The indefinite stay-at-home order issued by California Gov. Gavin Newsom was lifted on Monday for all regions in the state, paving the way for a quicker return to play for high school sports.
San Diego Section Commissioner Joe Heinz said the stay-at-home order was among many items that have contributed to the long road back to the playing field for area teenagers.
The section revealed its latest plan to resume education-based athletics on Jan. 13, with the rescinding of the stay-at-home order the key to resuming athletic competitions.
Conditioning drills have been ongoing. Practices are set to start Feb. 1 for cross country and swimming and diving.
“We’ve talked to most of the conference presidents and we’ve received positive feedback from them,” Heinz said in an upbeat tone. “I think there will be challenges with pools maybe, but hopefully we’ll receive help from some districts.”
Individual schools and school districts may delay participation in particular sports based on local health data, Heinz added.
High school sports shut down in March 2020 after the COVID-19 pandemic was declared by the World Health Organization.
Youth sports leaders have since taken direction from national, state and local health organizations, including the Centers for Disease Control and the California Department of Public Health.
The CDPH issued its latest youth sports guidance on Dec. 14 which gave each sport a risk assessment based on the state’s color-coded tier system.
Heinz said the California Interscholastic Federation, including the San Diego Section, will abide by all CDC and CDPH directives in opening up athletic opportunities on campus.
“We (were) just waiting for the stay-at-home order to come off,” Heinz said. “When that happens, we’ll have lots of sports going on.”
Boys and girls golf, boys and girls coed tennis and boys and girls track and field are all set to start practice Feb. 15. Golf and tennis are now cleared to resume competition once student-athletes have accumulated enough practice time.
Track and field may start competitions on March 13.
All those sports are classified as low risk outdoor sports by the CDPH and may operate while their counties remain in the most restrictive Purple Tier.
“Once we get to Feb. 15, we’ll have a lot of sports going on,” Heinz said. “It will feel more like normal. Kids will be out practicing and playing again, and the media will be covering them.”
More sports are expected to open up as well.
Once the county enters the less restrictive Red Tier, Season 2 activities may start in baseball, girls lacrosse and softball on March 13.
When the county reaches the even less restrictive Orange Tier, sports such as boys lacrosse, boys and girls soccer, boys volleyball, and boys and girls water polo may start their seasons.
Soccer as a scheduled start date of Feb. 22. Heinz said the section will open practice for that sport once the county reaches the Red Tier.
Starting line
The date set for the section’s cross country championships is March 27. Dates are still pending for the section’s swim and dive finals, though the season must end by April 24.
The section announced last Friday that playoffs or championships in football, competitive cheer, girls volleyball, field hockey and roller hockey will not be held this year to allow more athletic opportunities and regular season play for student-athletes.
A six-week football season is under discussion, though that sport may have longer to wait than most to take the playing field due to it being classified as a high-contact outdoor sport. A drop-dead timeline of April 17 has been issued by the section for football.
The end date of the CIF calendar for roller hockey and girls volleyball is March 20.
The season end dates for gymnastics and badminton are still being reviewed.
The State CIF Office had previously announced there would be no regional or state championships conducted for Season 1 sports in 2020-21. A decision on Season 2 sports will be made by mid-April, Heinz said.
