HAMPTON, Va. — As several Hampton Roads school divisions sideline winter sports, private leagues are garnering more attention.
“Let me tell you what’s going on. The high school teams are becoming travel AAU teams. That way they get a chance to play,” said Marcellus “Boo” Williams, national chairman of AAU boys and girls basketball.
Norfolk, Portsmouth, Suffolk, Hampton, Newport News, and Chesapeake public school systems canceled their upcoming winter sports season, citing health concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The move is a tough blow for seniors, said Williams.
“This is not like college or NCAA where they would get an extra year,” said Williams. “The high school seniors who can’t play... that’s the ball game. A lot of these students won’t play Division 1 or Division 2 (NCAA sports). So, this is the best chance they get.”
However, Williams says several local high school teams formed travel clubs to continue competition. The players practice and compete in athletic facilities unaffiliated with the schools, like Boo Williams’ Sports Complex in Hampton.
“If this would have happened 15 years ago, we would have been in trouble because we wouldn’t have had the facilities for the kids to play in,” said Williams. “We couldn’t do what we are doing now.”
But not all travel sports are like basketball.
Take wrestling, for example. When schools shut down athletic seasons, it takes away a valuable resource: the facilities.
“Because of the nature of our sport and the facilities they need, they use schools,” said Jack Harcourt, executive director of Virginia Wrestling Association. “Well, schools are closing down. They can’t get into the facilities. So, programs can’t exist.”
Harcourt said his organization dropped from 8,000 athletes to 3,000 athletes, currently. Most of the athletes are in the 8th grade or younger. He said the 8,000 membership was top 10 in the country at the beginning of 2020.
"We don’t have free-standing wrestling facilities," said Harcourt. “We have to use somebody's place.”
Harcourt said the younger athletes are losing critical outlets and resources for mentorship and development in the cancellation of high school sports.
“Kids develop confidence, self-esteem, guidance, doing the right thing,” he said. "Kids are missing that pat on the shoulder [when they do the right thing] and it’s big."
Harcourt is undergoing planning for multiple events in the Richmond area. He says they are working with the health departments in that region, and that the league has gone to great lengths to allow athletes the opportunity to compete while keeping them safe.
“We have good COVID plans,” he said. “We are trying to be safe for everybody.”
Among the adjustments, the VAWA has limited in-person spectators, in line with Governor Northam’s COVID restrictions for sporting events. In order to accommodate, the organization now offers virtual access for parents and others to watch events.
Williams, too, AAU and travel leagues are making major adjustments to maintain competition and health. Williams said the league does not allow concession stands, outside food, or water fountains, and chairs have replaced bleachers. He said the organization is losing money to provide athletes the opportunity to play.
Harcourt acknowledges the seriousness of the pandemic and said there have been no breakouts connected to tournaments. A former Virginia Beach educator and coach, Harcourt believes the decision should be left to students and parents.
“To me [schools] are afraid and it is harder to say ‘No,’ than it is to work hard and try to do something,” he said. “When schools decided to close sports, our youth lose the opportunity to make a decision. Our parents lose an opportunity to make a decision, and our youth are hurting,” he said.