Pushed it back, pushed it back, waaaaaay back

Boys water polo will share the pool with girls water polo during the upcoming fall sports season under a revised calendar approved by the CIF State Office for the 2020-21 interscholastic season as a response to the coronavirus pandemic.

The focus remains on health and safety — and learning — as the 2020-21 school year is set to start.

The wheels have already started to turn on the upcoming interscholastic sports season with those three hallmarks in mind while navigating wholly uncertain times during the CO­VID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic.

On Monday the State CIF Of­fice issued a statement, after consultation with the 10 section commissioners, that will delay the start of the fall sports sea­son to December or January, ef­fectively placing all high school sports in the second semester of the school year.

The decision is not surprising given the increase in the infec­tion rate statewide, particularly in San Diego County and its southernmost communities, in recent weeks.

The tate CIF Office’s decision follows that issued on July 9 by the California Community Col­lege Athletic Association that officially moved all fall sports to a January/February start.

The State CIF Office state­ment reads:

“The California Interscholas­tic Federation has determined, in collaboration with our 10 sections, that education-based athletics for the 2020-21 school year will begin with a modified season of sport schedule. Our calendar reflects the season for each CIF sport and the last date for section championships and regional/state champion­ships in those sports where a regional/state championship is currently offered. Following this announcement, each CIF Section Office will release their own calendar to reflect regu­lar season starting and ending dates and section playoffs. It is anticipated that most section start dates will commence in December 2020 or January 2021.

“We are continuously moni­toring the directives and guide­lines released from the Gov­ernor’s Office, the California Department of Education, the California Department of Public Health and local county health departments and agencies as these directives and guidelines are followed

by our member schools/ school districts with student health and safety at the fore­front. As these guidelines change, CIF sections may al­low for athletic activity to po­tentially resume under the summer period rules of the local section. Also, given this calendar change, the CIF has temporarily suspended bylaws 600-605 (outside competition) in all sports for the 2020-21 school year.”

The decision ensures that no sports season will be skipped, as new San Diego Section Commis­sioner Joe Heinz stressed.

However, some compression will occur.

Instead of the traditional three seasons — fall, winter and spring — there will now only be two seasons: fall and spring.

In order to accommodate this, some sports will switch seasons and some sports will overlap.

Volleyball (boys and girls), wa­ter polo (boys and girls), cross country, traditional competi­tive cheerleading, football, field hockey and gymnastics will oc­cupy the revised fall calendar.

Badminton, soccer, swimming and diving, tennis (boys and girls), wrestling, basketball, golf (boys and girls), baseball, soft­ball, track and field, competitive sport cheerleading and lacrosse will fill out the spring sports calendar.

Regional playoffs will extend the fall season into late March and early April while the spring sports playoffs will take place from late May to late June.

Each section will set an end date for its own playoffs. It ap­pears the end date for the 2020- 21 season will fall beyond tradi­tional graduation dates.

Heinz said he would like to see the San Diego Section fall calendar begin on Dec. 14 with practices and actual game play start Jan. 8.

This would depend on the cur­rent health climate, of course.

He said the plan is to play the maximum number of allowed regular season contests, though the time scheduled may be compressed. He said he hopes to have a master schedule ready by mid-August after consultation with advisory committees for all sports.

The Grossmont Union High School District is set to start the fall term with online classes on Aug. 10.

East County coaches have understandably exercised a healthy amount of caution in re­gard to the new sports calendar.

“This is a difficult time, so whatever the decisions are, we have to accept and adapt,” Grossmont High School football coach Tom Karlo said.

“Any start date would pose unique obstacles. A January start has winter break, weather, getting dark at 5 p.m. every day, on top of six months from when we have started football for 100 years. Add in a pandemic that we don’t know where that will be, and this is going to be a year where you have to just be ready for anything.

“But kids are resilient and we, as coaches, have to keep them motivated to focus on school, staying safe, staying and be ready to go when we get the OK.”

Granite Hills football coach Kellan Cobbs was more critical of the decision.

“Biggest winners in this for­mat is CIF as they get the gate from a full playoff season in football,” Cobbs said. “How they came to the conclusion to keep state playoff games is crazy to me and shows their biggest in­terest is money. Biggest losers are the kids as now many will be forced to pick one sport for the entire year. As you can see there is an overlap in tryout dates and regular season for the two sea­sons. Not good for kids.”

Student-athletes may also have to make additional choices.

The State CIF Office has relaxed its rule on outside com­petition due to the switching of some sports between seasons. This would allow student-ath­letes to participate on an out­side team at the same time they participate on their high school team.

This would mean that water polo players, for instance, could play for their club teams and high school teams during the same season and the same for soccer. It would apply to all high school sports and their club equivalents.

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