University athletes plow ahead, despite other campus cold cancellations

IOWA CITY — Even as dangerously cold temperatures have pushed all three of Iowa’s public universities to move classes online for the start of the spring semester Tuesday, many of the campus’ athletics events have and will continue to be held during the arctic snap, according to university and athletics officials.

That included a Monday evening Hawkeye wrestling dual and a Tuesday night women’s basketball game, both in Iowa City — where a wind chill advisory warns of temperatures feeling like 40 degrees below 0 over that span.

“At this time there are no plans to cancel or postpone tonight’s wrestling match or tomorrow’s women’s basketball game,” UI Athletics spokesman Matt Weitzel said Monday.

All three public campuses have severe or extreme weather policies that largely assign authority to the president, provost or vice president for finance and operations to make decisions on whether cancel or move classes, postpone events or reduce operations due to extreme conditions.

None of the policies explicitly address athletics. A UI “extreme weather plan” states that “In unique circumstances, where the safety of the participants and employees is not jeopardized, special events — such as ticketed concerts or athletic events open to the public — may be held upon approval from applicable university leadership.”

In such situations, UI departments and units must “ensure adequate services” are in place by working with UI Facilities Management, Campus Safety and other area agencies “expected to support such operations.”

In response to questions about UI’s Monday and Tuesday events — and those held over the weekend, including a men’s basketball game Friday and a Hawkeye Invitational track and field event Friday and Saturday — Weitzel said UI Athletics worked with UI Emergency Management and central administration.

“If you are planning to come to (the Carver-Hawkeye Arena), please be extra cautious as there may be hazardous patches (of snow and ice),” Iowa men’s basketball said on social media before Friday’s game, notifying fans that normal parking procedures would not be in place for the game.

“Due to the inclement weather, staff will not be monitoring parking lots outside Carver-Hawkeye Arena,” according to the message. “All lots, including donor lots, will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. Cambus shuttles from Hancher will not be available.”

For Monday’s wrestling dual, the shuttle was back in action and parking procedures were back in place.

Iowa State University both held and canceled some events over the weekend, largely due to travel issues with another team. Its men’s and women’s basketball teams played Saturday in Ames, and its wrestling team battled Utah Valley Friday on the ISU campus — though officials “strongly encouraged” fans not to travel and to watch it on TV.

The Cyclone wrestling dual against Pittsburgh was canceled Sunday “due to ongoing winter weather across the Midwest. “Pittsburgh had a home meet Friday and then elected not to travel Saturday due to the weather forecast,” said ISU Athletics spokesman Matthew Shoultz. “The decision was a mutual decision between the schools and the match will be played next year in Ames to complete the contract.”

Because ISU Athletics doesn’t have a specific policy around weather cancellations, it works with campus officials, the Big 12 Conference and opponents in making decisions, Shoultz said.

“In this case, the only approval needed to cancel was between the two athletics departments,” he said.

And ISU, like the University of Northern Iowa, sent some of its athletes traveling to compete on other campuses in Iowa over the weekend — including for a track event in Iowa City and a swim meet in Cedar Falls on Saturday.

UNI’s wrestling team moved its dual against Utah Valley on Saturday from Cedar Falls to Ames — where the Wolverines had competed against the Cyclones the night before. But it hosted a swim meet Saturday, which involved diligent preparation from its facilities team, and also sent track athletes to Iowa City.

“Relative to athletics competitions away from campus, typically administrators from all schools involved are engaged in dialogue in regards to whether conditions will permit travel to the competition site and back home,” UNI spokesman Pete Moris said. “If it is a conference-sanctioned event, then the appropriate sport administrator from the conference is part of that discussion to determine whether an event can be rescheduled or conducted at an alternative site or date.”

Typically, he said, athletic directors from all involved schools reach a consensus.

“There's not a one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to discussing whether athletics events should go on as scheduled, or be canceled or postponed,“ he said. ”The mode of travel, the weather forecast at the visiting site, and the ability to get home in a timely fashion are just a few of the variables.“

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