The CIF State hit its own pause button on Tuesday, Dec 1.
The state governing body for high school athletics announced that it has placed the start dates for competition and full practices, including the upcoming fall sports, “on hold” as it waits for state health officials to issue updated guidelines for schools to follow during the coronavirus pandemic.
“We feel for our student athletes and all the coaches and everyone involved that wants to get back on the field, the pool and the gym, we understand their frustration,” CIF State executive officer Ron Nocetti said.
“When we made the decision to set the calendar in July, we all knew there could very well be another surge, but we had to at least try. But without updated guidance, we can’t play at this time and we’re hopeful we get guidance soon so we can work with our sections and membership on a path forward.”
The pause arrived with the rescheduled fall season approaching in about a week in some sections of the state and about two weeks after Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a delay in the release of new guidance because of the rise in coronavirus cases.
Since Aug. 3, high school sports have prohibited from competition and limited to modified conditioning and skill training workouts. The guidelines from the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) currently prevent high school athletes across the state from beginning their fall seasons.
Football practices were scheduled to begin as early Dec. 7 in four sections in Northern California and as early as Dec. 14 in the CIF-Southern Section.
The CIF State said it does not expect the new guidelines from the CDPH until Jan. 1 at the earliest, or just before the scheduled start of football games on Jan. 7-8, 2021.
The almost conflicting timelines suggested an announcement from the CIF State or state health officials was imminent.
“It wasn’t surprising because of what was going on with the sections in the north,” Irvine Unified School District athletic director Mark Cunningham said of Tuesday’s announcement. “CIF had to make a move, and they at least gave us some information so we can process it and go forward.”
The CIF State also hit the all-too-familiar cancellation bottom, calling off all regional and state playoffs for this year’s fall sports (football, cross country, volleyball, water polo and field hockey).
Earlier this year, CIF State championships were cancelled in basketball because of the coronavirus pandemic and the spring season abandoned by mid-March, also wiping out numerous championships — from baseball and softball to swimming and track and field.
The CIF State said the reason for calling off its fall championships is to potentially give schools more time to play games, if needed.
“They know how important the games are for the kids and they’re willing to sacrifice the playoffs so the kids could play in more games,” Cunningham said. “That’s a great statement. They want it to work, and I think they’re doing everything in their power to make sure it works. That statement alone speaks volumes.”
In an anticipated move Tuesday, the CIF State announced that boys volleyball has been shifted from the fall schedule to the spring schedule, which will delay its start until at least February.
The CIF State earlier shared its intention to the move boys volleyball, if necessary, because the sport was cancelled in the spring and believe it deserved special consideration to combat two consecutive seasons being washed away.
Boys volleyball was supposed to begin playing games on Dec. 12.
Nocetti also addressed football, a pillar for school and community spirit, potentially being moved to the spring.
“I don’t see football moving back to that time period simply because it’s not just about football,” he said. “If you move football back to the spring, you have to move every sport from Season 1 back to the spring. The other sports want a season just as much as football, and that’s what it comes down too.
“And when it comes to football, we start football again (for the fall season) in late July and early August, and that’s a factor too.”
Many teams in the Southland have been following strict guidelines to successfully hold conditioning workouts. Schools have been commended by Dr. Mark Ghaly, secretary of California’s Health and Human Service Agency, for showing they can reopen safely.
L.A. City Section Open Division football champion Birmingham Charter was the first program in the section to start conditioning this fall in hopes of playing a season to defend its title starting in December. But after Tuesday’s announcement, Patriots coach Jim Rose is trying to be more realistic about a real start date.
“I think a mid-February start is more realistic,” Rose said.
Rose believes a January start is highly unlikely, especially for the City and Southern Section which have football bylaws that include a minimum requirement of four weeks of preparation, including contact in pads, for a game.
He’s going to have to tell his players to hang on … again.
“It’s depressing,” Rose said. “Not just for sports, but all the kids stuck at home.”
Here is the full statement from the CIF State:
Due to the continued surge in COVID-19 infections, the California Department of Public Health has postponed the issuance of its updated youth sports guidance. The California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) does not expect the CDPH will issue any guidance allowing for schools to return to full practice and competition until after January 1, 2021, at the earliest. Thus, all full practice and competition start dates are officially on hold until updated guidance is issued.
Therefore, to provide the 10 CIF Sections, our 1,605 member schools, and more than 800,000 student-athletes the best opportunity to compete in Season 1 Sports, once allowed by the CDPH and local county offices of public health, the CIF State Office is removing all Regional and State Championship events from the Season 1 Sports calendar. By canceling Regional and State Championship events, more student-athletes will have the opportunity to participate in a longer season, rather than a truncated season with Regional and State post-season play for a limited number of schools.
Additionally, boys volleyball will be moved to Season 2 to avoid the loss of a second full season, and an updated Season 2 calendar to include boys volleyball will be posted in January.
The CIF is confident this decision is a necessary and reasonable action for our member schools, student-athletes, and school communities in light of the current statewide crisis. This revision to the CIF State 2020-21 Season 1 Sports calendar offers our Sections and Leagues the flexibility and needed time to plan for the return to practice and competition once updated guidance is provided by the CDPH.
📢 CIF Statement Regarding Education-Based Athletics for 2020-21 School Year
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— CIF State (@CIFState) December 1, 2020
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