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Shadyside Relays will not be staged due to COVID-19

Photo Provided PICTURED IS the 2020 Shadyside Relays committee. The group had been planning for the 49th annual meet, which was scheduled for April 18, since January. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the group, via conference call, elected to cancel the meet for this year. Seated, from left, are Jayson Johnson, Chairman; Jenna Coyne, Meet Director and Jerry Narcisi, Assistant Chairman. Standing left to right: Nick Ferrelli, Bob Caldwell, Kameron Kubancik, Jeremy Sims, Homer Ullom and Jim Keyser.

SHADYSIDE — Coronavirus wins again, unfortunately.

The list of sporting events that will not occur in 2020 due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has increased by one.

During a meeting of the Shadyside Relays committee, which was held via conference call this week, the decision to cancel the 49th annual meet, which was originally scheduled for April 18, was made.

“Collectively, we believe this is the only decision (we could have made), but it doesn’t make it any easier. We hurt for the student athletes, particularly the seniors, who looked forward to participating in this event one last time.”

Though there have been times when the meet wasn’t staged at Fleming Field due to track issues, this marks the first time, since its founding in 1972, that the meet wasn’t contested at all.

The committee considered options of pushing the meet back into May, assuming the State of Ohio’s “stay-at-home order” is lifted, school resumes and the OHSAA permits a spring sports season.

However, because of the unknowns and then the issues of trying to find a spot on the calendar should all of those things occur made the logistics simply too difficult.

Looking at a May date would have been feasible, but neither the OHSAA, nor the OVAC, has announced any plans for what they have in mind for a calendar of events should spring sports resume.

“We just don’t know how other the parties involved will fall (with their dates),” Relays Assistant Chairperson Jerry Narcisi said. “It’s just a tough time to try to schedule something.”

The committee did decide that regardless that this year’s meet was contested or not, the 2021 version of “Ohio’s Finest” would be recognized as the 50th anniversary.

The aforementioned committee has been planning for the relays since the first of the year. The committee is comprised of Johnson, Narcisi, Meet Director Jenna Coyne; Meet Manager Donna Joseph and Co-Treasurers Cole and Craig Elliott.

The subcommittee chairpersons are as follows: Fundraising – Bob Caldwell; Trophies and Awards – Coyne; Teams and Meet Management – Coyne, Joseph and Nick Ferrelli; Publicity – Narcisi, Officials – Homer Ullom, Officials’ Hats and Clothing – Coyne, Meet Operations and Equipment – Jeremy Sims; Luncheon – Coyne and Brianne Johnson, Program – Ferrelli; Social/Reception – Brianne Johnson and Coyne; Hospitality – Brianne Johnson and John Beckett and Opening Ceremony – John Triveri. Others involved with the committee planning are Jim Keyser, Gay Lucci and Kameron Kubancik.

“I want to thank the committee members who’ve worked the last several months planning and putting things in place so that the 49th annual Shadyside Relays would’ve been another great success,” Johnson said. “I look forward to us working together on the 50th annual relays.”

Johnson and Coyne, who is the head girls coach at Shadyside, informed all of the sponsors and scheduled teams of the decision late in the week.

“I’d really like to thank our sponsors, many of whom are small businesses in the area and are struggling through these times of uncertainty like the rest of us,” Johnson said.

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