Notebook: Sac-Joaquin Section creates one-year rule to allow more summer practice time
With the likelihood of diminished practice time for high school fall sports athletes in June due to the coronavirus outbreak, the Sac-Joaquin Section shaved two weeks from its three-week dead period in July.
The “dead period” is a time to give athletes a break during summer break. There’s no contact with coaches or organized practices. Conditioning and lifting weights is allowed.
This year, the section’s dead period was scheduled from July 6 to July 27 for football, July 13-Aug. 3 for cross country, boys soccer, girls tennis, girls golf and girls volleyball and July 27-Aug. 17 for water polo.
Instead, athletes will have normal team activities in what would have been the first two weeks of their dead week, then the final week off. There is an exception for this year only – during this summer’s one-week dead period, no conditioning or lifting weights will be allowed.
The rule, for this summer only, was approved unanimously at the Board of Managers meeting on Thursday, according to section Assistant Commisioner Will DeBoard.
In other moves, three area football teams were elevated a division due to the continued success bylaw.
Hilmar (D5), Manteca (D3), and Oakdale (D3) all moved up a division.
The continued success model includes a school which was a section semifinalist or finalist for four or more years in a row with at least one section title or four section titles in a span of six years.
A school automatically moves up a division if they have won three straight section titles.
The section also voted to allow Wheatland High School of Yuba County to join the section for the 2022-23 school year. Wheatland is currently in the Northern Section.
Kevin Kramer undergoes hip surgery
Pittsburgh Pirates infielder and Turlock High grad Kevin Kramer had surgery on his right hip, the team announced on May 20.
Kramer is expected to return to full baseball activities in four to six months, according to the Pirates.
Kramer had five RBIs and five runs scored for the Pirates in 2019.
Linden native and Yankee Aaron judge makes donation
New York Yankees outfielder and Linden High grad Aaron Judge donated 100 noise-canceling headphones to fourth-grade students at Linden Elementary School on May 20.
The fourth-grade students who received the headphones will attend Waterloo Middle School in the fall.
“Our mission is to help students develop strong, positive citizenship and to keep their learning strong, so that they can reach unlimited possibilities,” Judge’s mother, Patty Judge said in an interview with the Stockton Record. “In this situation, Aaron really understands this transition from elementary school to middle school because he actually was at both of these schools. He just wanted to reinforce the kids’ learning.”
This story was originally published May 29, 2020 at 8:50 AM.
