High School Sports in 2021

BY: CALLUM BURGESS

As the chaotic year of 2020 comes to a close, the ambiguity of the following year has come into question. This year can be considered as a loss in regards to the typical high school student values. Senior years and celebrations were put on hold along with co-curriculars and athletics. Schools were shut down as friends and family were forced to isolate. With this in mind, the pandemic continues to rage forward into the foreseeable future. The Center of Disease Control has warned that this winter may be the “most dangerous time in U.S. public health history.” On Wednesday December 2, the U.S. recorded its single highest COVID death toll since the beginning of the pandemic - over 2,760 reported dead in a single day. Although vaccination advancements steadily increase, the return to normalcy is still far off into the horizon. The eluded normalcy we might see in 2021 is all dependent on our situation. That being said, priorities must be set in order. The average San Diegan high schooler has yet to return to in-class learning. Pacific Ridge students have the luxury of being a part of a private school system, which allows greater flexibility in regards to hybrid and in-person learning. California Interscholastic Federation, CIF, is the governing body for all high school sports in the state of California. Its jurisdiction ranges over both public and private high schools, making its athletic decisions vital for Pacific Ridge students. “To help slow the spread of COVID-19, California’s stay-at-home order issued on March 19, 2020, effectively suspended all youth sports, including school-based, club,

and recreational youth sports. Beginning July 30, the California Department of Public Health is allowing youth sports training, conditioning, and physical education under specific circumstances.” This may seem like good news for hopeful athletes but at its core it is not. The arbitrary date of July 30 is likely to change, as it has done before. Prior to CIF’s latest announcement, the date was originally set for December 12. Joe Heinz, the CIF San Diego Section Commissioner, stated the following. “After last week when things were continuing to go the wrong direction and we were getting closer to the December 12 date, we met as a group of commissioners and decided we can’t keep our schools in limbo here waiting for something to drop.” On top of this, July 30 does not represent a reset date, but rather a return to organized physical activity. CIF states the following, “As suggested by the CDC, youth sports and physical education are only permitted when the following can be maintained: (1) physical distancing of at least six feet between participants, (2) a stable cohort, such as a class, that limits the risk of transmission (as stated by CDC Guidance on Schools and Cohorting), (3) activities should take place outside to the maximum extent practiced.” As for sports that are unable to follow these restrictions, they are currently not permitted. The silver lining of this all is that our situation is tied to our covid climate. If COVID cases increase then regulations will grow stricture, but if they drop then more leniency will be allowed. “Putting dates out there and getting people’s hopes up then not doing that seems wrong and unfair to our student athletes,” Heinze stated in a press conference last week. “So, we’ve just got to stay positive that we’re going to hear some good news. We’re just doing everything we can to be prepared so when the state does give us the green light and says hey, sports can begin again, we’re ready to go.” CIF does have a full season scheduled in the event of further delays. California has already canceled the plan of state run playoffs and tournaments, and it is seaming very likely that they might ditch all postseasons as well. CIF’s official statement on the matter is as follows: “The goal right now is to simply give high school student-athletes, especially the senior classes, a chance to play again.”