High school fall sports teams have returned to campuses for conditioning workouts in the Lompoc and Santa Ynez school districts, and those in the Santa Barbara and Santa Maria districts are set to return on Monday during this pandemic-altered sports season.
That leaves Carpinteria as the last public high school in the county waiting for a start date to bring its football, volleyball, water polo, cross country and cheer teams on campus for in-person training sessions with their coaches.
Pat Cooney, athletic director at Carpinteria High, said the Carpinteria Unified School District typically follows the model of the neighboring school districts. He is hoping his district makes a decision at its board meeting next week.
“Since Santa Barbara Unified has approved a plan for reopening (on Monday, Sept. 21), it makes sense that Carpinteria Unified will now follow with a plan,” he said. “Any proposal would need to be heard by the board next week for a reopening as early as Oct. 5. If there are any delays, the next possible date would be Oct. 12.”
Student athletes at private schools like Bishop Diego and St. Joseph started their reopening phase last month.
Competition for fall sports teams in the CIF’s two-season calendar begins in December with volleyball and water polo. Cross country and football will start in January.
As Cooney and his coaches wait for a start date, they are doing everything they can to stay in touch with their student athletes.
“The CHS staff has been very involved in launching our digital athletics program to date,” he said. “They are building schedules as if programs will have the opportunity to progress through the reopening phases to competition.”
The pandemic environment has made it frustrating for everyone involved in athletics at Carpinteria.
Cooney said his coaches “may be beyond restless” to get their seasons going. “However, if they are, they are not showing it. Everyone has the best interest of the students in mind and none are willing to take unnecessary risks.”
He said each sport at Carpinteria has a Google Classroom and the coaches interact with their student athletes in many different forms.
“Some offer team-building activities, motivational tips, workout plans and live video conferencing,” he said. “Everyone is doing the best that they can.”
— Noozhawk sports editor Barry Punzal can be reached at bpunzal@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk Sports on Twitter: @NoozhawkSports. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.