When the State CIF Office voted in July to push the start of the upcoming fall season to mid-December practices and January games, the modified schedule was constructed as a plan if health conditions in the state warranted the late start.
Four months later, parents, coaches, student-athletes and administrators must be feeling a sense of frustration as the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic shows no sign of abating soon. Infection rates remain high as the county occupies the lowest reopening tiers in the state.
The opening date for practice for Season 1 (traditionally fall) sports is Dec. 12. That’s still a month away, so there’s always hope that things could change for the better.
Some schools in San Diego County have already opened, in fact.
San Diego Section Commissioner Joe Heinz expressed a sense of optimism in an Oct. 5 letter to principals and athletic directors.
“As we move into October, we are hopefully moving in a positive direction in effort to resume our sports programs on Dec. 12,” he wrote. “CIF-SDS schools are now conducting conditioning workouts on their campuses following the appropriate health and safety guidelines recommended by state and local health authorities.
“I would like to thank our principals, athletic directors, and coaches for their ongoing commitment in guiding our student-athletes through these challenging times in a healthy and safe manner. We must continue to follow the advice of health professionals through the critical weeks ahead as our communities continue to open.”
Now it is November and the proposed December start date is not far off, which has started to create a sense of uneasiness among some. Students have already begun to let their voices be heard: They want to go back to school.
The feeling among many coaches is that high school sports depend on in-school attendance. No fannies in classroom seats equates to no cleats on the playing field.
The Sweetwater Union High School District has elected to remain in distance learning mode through the end of the year.
Many other schools in the region are in the process of reopening in phases, with a combination of in-person and distance learning, while other districts remain committed strictly to online learning through the end of the year.
But what is the so-called “new normal” and when will it happen? A lot depends on the health and safety protocols being met, of course.
Outdoor classes to minimize the spread of the COVID-19 virus, small class size, social distancing, mask-wearing (for older students) and testing of staff all factor into the equation.
It’s an encouraging start, even if it only means that high school sports are on schedule to hit the planned winter start date.
The Sweetwater district issued a state of athletics memo on Sept. 23, reaffirming that all district athletic facilities were to continue to be closed, including fields, gymnasiums, weight rooms and locker rooms.
These facilities were not available for use for meetings, training, practice or competition.
Furthermore, coaches were not authorized by the district to hold training or practices with student-athletes at outside venues, such as community parks or college facilities, or otherwise start workouts in preparation for the upcoming sports season.
That obviously created a sense of frustration and worry among parents and students that their schools might remained closed throughout the 2020-21 term and put athletic participation in a precarious position.
Protests, in the form of emails, were read aloud at the district’s board of trustees meeting on Sept. 28.
Prior to that, hundreds of individuals had begun signing an online petition urging the district to reconsider opening sports practices/workouts to district student-athletes, alleging the Sweetwater district was the only district in San Diego County not to allow sports practices.
The iPetition had reached 2,000 votes by Sept. 28.
As late as Oct. 12, parents and students stood on the curb outside the Sweetwater district headquarters to protest against the suspension of sports practices.
Student-athletes have said sports participation helps in keeping them motivated to do well in school and that without athletic participation, their grades would suffer. Student-athletes also depend on in-person competition to help secure college scholarships.
It appears the district did not turn a deaf ear.
The district released an updated memo on Oct. 27 stating it is implementing “a phased approach to restarting athletics … as health and safety protocols allow.”
The district’s Phase 1 Return to Athletic Participation plan will be available to Season 1 sports teams and will follow strict guidelines provided by the California Department of Public Health.
Outside of season sport training and conditioning was to be allowed on district campuses beginning Nov. 5, though with restrictions.
- Outdoor physical conditioning only, no scrimmages or competitions allowed.
- Stable cohorts of 14 student-athletes with no more than two coaches allowed.
- Daily screening procedures for all participants (student-athletes and coaches).
- Participants wear face coverings and maintain at least six feet of physical distancing at all times.
- No spectators allowed.
Prior to conducting any outside-of-season sports physical training, site administrators, athletic directors and head coaches were required to attend a virtual training session conducted by the district’s athletics office to familiarize themselves with various protocols.
Items included facility entrance and exit, facility use forms and waivers, screening procedures and COVID-19 testing and reporting.
Early workouts are designed to be just that.
Hilltop High School cross country coach Chris Gentry said he plans to start with a conditioning program that includes stretching, plyometrics and various distance and speed runs
Bonita Vista High School football coach Tyler Arciaga, who also serves as the school’s athletic director, said initially that no equipment will be allowed, including footballs or weight room equipment, at workouts.
He said the maximum coach to player ratio would be 1:14 and that same group must stay together for the foreseeable future.
“We are hoping to progress out of this phase and move to the next stage in the near future,” Arciaga said. “The CIF is still waiting on guidance from Governor Newsom’s office about youth sports. Currently, California does not permit youth sports competition.”
There are still many moving parts as the district strives to ensure all safety protocols are clearly understood and followed.
“If we can safely come back, our program will begin when allowed,” Otay Ranch High School cross country coach Julian Valdez said.
There are still a lot of unknowns and unanswered questions.
The district serves a region with some of the highest infection rates in the county. What happens if a student-athlete tests positive for the virus? Will he/she simply be removed from the team roster or will the entire team be penalized?
How effective can contract tracing be in high school where being social is the norm? Can minors be tested for the virus without parental consent?
How does one differentiate COVID-19 symptoms from those of the common flu?
Heinz said the section’s health and safety committee had set an Oct. 14 meeting date to start “discussions regarding potential proactive return to play health and safety measures” to share with member schools.
“We are still awaiting any official guidance that may be required from the California Department of Health or State CIF Office,” he wrote in the Oct. 5 memo. “We hope to be able to provide some resources to our section schools to begin the planning process for the start of Season 1 on Dec. 12.”
College and professional sports teams have started to test these precarious waters, hoping for the best.
The National Hockey League and National Basketball League got through playoff tournaments by playing in a protective bubble, with all teams and all games played at a closed site.
Meanwhile, Major League Baseball, Major League Soccer and the National Football League have attempted a “safe” return to the playing field, yet all leagues have had to postpone or cancel games due to COVID-19 outbreaks.
High school sports likely cannot play in a protective bubble.
Master calendar
It appears there will be high school sports activities before the 2020 calendar year closes.
Badminton, field hockey, boys and girls volleyball and boys and girls water polo can start actual competition on Dec. 19, though gymnastics, roller hockey and cross country cannot begin official competition until Dec. 26.
Football games are scheduled to kick off on Jan. 8, with teams playing 10 games in 10 weeks. The regular season is scheduled to end on March 12, followed by the start of the section playoffs on March 19.
The district is planning a Nov. 30 meeting to discuss its second semester plans.
Obviously, stay tuned.
HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS CALENDAR
CROSS COUNTRY: The Cougar Classic is scheduled to start the 2020-21 season on Jan. 8, followed by the Ian Cumming/Tim Latham Invitational Jan. 15 at Rohr Park, the Dana Hills Invitational on Jan. 23 and the Mt. Carmel ASICS Invitational on Jan. 30.
WATER POLO: The East County Invitational is scheduled Jan. 18-23 at El Capitan High School, followed by the San Diego Open tournament Feb. 15, 19-20. The San Diego Section playoffs are scheduled Feb. 23 to March 13.
