The athletic programs at two North County CIF-Southern Section members have shut down workouts indefinitely because of the dramatic spike in state COVID-19 cases, while another is continuing the on-campus workouts its athletes have participated in for months.
Teams at Cabrillo and Lompoc high schools stopped their workouts a day after the CIF State Office announced that it was postponing the start dates of practice and competition of sports in Season 1 of the organization’s two-season calendar for the 2020-21 academic year.
“We got shut down today,” Cabrillo Athletic Director Gary West said Wednesday. “The Lompoc Unified School District made the decision, partly based on the CIF, but mainly because of the spike in (COVID-19) cases. We’ll resume again at some point. We just don’t know when yet.”
Lompoc High’s athletic workouts are also off indefinitely.
“We are trying to stay in line with the CIF,” Lompoc Athletic Director Claudia Terrones said. “If we take three weeks off and get through the holidays, we have a better chance of starting in January, which the CIF, our governing body, would like to do. If we stay doing what we’re doing, and with the recent (case) spike, we may not make it that far.
“We are looking at the safety of our students, their families, our coaches, their families and our communities going into the holiday season.”
At Santa Ynez, the Pirates will continue the workouts they began in September, AD Ashley Coelho said.
“We are in week 13 of practices, and we have not had a problem,” she said. “We are not shutting down our school, and we are not shutting down our athletic programs. All of our teams, except swimming, are working out. Our boys and girls water polo teams are working out. Trying to get pool time for four teams (boys and girls water polo, and swimming) would be pretty tough.”
Coelho said her school was following a hybrid block model, which involves a partial in-person academic program.
West said the CIF’s announcement of postponing the start of football, water polo, volleyball and cross country followed by the school district shutting down workouts was a jolt to many of his school’s athletes. Ten Cabrillo teams had been working out since September.
“I think (the athletes) are really struggling to deal with it,” he said. “Their coaches will contact them. I’ve sent an email to the athletes. We’re here for them if they need to talk. I’ll be checking in with them periodically to see how they’re doing.”
Team workouts at the various schools have been held with athletes divided into socially distanced pods.
“We are following state, county and CIF guidelines,” Coelho said. “If the protocols (among the three) don’t align, we’ll follow the strictest one.”