How California Is Continuing Youth Sports During A Statewide Shutdown
Popular high school sports such as football, volleyball, basketball, etc. are indefinitely on hold until at least January 25th as Covid-19 cases reach record-highs in California, prompting another statewide shutdown. According to new guidelines released by the California Department of Public Health, the state’s four-tier coronavirus tracking system is being used to determine when certain youth and recreational adult sports can resume.
Sports that are considered to be “high-contact” in an outdoor setting are able to be played in counties that are in the orange tier; this includes sports such as football, soccer, or basketball. The orange tier is known as the “moderate tier” and as of right now one county is on that low level. The next level up from that is the red tier, or “substantial tier,” which currently has three counties included in it. Next up is the purple tier, also known as the “widespread tier”, which currently has 54 counties included in it; all nine counties that make up the Bay Area are in the purple tier.
These guidelines define all high-contact sports as “team sports with frequent or sustained close contact between participants and high probability that respiratory particles will be transmitted between participants; moderate-contact sports as team sports that can be played with only incidental or intermittent close contact between participants; and low-contact sports as individual or small group sports where contact within six feet of other participants can be avoided.”
All inter-team sport competitions are on hold until at least January 25th, and that date is pending based on how much worse the pandemic gets in California. Justin Alumbaugh is the head football coach at De La Salle High School, who recently spoke with the press about how he wasn’t surprised by the new guidelines at all because “a lot of it makes sense.”
“It’s going to be a challenge, but at least it’s doable. Now we’re given something we can work with, that was something that we really really needed.”
Indoor sports such as basketball face an obvious challenge when it comes to resuming activity. Basketball as a sport is placed in the yellow, or minimal, tier, as the guidance states that all indoor sports are much higher risk than outdoor sports because of the reduced ventilation. Sports in the purple tier that are able to be played throughout California currently are golf, diving/swimming, tennis, cross country, and track and field.
The guidelines also have strict requirements for wearing facial coverings, remaining six feet apart as much as possible, and consistent sanitation for all sports equipment between every use. Preliminary sports practices such as physical conditioning, general practicing, skill building, and training are all still allowed to occur in outdoor settings in a socially distanced manner. David Grissmom is the commissioner for the Central Coast sector of California’s Interscholastic Federation who recently spoke with the press about these new, highly-anticipated, guidelines.
“I’m glad we have them, that’s a positive step. We need to keep wearing masks and socially distancing and doing the right things so our kids can have their sports back.”
When California’s Interscholastic Federation announced their initial high school sports guidelines in the summer, many were delayed until at least December; which has held true. Those guidelines, however, remained in place even though the pandemic worsened and a multitude of other systemic policies were being adjusted to cope. Now, youth sports leaders across the state have a much clearer picture as to when they may be able to return to the field.
Eric Mastrota is a Contributing Editor at The National Digest based in New York. A graduate of SUNY New Paltz, he reports on world news, culture, and lifestyle. You can reach him at eric.mastrota@thenationaldigest.com.
