V 10 N. 17 How the NCAA Indoor Championships Did Not Happen

The NCAA Indoor Championships did not happen this weekend.  It's just the opposite of the old peace slogan:  "What if they gave a war and nobody came?"  Everybody came to Albequerque, but they didn't have a meet.   Dr. Richard Ceronie, from the track program at the University of New Mexico and the chronicler for the program has given this poignant description of the event, step by step as it was gradually reduced to nothingness.  I can only hope that those teams returning home did not have to go through the Hell of O'Hare airport in Chicago, but I'm sure many of them did.  Recognition needs to go to all the team and staff who worked so hard to put the national meet together and were sitting ready to go when the event was pronounced over before it began.

Here is the link to Dr. Ceronie's newsletter.


NCAA INDOOR TRACK & FIELD CHAMPIONSHIP UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO ALBUQUERQUE CONVENTION CENTER ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO FRIDAY, MARCH 13 & SATURDAY, MARCH 14, 2020
Cancelled

With the fast-moving, and ever-changing national situation with COVID-19 there was an uncomfortable atmosphere at the Albuquerque Convention Center, host of the 2020 NCAA Championship.  When teams were first allowed into the facility Wednesday at noon for their pre-meet practice there were no restrictions.  Then later on Wednesday the NCAA announced the banquet on Thursday evening would have to be changed from a buffet where athletes serve themselves to a served meal where athletes did not touch the food or utensils.  Then several hours later the NCAA announced instead of that the banquet would have to be cancelled.  Finally on Wednesday it was announced that only family and limited spectators would be allowed to watch the championship.  Then on Thursday morning the NCAA announced no family or friends would be allowedd inside the Albuquerque Convention Center, and only athletes, officials, and necessary workers would be involved in the NCAA Championship.  This was based on information flowing to the NCAA from the Center for Disease Control.  But by early afternoon things began to change as individual conferences (ACC and Big Ten) had begun to tell their teams to come back to campus, and quickly the meet began to fall apart.  While athletes were on the track doing their pre-meet routine, a buzz came over all, and people began to ask.......would they really cancel the NCAA Championship?  And then in a stunning announcement the NCAA Championship was cancelled.  When the e-mail was sent around 2:00pm on Thursday there was a strange atmosphere on the track and on the infield of the Convention Center as coaches simply looked at their cell phones, and the message from the NCAA.  Coaches tried to explain to their athletes what was happening, athletes just stood on the track sobbing and on the infield with a glazed looks over their eyes.  NCAA officials did their best to explain why the final decision had been made, but no amount of explanation could help the confused atmosphere.  The 2020 NCAA Championships was done.