HOOPLA is in danger of being cancelled for a third time in five years.
A post on the Saskatchewan High Schools Athletic Association website says the body’s Board of Directors will cancel the various Provincial High School Basketball Championship tournaments, set for this weekend in Moose Jaw, if sanctions by the Saskatchewan Teachers Federation – brought on by their ongoing collective bargaining agreement dispute with the provincial government – are not lifted before 3 o’clock tomorrow afternoon. The S-H-S-A-A says HOOPLA cannot be held without teacher involvement in the events and the constraints for schools and host sites in planning and preparing for the events – adding that volunteer efforts of teachers across the province are relied upon in order for educational athletic experiences being provided to students. About 750 students plus coaches, managers and other team personnel would be affected by a cancellation, along with a vast negative economic impact. HOOPLA, which was cancelled by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021, is scheduled to run Thursday through Saturday. Following is the statement from the S-H-S-A-A…..