For the first time in history, the Colorado High School Activities Association has rescheduled the entirety of both the Class 4A and 5A girls tennis state tournaments.
Originally slated for Thursday, Friday and Saturday, Colorado’s final prep tennis tournament will now take place Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday because of expected rain in the forecast at both sites through the weekend. Both sites 5A at Gates Tennis Center in Denver and 4A at Pueblo City Park — will remain the same.
Already a stressful time for state hopefuls, the last-minute change adds a new wrinkle to contend with before the state finals. But with the Weather.com forecast predicting consistent rain and thunderstorms from Thursday to Sunday, most teams understand the impetus for CHSAA to look for a better option for when the tournaments can be completed unaffected by weather delays.
“Versus missing two days of school, now the girls are missing three,” Niwot head coach Aimee Irwin said. “And AP exams are going on next week, so it’s added stress on the girls. But we’ll make it work.”
The weather forecast reads partly cloudy in Denver and Pueblo on Monday and Tuesday, with a 10-percent chance of rain at both sites on Wednesday.
Instead of heading down to Pueblo today, Niwot and the other 4A teams will now spend the next several days rescheduling and preparing for the new start dates. Both tournament schedules will remain the same in terms of start times for each round and teams will be allowed to practice and travel on Sunday.
“Weather in Colorado is what it is,” Irwin said. “The weather is changing every two seconds. Hopefully the forecast holds and we can get down there and have a good tournament.”
The postponement of the tournaments allows them to remain three-day events. CHSAA officials also reasoned that as the tournament fields decrease in size through elimination, missed school time will decrease significantly. Playing a two-day tournament and using multiple sites were also discussed but Bethany Brookens, CHSAA assistant commissioner who oversees tennis, and other CHSAA officials decided the unprecedented moved would provide the best experience for the players.
If the weather causes further issues during the rescheduled dates, Brookens said CHSAA will continue to respond accordingly and identify a new course of action in the best interest of the prep players.
“We’ll keep making them as we go along,” Brookens said of any possible future adjustments.
Rain and thunderstorms wreaked havoc at the boys tennis state tournaments in the fall, causing significant delays and schedule changes.
Click here for a look at area first-round matchups.
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