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State track goes on this week, FHSAA rules, with make-up meet added May 16

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By BILL WARD | TBO.com
and NICK WILLIAMS | The Tampa Tribune

Published: May 4, 2009

Updated: 05/04/2009 05:03 pm

The Florida High School Athletic Association announced today that the state track championships will go on as scheduled on May 8-9, despite confirmed cases of swine flu for students at two state high schools, with a make-up meet the following weekend in Orlando.

"The FHSAA is monitoring the situation regarding the swine flu virus," FHSAA media relations director Cristina Alvarez said in a press release sent this aftternoon. "While there has been confirmation of numerous cases of the virus in the state, currently affecting two member schools, the state series competition of track & field will continue as scheduled on May 8 and 9.

"Any student-athlete's school that is closed by the department of health in its county until or through May 8 will be allowed to compete in a make-up state track meet. This event will occur on Saturday, May 16th at Showalter Field in Orlando, beginning at 4 p.m.

"The FHSAA understands the severity of the situation and wants to keep the student-athletes, coaches, officials and spectators safe, while allowing all the student-athletes that have worked so hard throughout the year to participate."

In addition, athletes who compete in the initial meet and earn medals will keep those medals even if their marks are beaten during the make-up meet.

For instance, an athlete who wins his or her event during the May 8-9 event, and another athlete tops that mark on May 16, both athletes will keep gold medals.

Freedom High School track coach Chris McComb -- whose team is being withheld from the main meet -- said a make-up meet was "a slap in the face" of his athletes and if left to that alternative, they would likely not attend.

"That's crazy. They've got to be kidding me," McComb said. "So they're saying we're going to go up there and compete against ourselves in two relays? That's not going to work. We qualified to compete against the best, not against ourselves."

On Sunday, the Hillsborough County Health Department and school district ordered the closure of Freedom High and middle schools Wilson and Liberty, as well as any extracurricular events, canceled Monday through Friday.

One student at Freedom and one at Wilson are among the five probable cases of swine flu from Hillsborough County being tested.

The other member school affected is Hallandale High School in Miami, which is also in Class 3A and has at least five track and field athletes eligible to compete.

Health officials confirmed a 24-year-old man from Pinellas County, a 14-year-old girl from Orange County, a 17-year-old girl from Broward County, and a 7-year-old girl and 11-year-old boy from Lee County are infected with the swine flu virus.

Freedom High athletic director Eli Thomas said that as of Sunday, the Patriots athletes who have qualified for this week's Class 3A state track and field championships will not be allowed to participate due to a suspected swine flu case at the school.

The Class 3A state track and field championships are Friday in Winter Park. The Patriots have qualified for the state meet in the girls 4x100- and 4x800-meter relays and the girls pole vault.

Freedom also boasts boys pole vaulter Trent Wiseman, one of the state favorites in the event.

The cancellation of extracurricular activities also means the Patriots' football team, which began spring drills last week, will not be allowed to train this week, Thomas said.

Freedom and Wilson are being closed because two people suspected of having swine flu attend those schools. Liberty is being closed because it shares cafeteria service with Freedom.

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