Irvine sports camps may resume after school starts; other districts reviewing options

Woodbridge players go through drills during summer camp in 2019. (File photo Harrison Zhang, For OC Sports Zone)

High school athletic camps in the Irvine Unified School District, including football, may resume after the start of school on Thursday, Aug. 20, according to Irvine Unified School District Athletic Director Mark Cunningham.

“IUSD has allowed each school the flexibility to start their camps after the first day of school,” Cunningham said Thursday night.

The sports camps will follow the same protocol, including social distancing, as set up earlier before they were postponed in July after the first day, according to Cunningham.

Because Orange County school districts are on a watch list due to continuing high coronavirus cases, the Irvine district and others in Orange County will be utilizing on-line instruction only for the start of school. Classes would have to return to in-person instruction for athletic competition, including cross country, girls and boys volleyball and girls and boys water polo, to begin in December. Football is scheduled to start in January 2021.

“Summer camps cannot conflict with classes,” Cunningham said. “So either before or after school hours (for camps).”

High schools in IUSD include Portola, Northwood, Irvine, Woodbridge and University. Beckman is in the Tustin Unified School District.

Officials from other Orange County districts are also making plans.

“Our district has given the four high schools approval and now athletic directors and coaches are working to get all the pieces in place to restart,” said Orange High Athletic Director Alicia Seevers.

Plans are being discussed in the Huntington Beach Unified School District.

“As of now, we are not sure about our athletic camps,” said Tim Walsh, athletic director at Ocean View High School. “We are going to have meetings next week and hopefully figure it out.”

Officials with the Newport Mesa Unified School District are also talking about athletic camps, according to Nate Goellrich, athletic director at Estancia High School.

“There is not a decision yet by the Newport-Mesa School District on us reopening and when,” he said. “They are discussing this week and will let us know the plan moving forward.”

The district also includes Newport Harbor, Corona del Mar and Costa Mesa.

It is not clear what plans that Tustin Unified School District officials have for athletic camps.

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