Will Our Sport Survive Covid?

 It's grim, dire, maybe apocalyptic.
4085 Americans died in 1 day from Coronavirus-19.
Then--even if unrelated--there was January 6th--a 21st Century Day of Infamy.
And more to come--a President's Impeachment--and a widely held belief that he is mentally ill, and dangerous in his final days in office!

But this blog is about the sport of Track and Field, Road Racing, Race Walking, and Cross Country.
Yet the Pandemic that has struck the entire world, but seems to be attacking the US most intensely now, has made our sport--as we've known it--almost unrecognizable!!

In  2020, the Olympics (THE OLYMPICS!!!) were postponed a year!
The entire OUTdoor Collegiate season was destroyed!
High Schoolers competed rarely, and then as individuals, not as part of a team.
The INdoor NCAA and NBIN were cancelled.
As were many major Marathons--although London was merely postponed till Fall!

The cancellations, etc are continuing this year!
The venerable Millrose Games--America's best INdoor Invitational--has been cancelled.
The USATF INdoor Championships--scheduled for Albuquerque in late February--were just cancelled!
There is some chatter that the INdoor NCAA meet may enter that list!
Even the Collegiate Conferences!!

Tokyo's Covid case numbers and death count has risen lately--perhaps again endangering their Olympics!!

I was making notes for my next post (after my December 31st AOY post).
I was going to look at which World Records might fall--or at least were vulnerable--this INdoor season!
(I was also going to do one for the US INdoor Records---but NOT for Collegiates and High Schoolers--their projected INdoor seasons too unpredictable!)

Then that Trump-incited treasonous insurrection happened on Wednesday!
As with any major event in my lifetime, the aftermath (in and on the Media) seemed just as devastating and horrible.
Think the Kennedy assassinations, the Challenger disaster, September 11th!!
I--and perhaps the World--were glued to their TV's or radio's--watching the horrible event played and analyzed over and over again!!
It's that way--for me--today, and every waking moment since Wednesday!

So my (and your!) favorite sport was relegated to the back burner!
Then I saw on Twitter that Kyle Merber had retired.
And today--just minutes ago--Becca (PoleVaultPower) tweeted that the former Weeks twins--Tori Hoggard and Lexi Jacobus--have both retired to pursue careers as pharmacists!!

The T&FN website lists a few meets scheduled for January 15th and 16th--all INdoors!
The American Track League says they plan 4 INdoor meets--in late January and early February!
I've heard there's a meet scheduled soon for OUTdoors where several athletes will run the distances (800 to 10000) to secure Qualifying times for the Olympic Trials--and the Olympics.
Some BIG names are listed as competing!

So WILL this sport survive--and even prosper--in 2021??
Or will every day bring more bad news about cancellations and postponements and retirements?
And of dangerous Presidents and riots and destruction in our government's sacred buildings?
And of 4085 (or more???) deaths per day from this angry and holocaustal virus??

I grimly lament these losses, these horrors!
Will the great athletes, coaches, and officials of the best sport ever overcome all this?

We must.