By Michael LEVITSKY

The California Interscholastic FThe CIF Southern Section announced Monday that fall athletics are being pushed back and will take place during the spring semester of this academic year. Commissioner Rob Wigod stated all sports will be conducted in two seasons – fall and spring. This means fall, winter and spring sports are being split and scheduled accordingly by the Sections’ office.

The announcement was made during a press conference via live stream, following the decision of many Southern California school districts to begin the school year via distance learning.

Fall sports will include cross-country, field hockey, 8-man/11-man football, gymnastics, traditional competitive cheer, boys and girls water polo, and boys and girl volleyball.

The rest – badminton, baseball, boys/girls basketball, competitive sport cheer, boys and girls golf, lacrosse, soccer, softball, swimming, diving, boys/girls tennis, track and field, and wrestling – will take place in the newly formatted spring season.

This particular calendar was made with the assumption that students will be able to safely return to campuses sometime between now and January 2021. The commissioner reiterated that this calendar will only be in place for this upcoming academic year, and the regular calendar will resume on July 1, 2021.

In the new two-season format, regular seasons will be “90% to 100% of what they normally are,” according to the commissioner.

In regard to playoffs, he stated: “We will allow the same number of section champions in each sport, the same number of divisions in each sport, and the same number of guaranteed entries from leagues that advance into the Southern Section championships in each sport.” He added that CIF regional and state championships would be condensed to last no longer than one week.

Playoffs in some fall sports will overlap into the start of their spring counterparts. Additionally, several spring sports could continue past many school graduation dates. A full calendar for the upcoming year is available on the CIF Southern Section’s official website and at www.cvweekly.com.

Wigod emphasized that the cancellation of the fall season altogether was not an option his team wanted to consider and that fitting sports into the current situation would take flexibility, patience and teamwork on all sides.

We all have a tremendous amount of work to do in the time ahead to deliver what our student athletes, coaches, parents and school communities want us to deliver,” he said. “I truly believe we can do it. And it’s my hope and expectation that we will continue to do and support and work together with our principles, athletic directors and coaches, in service to the young men and women we are so fortunate to serve.”

  Michael LEVITSKY