The Missouri State High School Activities Association has announced a new alternative season option for schools who elect not to participate this fall.
The alternative fall season which includes cross country, will run from March 12th through May 1st. Schools that opt for this season will also automatically be enrolled in the alternative spring season so that the seasons don't overlap. This would mean the alternative track season would be from May 14th to July 10th. Though, schools could opt out of the spring alternative season and have spring and fall sports going on simultaneously.
This provides opportunities for those who won't have the chance to run this fall, but does have some implications for those who participate in track and cross country. Under this model the alternative cross country season and the first week of the alternative track season would only be separated by two weeks, leaving no real time for recovery. This will make for a long season for those involved. Where you might really start to notice the implications though is during the fall 2021 cross country season where the first practice is a mere four weeks from the end of the alternative track season. This will be a lot of racing jammed into such a short time frame, but we understand that there is no "right" answer here.
MSHSAA also stated they still plan to contest all fall championships this year with the schools who are still planning to participate as usual.