in full gear, football had already started spring practices, and outdoor track and field was gearing up for the start of their season when they found out they were being shut down.
Recently, the NCAA ruled that spring sport student-athletes will be granted an additional season of eligibility and, while Hammeke applauded the decision, he said it does bring with it some unintended consequences.
“It’s certainly the right thing to do to give. You think about those seniors who lost their final year going down the stretch, but then you bring an incoming class of freshman and they’re frustrated about that,” Hammeke said. “It has a snowball effect to it and some of those ramifications are negative, even though I think all of the intentions were good.”
Even though most Division II student-athletes, including those at Fort Hays State, are on a partial scholarship Hammeke said funding will be the biggest challenge.
“The NCAA made that decision but they’re not helping with the finance of it so technically you’re now trying to fund two classes, your (incoming) freshman class and your (returning) senior class. You have one class on top of what you're budgeted to cover,” Hammeke said.
“It’s a pretty difficult thing to say, 'No we’re not going to give you a scholarship but go ahead and come back and do your senior year again.' We’re trying to work through the budget ramifications of that and it’s going to be challenge at our level nationwide.”
One of the FHSU Athletic Department’s key fundraisers is the annual Tiger Auction and Dinner. Hammeke said, as of now, they are planning to host the event as scheduled on August 22.
“Everything is going to be a catch-22 right now. People are struggling. There are people losing jobs, oil prices are down so fundraising in and of itself will be a bigger challenge,” he said. “Unfortunately, that’s happening at a time when we’re going to be more challenged financially.”
Most schools use the spring and summer months for fundraising and planning for the upcoming school year. Hammeke said that is still happening at Fort Hays State but, like many businesses, they’re doing everything from home.
“We’re all trying to anticipate what’s going to happen next, what the next steps are going to be, but really anyone’s guess is as good as ours," he said. "We’re trying to anticipate what we need to do moving forward and we hope that will get a little bit clearer.”