Out of time: SHSAA cancels Hoopla, unveils plan for one-day event

The clock has hit zeroes for Hoopla 2024.

The Saskatchewan High Schools Athletic Association (SHSAA) announced Wednesday that its provincial basketball championships have been cancelled due to the ongoing labour dispute between the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation (STF) and the provincial government.

“Through discussions with both groups involved in the negotiations, SHSAA was unable to determine if there would be any immediate solution to the impasse; therefore, it is with regret that Hoopla 2024 is cancelled,” the association said in a release.

The association had set a deadline of Wednesday at 3 p.m. for the teachers to cancel their plans to withhold the supervision of extracurricular activities for Thursday and Friday — activities that included Hoopla, which was set for Thursday through Saturday in Moose Jaw.

When the teachers chose to stick to their guns, the SHSAA cancelled the tournament.

However, the association said it will hold a one-day provincial basketball championship in Moose Jaw on Saturday for teams that qualified for Hoopla. The teachers’ sanctions don’t apply to Saturday.

“Each team involved in this celebration of high school basketball will play one game (against an opponent based on their seeding) and are encouraged to take in the atmosphere by cheering on other teams,” the release said.

The SHSAA put out this schedule for Saturday’s one-day basketball tournament in Moose Jaw. It’s unknown at this time how many teams will be participating. (Screenshot)

It’s the third time in five years that Hoopla has been cancelled. It wasn’t held in 2020 due to sanctions levied by the STF in its previous contract negotiations with the government, and was done in in 2021 by the COVID-19 pandemic.

After the SHSAA issued its ultimatum Monday, student-athletes protested in cities around the province, including Regina, Saskatoon and Moose Jaw. A similar rally was held Tuesday in Saskatoon.

The teachers have been imposing sanctions on the government since early January, with those actions ranging from one-day strikes to withholding lunch-hour supervision and withdrawing extracurriculars.

In addition to Hoopla, things like band concerts and trips, field trips and planning for graduation ceremonies have been affected by the teachers withholding extracurriculars.

The union and government remain in a stalemate over a number of issues, but classroom size and complexity have come to the forefront.

The STF wants those issues included in the collective bargaining agreement, but the government has said that idea is a non-starter. Instead, it has guaranteed increased funding to the school divisions so they can address the issues locally.

The government promised a massive funding increase in the education budget and put the increase into a four-year agreement with the Saskatchewan School Boards Association, but the federation said that money could be clawed back later if it’s not enshrined in the teachers’ contract.