CIF plan requires ‘unwavering commitment to get this job done,’ commissioner says

CdM’s baseball team gathers for a team picture early in the season. (Photo courtesy CdM baseball)

CIF Southern Section Commissioner Rob Wigod said Monday the new plan for fall, winter and spring high school sports will “require vision, creativity, flexibility, teamwork and an unwavering commitment from all involved to get this job done.”

Wigod, speaking during a Zoom press conference with reporters throughout Southern California, added “this has been a call to leadership and I believe we’ve answered that call today.”

Wigod said officials began to work in April to figure out a way to make all fall, winter and spring sports happen for 2020-2021. The plan includes shuffling some sports around. Most fall sports, which normally would have started in August, will be played in December 2020, except for football which would start Jan. 8, 2021.

“We’ve been constantly working every day on this plan to deliver fall, winter and spring sports during the 2020-21 CIF school year,” Wigod said.

Wigod said CIF officials had to adjust their plans when coronavirus cases in the state began to rise in the last two weeks but that officials remained committed to making sure all seasons were played.

“All sports will be conducted in two seasons, fall and spring,” Wigod said. “The reason for that is to help with the overlap of sports and to try and have some separation between the two seasons to allow for dual sport athletes and for coaches who coach more than one sport and for maximizing the utilization of school facilities.

“The length of the regular seasons will be 90 percent to 100 percent of what they normally are with no reduction in the number of maximium allowable contests in each sport. We will have the same number of section champions in each sport, the same number of divisions in each sport, and the same number of guaranteed entrees from leagues that advance into the Southern Section championships in each sport. CIF regional and CIF state regional championships will be condensed so that these competitions would last no longer than one week in each sport.”

Wigod encouraged adults involved in planning and implementing the proposal to “show a unified front going forward” and to be positive and show a good example.

“I believe our student athletes will be supportive of this plan,” Wigod said. “I think they will be appreciative of the fact that we have no plans to cancel seasons or sports and while no doubt there will be difficult choices that have to be made by everyone to make this work, I think our young people know that it’s preferable to have an opportunity to at least make a choice, than to not have a chance to do that at all, which is what happened to us all last April when the spring sports seasons were canceled.”

Schools will have to be back with face to face instruction in order for the CIF plan to be implemented. Gov. Gavin Newsom said last week that most districts are on a watch list because of rising coronavirus cases and will have to start with on-line courses.

Wigod also responded to a number of questions from reporters.

Wigod said that if fall sports could not start in December, then those teams would have to reduce their schedules.

“The key element is viable league play,” he said. “At some point, if we’re not able to have viable league play for the fall that we have planned, then that season would be canceled.”

If that happened, the focus would move to the other sports that are scheduled, Wigod said.

Wigod said officials intend to stick to the planned schedule but could evaluate closer to the start of the scheduled seasons if adjustments need to be made.

“We were hoping our schools could get to work and everyone could get to work on what needs to be done now to get this implemented and we will really have to look at how things develop over the next several months and as we get closer to December and if there has been a gradual return to school and a return to campus and a return to activities and our health professionals at the state and local level and county level will decide, then obviously, the only implementation that would change was that we might have to back up just a little bit more up until that point where we could no longer have viable league play,” Wigod said.

“But we’re not going to be revising it or putting in different dates for a while now. We hope this will give our schools the chance to start making their plans and juggling all the different things they need to juggle to make it work.”

Wigod said CIF officials will not be involved in the testing of athletes.

“We’re not going to be involved in the testing protocol requirements or things we talk about with student athletes and staff,” he said. “It’s still going to be schools, school districts and private school decisions following their local, state, county health authorites so they are going to be implementing what is specific for their particular schools and districts. We have seven counties in the Southern Section within our footprint, so what may be happening in one county is potentially different than another.

“Right now they’re all pretty much in the same boat. As we move closer to getting students back on campus first for academics, then hopefully bringing the athletic teams next, those testing protocols and procedures and reactions to positive tests or steps in that regard, that’s going to be up to those folks. It’s not going to be a CIF issue.”

Wigod added that school districts and schools would determine if fans would be allowed to attend games. Wigod said he believed athletic directors and coaches would opt to have games without fans if necessary. He added the decision to allow media reporters and other personnel to attend would also be up to the schools.

Wigod added if all goes all planned, he expects the 2021-22 sports calendar will return to its normal schedule.

–Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone; timburt@ocsportszone.com