Down with the Flu

The Park City High boys’ soccer team wouldn’t have been the first team to miss the playoffs in a flu-related incident.

PCHS was closed last week due to swine flu precautionary measure. Had it not reopened Tuesday, the soccer team wouldn’t have been able to play in the playoffs.

In 1919, there was no Stanley Cup winner in hockey. The Seattle Metropolitans of the Pacific Coast Hockey Association were pitted in a series with the NHL’s Montreal Canadiens. Each team had won two, lost two and tied one.

In that case, it was the flu that messed up playoff plans, too. But rather than the swine flu, in ’19 it was the Spanish flu. Just hours before the puck was dropped on Game 6, with several players out with the sickness, the remainder of the series was canceled. Thenceforth there would always be a missing inscription on the Cup.

Park City isn’t the only school to deal with flu issues today, either. The University of Delaware’s baseball team was forced to cancel three games last week after one of the Blue Hen players showed up with the flu. Likewise, Rutgers canceled a game this week with the Hens. High schools in Alabama and Texas had similar competition suspensions.

In a related note, one great thing about high school is you start learning how life works in the real world. Park City schools almost found what it feels like to be a small fry in college football’s BCS system. No matter how good you are, or what you’ve done to this point, you’re not getting a shot at the big prize.

Who knew they were taking a course in BCS education when they registered for classes?