Atlantic-Cape Junior High League Cancels Fall Sports

The Atlantic-Cape Junior High League has canceled the league's fall sports as a precaution over the covid-19 pandemic.

The Press of Atlantic City reports that the announcement was made Monday by Wildwood Public School Athletic Director Sean Olson who acknowledged what a difficult decision it was.

"Sports play an important role in the development of adolescents and contribute to their physical and mental health well being. However, with the inherent risks of COVID-19 and ever-changing school opening protocols, we understand why this difficult decision has been made.”

This one hurts me personally. My daughters have run cross-country for Margate's Tighe School for the last two years and were looking forward to competing again this fall as eighth graders.

The 8th grade year is school sports is extra special for kids. It's one last chance to prove yourself with your grade school classmates and the kids from the other schools around South Jersey with whom you have competing year after year in these formative days.

Now there won't be no final chapter to their grade school cross-country experience, and, as a parent, I find this really sad.

Over the past few years, school athletics have become my favorite to watch as I have cheered on my girls. I know I am more aware of just how quickly it's all over than my daughters are.

Eileen and Bridget haven't said much about the possibility that the cancellation of school sports could easily continue into the winter and wipe out their final year of middle school basketball and still more memories, but I know they've thought about it and that makes me sad, too.

Like so many things in 2020, it's just not fair.