FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 20, 2005
FHSAA announces contingency plans for golf finals; postpones fall soccer finals
GAINESVILLE – The Florida High School Athletic Association office today announced Hurricane Wilma contingency plans for the 2005 FHSAA Golf Finals state tournament scheduled for next Tuesday and Wednesday, Oct. 25-26, in Fort Pierce, Port St. Lucie and Vero Beach.
The FHSAA office, meanwhile, announced that the 2005 FHSAA Fall Soccer Finals state tournament has been postponed from Friday and Saturday, Oct. 28-29, to Friday and Saturday, Nov. 4-5. The eight first-round play-in games scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 25 have been postponed until Friday, Oct. 28.
The contingency plan for the FHSAA Golf Finals consists of two options as follows:
Option 1 – If the cone of uncertainty in Wilma’s projected path does not touch any part of mainland Florida as of the 5 p.m. EDT Saturday, Oct. 22, advisory issued by the National Hurricane Center, the FHSAA Golf Finals will be played as scheduled on Tuesday and Wednesday, Oct. 25-26. The optional practice round scheduled for Monday, Oct. 24, however, will be canceled and no competitors will be permitted on the four tournament courses on that day.
Option 2 – If the cone of uncertainty in Wilma’s projected path touches any part of mainland Florida as of the same advisory, the FHSAA Golf Finals will be postponed until Tuesday and Wednesday, Nov. 1-2, with the optional practice round on Monday, Oct. 31.
The FHSAA will announce the option implemented on FHSAA.org following the release of the 5 p.m. advisory by the National Hurricane Center on Saturday.
“We have discussed our options with the tournament host and we concur that this contingency plan is the most sensible course of action,” Commissioner John A. Stewart said. “It’s simply too early to postpone the tournament at this time. There remains too much uncertainty in the storm’s projected path and speed. But we also realize that we can’t wait until Sunday or Monday to make a final decision. So we’ve set the 5 p.m. Saturday advisory as the deadline and the cone of uncertainty contained in that advisory as the objective criterion upon which the choice of options will be made.”
Stewart recommends that qualifying teams and individuals plan to play as scheduled.
“Don’t change your plans at this point,” Stewart advised. “Check our web site after 5 p.m. Saturday. Then, adjust your plans accordingly.”
About the FHSAA
Headquartered in Gainesville, the Florida High School Athletic Association is the governing body for interscholastic athletic competition in Florida. It has a membership of more than 720 middle and senior public and private high schools. More than 175,000 student-athletes annually participate in one or more of the FHSAA’s 28 championship sports programs. More information is available at www.fhsaa.org.
Contact:
Jack Watford
Director of Communications, FHSAA
(352) 372-9551 ext. 170
jwatford@fhsaa.org
