A MESSAGE FROM THE SSHGA BOARD
The SSHGA Board wanted to let our membership, competitors, participants, spectators and volunteers know we are seriously considering canceling the Games this year. We are on the verge of spending 10’s of thousands of dollars on our upfront costs and signing contracts for this years Games. We are afraid we will spend this money and ultimately end up having to cancel. Not only would we have posters, brochures, etc. that become obsolete but without that nest egg we would tragically be without funds to start the process for 2021. And even if things were to settle down would people come to the Games or would competitors including those from Canada be able to cross the border by then, or participants choose to participate or spectators whose attending funds the bulk of the event?
In addition to closed US/Canadian Borders, late Friday the US Customs folks issued an alert announcing “announced the immediate and temporary suspension of premium processing service for all Form I-129 and I-140 petitions until further notice due to Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19).“ In regards to our competition judges, this means they are not accepting ANY work visa applications for expedited review, and current estimates for standard review are 5 to 6.5 months well after our Games the last weekend in July.
At this point in time we are postponing the start of competition, vendor and clan tent registrations that normally start April 1 as we struggle with this decision. The Board has made a commitment to make the decision by April 15 but it may be made sooner depending on circumstances.
We can’t tell you how disappointed we are with the current state of affairs but our job is to assure the continuation of the Games for future generations to enjoy… That’s our job!
Best,The SSHGA Board