CIF cancels high school spring sports season due to coronavirus
The California Interscholastic Federation announced on Friday that the high school spring sports season has been canceled.
With more and more school districts announcing students won’t return to campus for the remainder of the school year due to the coronavirus outbreak, the chances of the return of high school spring sports appeared unlikely.
On Friday the CIF made it official.
“Based on the recent statements issued by Governor Newsom and State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond, regarding schools turning to distance learning for the remainder of the 2019-20 school year, the California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) does not see an avenue for the spring sports season to continue,” CIF Executive Director Ron Nocetti wrote in a statement. “As such, in consultation today with the 10 Section Commissioners, the decision has been made to cancel spring Section, Regional, and State Championship events.”
Nocetti continued: “We understand this is disappointing for everyone involved in education-based athletics and empathize with our student-athletes and all who are impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak,” Nocetti said. “As always, our top priority is everyone’s ongoing health and safety during this challenging time, and we all look forward to the day when education-based athletics resumes.”
Ripon Christian senior baseball player Nolan Lingley posted a lengthy statement on Twitter as his high school athletic career has now ended. Lingley has signed with Pepperdine.
“I wish I didn’t take for granted each moment I spent with my family at Ripon Christian baseball,” Lingley wrote. “To Coach John, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to thank you enough for the passion and effort you poured into helping us succeed. A coach and player relationship is now a friendship that will last a lifetime. I love you coach.”
Lingley continued: “To Coach Steve and my man coach English, thank you so much. To my boys, I love you all. I’ll miss each moment. From talking crap in the dugout, to post game celebrations, to BSing during mound visits and everything in between. From saying goodbye to seniors after a playoff loss, to bringing home the blue banner for the first time in school history. To play for this team was an honor, and something I took pride in. I’ll never get an opportunity to give a proper goodbye, but high school baseball you will be missed.”
Stanislaus County had already decided on Wednesday that students would not return to campus for this school year.
The county had suspended high school athletics on March 13 and the CIF and the section commissioners met the following Tuesday to discuss the status of season but opted to re-evaluate the decision at Friday’s meeting.
According to Los Angeles Times reporter Eric Sondheimer, the CIF is reportedly going to form committees to come up with contingency plans for the fall sports season.
“We’re going to work with the sections to get out front for the fall,” Nocetti said in the Times story. “All of us hope the contingencies we come up with won’t be needed, but we’ll have plans in place. There’s still so much unknown and still fluid. The plans we discuss with sections will be if we start on time or if we start and then have to pause.”
This story was originally published April 3, 2020 at 2:14 PM.
