High school athletics across California continue to wait for their road map for returning to competition, but the CIF State has acknowledged a backup plan for at least one sport if the approaching fall season is canceled.
But like so many things during the pandemic, even the backup plans are full of uncertainty.
CIF State executive director Ron Nocetti confirmed this week that if the sport of boys volleyball, scheduled to begin Dec. 12, is canceled because of COVID-19, the state would move the sport to the spring on its calendar.
The working theory, Nocetti explained, is that boys volleyball — traditionally a spring sport but moved to the fall in the revised schedule — already had its spring season of 2020 canceled because the pandemic and would be worthy of a move to avoid another cancellation.
Nocetti said the potential shift for boys volleyball has been an idea since the new sports calendar was announced July 20. Boys volleyball, he said, was moved to the fall to help free up gym time in the spring.
“We made it clear that if season 1 (fall sports) were to be canceled, that we would move boys volleyball back (to the spring) because it would be unfair for that sport to be canceled for two years in a row,” Nocetti said. “That’s just what would happen if the season were canceled. We’ve received no new information to indicate that at this time.”
High school athletics across the state continue to wait for the California Department of Public Health to release updated guidelines for competition. Since Aug. 3, high school and youth sports have limited to conditioning and skill training and prohibited from games.
Gov. Gavin Newsom said on Nov. 16 that he signed off on new guidelines but put them on hold because of the rise in coronavirus cases.
Without updated guidelines from the state, high school sports in California will remain sidelined.
No state has canceled high school athletics overall for this school year, according to the National Federation of State High School Associations.
Nocetti’s comments on boys volleyball provide some insight into how high school leaders might address potential obstacles ahead.
The boys volleyball season in the Southern Section is scheduled to start Dec. 12, the earliest start date for any of the fall sports.
The CIF State has hosted regional playoffs in boys volleyball for several years. As of now, the regionals are scheduled for around March 20.
The state’s backup plan leads to a natural question for the Southern Section. If the fall season were canceled and the state moved boys volleyball to the spring, would the Southern Section follow with a similar move and shift the sport to the spring?
“As Commissioner (Rob) Wigod has stated consistently, all options are on the table if that scenario presents itself,” CIF-SS assistant commissioner and spokesman Thom Simmons said on Wednesday, Nov. 25. “However, it’s very difficult to speculate on that at this time.”
Nocetti understands about not wanting to speculate. Sections have already adopted revised schedules only to face unknown created by the pandemic.
“We’ve done a lot of different things this year,” he said.
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