Full Practice and Competition will not Begin in December and Is currently on Hold While Awaiting Updated Youth Sports Guidelines from State Health Department
By STEVE GALLUZZO | Sports Editor
On December 1, the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) state office in Sacramento released the following statement regarding education-based athletics for the 2020-21 school year:
“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. As a result, the 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 postseason 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.”
Season 1 sports are football, boys and girls water polo, cross country and girls volleyball. Boys volleyball and competitive cheer have been moved to Season 2 beginning in March, since those sports lost their seasons last spring.
The other Season 2 sports will be baseball, boys and girls basketball, boys and girls soccer, boys and girls tennis, boys and girls lacrosse, boys and girls golf, track and field, wrestling and swimming.
A day after the CIF state office released its statement, Los Angeles City Section Commissioner Vicky Lagos issued a statement of her own:
“The State CIF has released a statement regarding the Season 1 start dates. In the absence of updated guidelines from the California Department of Public Health and the increase in numbers of COVID-19 cases throughout the state, the decision has been made to delay the start dates for full practice and competition. These start dates will be on hold until we are given further guidance by the CDPH, which is currently on pause.
The Southern California regional and state competitions for Season 1 sports have been canceled, thus allowing us to extend our Season 1 sports. In addition, boys volleyball has been moved to Season 2. Since boys volleyball was canceled last year, this will move the sport to its regular season (spring) and allow it to have a complete season. As guidance is received, the City Section will work with the league commissioners to help facilitate a schedule.
Schools can expect an update on the status of our City championships on January 19, 2021, for Season 1 sports. If we receive any recommendations or guidelines before that time, I will be sure to relay that information to you.
Since the beginning we have been following the state and county guidelines and will continue to do so. We are committed to doing everything we can, within the guidelines and in maintaining safety for all involved to have athletic participation this year. We will continue to work with our Executive Committee to work on our budgets and to set our revised sports calendar. We will share that information in due time.”
The City Section, headquartered in Granada Hills, consists of 156 schools, including Palisades High. Conditioning may continue per the Los Angeles County Health Department. Season 1 was to have run from Dec. 14 through March 27 and Season 2 was slated to start Feb. 8 and run through June 26.
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