New Mexico high school sports remain in limbo – KRQE News 13
NEW MEXICO (KRQE) – While the governor’s office has loosened up the rules for college sports practices in New Mexico, high school sports are still in limbo as the spring semester gets underway with students still at home. That had the New Mexico Athletics Association director addressing the issue.
The governor’s office has yet to make a decision on if or when high school sports can be played in New Mexico. “There has been some conversation, we are hopeful, and still staying in that mode where we are hopeful, that we are going to be able to play all sports in the 2021 school year. However, we have not been given the green light as of yet,” said NMAA Director Sally Marquez.
The NMAA currently has fall sports, starting in less than two weeks, but those dates haven’t been approved by the governor’s office. Right now, everyone is in the dark about the status of high school athletics. Marquez said she is willing to push back start dates for the sport, even more, just to get athletes in the competition which is something a lot of coaches, students, and parents have been pushing for.
“Every state around us has kids in school, but New Mexico it feels like, not every state but all the states around us. We have no high school sports, these kids are not enjoying life,” said Darin Davis, a concerned parent.
Another concerned parent said, “You know when we hear that we might start our practice soon, or we might start our lifting soon, and those dates continue to be pushed back. It’s making a lot of kids lose hope and it’s making a lot of kids lose focus,” said Ryan Cook.
High school football is slated to officially start on Feb. 1 per the NMAA sports calendar. With the first games of the new spring season being scheduled for Jan. 19. As of now, high school teams can hold non-contact practices with just one coach and four athletes at a time.
