Religious Holiday Keeps Some Local Cross Country Teams Out of Wickham Invitational

Over 3,500 high school runners from Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New Hampshire are slated to compete Oct. 8 in the Wickham Park Cross Country Invitational, the biggest meet in New England.

But for the first time in the meet’s history, the meet coincides with the Yom Kippur Jewish holiday. As a result, five of the 120 teams entered are no longer competing. Suffield still plans to travel to the meet.

“We knew in advance that there would be conflicts with the religious holiday,” meet director Bill Baron wrote in an e-mail to Patch Tuesday night. “If a viable option was available, we would have taken it. The meet could not be moved to Sunday because of the CIAC prohibition of Sunday meets. Moving it to Monday conflicts with a significant number of our meet workers and the regularly scheduled Tuesday dual meets. Moving it to a different weekend was also a problem with interfering with other longstanding meets in Connecticut and the other states as well.”

East Hartford and Manchester cross country coaches joined forces to found the invitational at Wickham Park in Manchester in 1982, as a replacement for the highly contested Knights of Columbus Meet, which was held during the 1970s in Holyoke, MA. The Wickham Park Invitational, which also included New York, Virginia, Vermont and Maine athletes in past years, has always been held on the Saturday of Columbus Day weekend.

“The meet is not a required meet on any schedule,” Baron wrote in his e-mail. “It has no bearing on league championships or State or New England qualifying. It is simply, although huge, an opportunity for athletes to run on a championship course and to earn very nice prizes (trophies and medals). The meet has always had conflicts which have prevented individual athletes and teams from competing (SAT's, college visits, and school functions).”

Farmington Athletic Director Jack Phelan called the invitational a “great race.” He said that it is unfortunate the race fell on a religious holiday and that he hopes meet organizers will look at when the holidays fall on next year’s calendar to avoid this kind of conflict again.

“We are going to run in the Wickham Invitational, but we also recognize and understand it is an important Jewish holiday, so anyone who has those commitments is excused to stay at home.”

The 5,000-meter course, 4,000 meters for freshmen racers, is regarded as one of the top courses in New England. Wickham Park is the venue for the state tournament, state open and other post-season races. The New England Cross Country Championships are periodically held there, though not this year.

For that reason, Granby Memorial High boys cross country head coach Dennis Lobo said, "We never thought of not going. I've had Jewish kids run for me in the past, and some who have served as captains. If they want to celebrate that particular holiday, then they would stay home and they would not be punished in any particular way."

However the decision was not that easy for some Connecticut teams.

Enfield and Fermi high schools are not going to Wickham due to the religious holiday, according to athletic department staff. Fermi coach Walter Sullivan said he was "not very happy" about the decision, and several parents attending the Falcons' home meet Tuesday echoed that feeling.

Avon will not be attending due to the school board’s Policy 2003, adopted in 1983, which states that administrators and teachers should "facilitate students' observation of religious holidays by scheduling sports, social, or other extra-curricular activities on days other than religious holy days."

Since 1993, the school district has not held school on the first day of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur if they conflict with school hours during the week, school officials said.

Although some Avon cross country runners and parents brought the issue up with the high school administration, Avon High School Principal Jason Beaudin upheld the existing school board policy after consulting with Athletic Coordinator Newell Porch, Superintendent Gary Mala, the CIAC, the Anti-Defamation League, members of the Connecticut Association of Schools and other NCCC principals. Administrators also heard from parents concerned about the teams participating in a meet scheduled on a religious holiday.

“In recent days, parents and students, both in and out of the cross country community, have expressed opinions as to whether or not we should participate in the Wickham Invitational event being held on Yom Kippur. I appreciate the strong feelings behind each of the many correspondences and phone calls I have received,” Beaudin wrote in a letter to cross country student athletes, coaches and parents on Monday night. “I have decided to uphold the policy and not have our cross-country teams participate in the invitational on Saturday.”

The Connecticut branch of the Anti-Defamation League in Hamden sent out a letter to all Connecticut superintendents in August encouraging “religious accommodation” by informing them about upcoming Jewish holidays, like Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, and reminding them that some of their students and staff may need time off to observe. The letter urged school districts to allow Jewish students and staff to be excused from school, work and events on those holidays without penalty.

“These are some of the holiest days on the Jewish calendar and observance requires day-long attendance at synagogue and abstinence from all work,” the letter said.

Upon receiving the letter, administrators worked with Porch to reschedule “a number of games and practices” for other sports that would have fallen on Rosh Hashanah last week and sundown Friday through sundown Saturday in efforts to ensure the athletic department was adhering to the board policy.

Randi B. Pincus, assistant director of the Connecticut branch of the Anti-Defamation League, said that the league also recommends that schools avoid scheduling events on religious holidays so that no one is excluded.

“We don’t want students to have to choose between religious observation and their commitment to school, whether academic, athletic or for other activities,” Pincus said. “Avon does have a very clear policy. It is important that the administration is adhering to the policy. We’re grateful that they’re sticking to it and doing their best to accommodate religious needs.”

Conard and Hall, located in West Hartford where there is a sizeable Jewish population, will not be competing at the Wickham Invitational either. Although it is not an official Board of Education policy in West Hartford, district regulations require honoring Jewish holidays and do not permit sports contests, practices, or other school activities to take place on those days, according to Assistant Superintendent for Administration Tom Moore.

To make up for missing the Wickham Invitational, the Avon athletic department plans to “make every effort to find another invitational for the team to participate in before the state tournament begins on October 29,” Beaudin wrote in his letter.

“Please know, in addition to my considering the aforementioned factors, I have been assured by the CIAC that there will be other opportunities for our student athletes to participate in events that will not infringe upon anyone’s religious holidays,” he wrote.

Manchester's three high schools - Manchester High, East Catholic High School and Cheney Tech - will all compete in the Wickham Invitational. E.O. Smith, Ellington, Rockville, Suffield, Tolland and Windsor are among the other local schools scheduled to participate.

Somers is not competing but it is not because of the holiday. Somers Athletic Director Alan Walker added that the team has not participated in this race in a few years.

Editor's Note: Ted Glanzer, The Granbys Patch editor, contributed to this report.