Due to various unforeseen and unavoidable circumstances, the Westminster girls basketball team is once again allowed to play in the highly respected, invitational Visitation tournament in the 2020-2021 season. However, an exception will have to be made to the age-old, unwritten rule of “no games on Sunday.” 

“At that time, we did not even consider the possibility that the tournament games might be held on Sundays in future years as the 2019-20 schedule did not include a Sunday.  That ignorance and naivete led us to our current situation,” said Cory Snyder, athletic director.

After the Westminster staff was notified of the future Sunday games, they began to search for a new tournament. However, over time, all options slowly became exhausted. 

“Kevin Brown worked very hard to find an open tournament that was local enough for travel and an appropriate competitive level. Local tournaments such as Summit, MICDS, and St. Dominic did not have any openings, and Jefferson City’s tournament was still unsure if they would play on Sunday,” said Snyder in an email to the team’s parents.

Despite the decision to play on the Sabbath day, the athletic department has made a strong effort to reassure all that none of their values have changed. Snyder explains that the failure to find an alternative tournament to participate in fully meets the criteria of “unforeseen circumstances” similar to the musical and state baseball game in the past. 

The coordinators of the Visitation tournament will make efforts to schedule the Wildcat’s game for Sunday afternoon, but if it’s not possible, the Westminster staff has agreed to let the team play on a Sunday morning. 

“Since it is a one-time exception, we will commit to playing at whatever time we are scheduled for, even if it interferes with the Sunday morning church services. Our partnership with the church is still of utmost importance, but we cannot be too legalistic with our views as an institution when it comes to either playing on a Sunday or not playing at all,” said Snyder.