Don't Give Up Hope, Says CIF-SS Commissioner


This screen grab catches a rare smile from CIF-Southern Section commissioner Rob Wigod during Wednesday's Q&A with athletes and coaches, streamed on the CIF-SS YouTube channel.

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During a virtual Q&A session on Wednesday, the commissioner of the largest CIF section in California told a story about a recent walk on the beach where he was passed by what he described as an entire cross country team out on a training run. 

It was not stated the emotions that scene created for Rob Wigod, the point person for the 560-school CIF-Southern Section, but it was likely a contrasting mix of frustration and hopefulness. 

Wigod, on Wednesday, made himself available for questions funneled only from athletes and coaches regarding the continued delay of a return to high school sports across not only the massive CIF-SS but also the entire state. 

In a week where COVID-19 cases, deaths and hospital occupancy numbers are setting sobering records on a daily basis, the majority of the state's 58 counties remain in the highest tier of concern, and three state college conferences announced 2020-21 athletic schedule cancelations, Wigod offered restrained optimism for the return of high school sports. 

"I don't want to give up hope," he said. "I don't think now is the time, on December 9. I think we have some time in front of us. Hopefully, we can see some progress made."

That was the overall theme of Wigod's 53-minute Q&A -- viewable in full on the CIF-SS YouTube channel -- that and the state association's continued effort to work with the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) on safe return to play guidelines. Wigod also addressed parameters of the adjusted calendar, and other challenges as a result of what is nearly a nine-month void of high school sports.

Wigod reiterated what has been clear for months but often misunderstood, that the CIF isn't the entity holding back the return to sports.

"We're ready to go," he said. "But, unfortunately, our schools are not ready to go. And they're not ready to go because we don't have approval from our health professionals whose responsibility it is to keep us safe. And without that approval, we have not been able to resume." 

High school sports in California have been shut down since mid-March when the threat of the Coronavirus Pandemic became apparent. In mid-July, hopeful that the state would have the virus under control, the CIF-State and the majority of the 10 sections announced a return-to-sports plan that would have had fall sports athletes on the verge of training this week with competition beginning as soon as the day after Christmas and continuing through the end of March. 

In early August, the CDPH released guidelines for youth sports that set parameters for safe training but prohibited competition.

The state association, in conjunction with the CIF Sports Medicine Advisory Committee, has worked with the CDPH to develop a plan for return to play. However, that plan has not been released by state leadership and high school sports remains on hold.

"This is an effort we have been involved in for months and months now," Wigod said. "I will tell you that we've worked very hard to get as much information as we can to our health professionals, to those that oversee all of this that we are waiting for, to let them know how important it is for us to get our high school student athletes back."

Last week, as COVID-19 surged statewide and nearly all of the states most populated counties moved into the purple (most restrictive) tier, the CIF-State office announced the cancelation of state championship events. That move was made in hopes of giving sections more flexibility in re-scheduling fall sports, which are now not able to start in the timeline outlined in July. The season projected to run January-March, may now not begin until February and may spill into April, with additional overlapping of spring sports, scheduled to begin in late March. That appears to be a best-case scenario. 

"We've been waiting to get a response and we hope to get it soon," Wigod said about the return-to-play guidelines from the CDPH. "But clearly in the last couple of weeks, our county health professionals and state department of public health have been focused on many bigger issues than just what's happening with high school athletes.

"I know it's frustrating. We are waiting for those guidelines to come and I think that will help everybody get a road map for the future and how we can get high school sports back.

"We know the benefits of high school athletes. We know what education-based athletics does for students. We totally believe in their mental and physical and social and emotional well being. And we know that education-based athletics help make that happen. I can assure you that we have tried very, very hard to make sure that we get that message out and that we know that getting our student athletes back will be in their best interest. But, again, only when it's healthy and safe to do so." 

Once it is safe to return, how late in the calendar is too late for fall sports? Wigod addressed this question as it relates to football, which requires 14 days of practice before games. He said if it was safe for a return to practice by Feb. 15, games could begin March 5. 

"We could get full league play done and maybe a bowl game kind of thing, to give some kind of post-season experience," he said, noting a six- or seven-game season is better than a two-game season. 

Wigod gave some indication that sports with less contact -- like cross country -- could possibly come back when others are denied or more restricted. 

"It' certainly a possibility that certain sports don't seem to have the risk level that others have," he said, noting that the plan submitted to (CDPH) was for the return to play for all sports. "We expect in some ways to get a modification where we may have different standards for a cross country, for a water polo or a volleyball ... . 

"Until we get those guidelines from (CDPH), it's difficult for me to speculate. I don't think there's anything wrong in anticipating maybe a difference in terms in certain sports being allowed to go further than other sports based on the nature of what those sports are."

Wigod was asked what athletes should be doing right now. 

"I would not give up hope," Wigod said. "I would continue to try to do everything you can do. We're going to try to do everything we can do.

"I know some of our schools are out there doing conditioning workouts and other kinds of activities to keep active, to get back together with their teammates, with their coaches, to at least do something to help prepare for the time when we can get our sports back.

"I would tell you not to stop now. I will tell you not to give up. I would tell all of our student-athletes to continue to try to everything you can that when the time comes you'll be ready and there will be no excuses, 'Well, we just decided that it wasn't going to happen and decided to stop and kind of give up.' Don't give up. It's not time to give up hope. I don't give up now. it's not time for you to give up." 


COLLEGE CONFERENCE CANCELATIONS


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SOUTH COAST CONFERENCE CANCELS FALL SPORTS


BIG WEST CONFERENCE CANCELS FALL SPORTS