While the reorganizing of the sports seasons and their delay no sooner than December took center stage in the California high school prep sports world July 20, CIF State and CIF-SS made two unprecedented changes for the upcoming school year.
The most significant change is CIF State’s decision to suspend CIF Bylaws 600-605, which prevents student-athletes from simultaneously competing in high school and “outside teams,” such as club and professional teams, in the same sport during that sport’s season.
Bylaws 600-605 were put in place to allow students to focus solely on the school season and therefore preventing athletes from burnout and injuries, according to CIF-SS.
“If we’re going to move our seasons that drastically, then we certainly could not expect that the off-season travel activities also be prohibited for our student-athletes,” CIF-SS executive director Rob Wigod said. “With that in mind, those bylaws will be suspended for this school year, but it will be back in place afterward.”
From this, SH athletes will be able to participate in club sports and thanks to the new regulations they can also play high school sports at the same time.
“We do not know when our next tournament will be, but my club team is still practicing and preparing,” said rising junior Skyler Kao, who has been a member of the Fullerton Aquatics Sports Team for the past 10 years along with being a part of the swim team at Sunny Hills for two years.
For others, the temporary change calls for a tough decision as athletes will have to decide between playing for their school team or their club squad to balance their extracurriculars with academics.
“There is no pressure from my coaches to choose one team over the other, but my schedule will get more intense and difficult to handle,” girls volleyball libero rising senior Emma Suh said. “If I had to, I would choose my club team over the [Sunny Hills] team since it helps me get recruited to college teams, but I’ve always thought of playing on both teams.”
With club and high school athletic seasons being pushed back, many rising senior athletes will not get the opportunity to meet with college scouts and pursue their athletic careers at higher levels.
“A lot of events like Junior Olympics [for water polo] are being pushed, and I think it’ll be harder for the athletes to put themselves out there because that is a prime aspect of athletes being discovered,” girls water polo utility player rising senior Sydney Sereg said. “It’s up to me to show colleges far I am willing to go to showcase myself as a player.”
On the other hand, head football coach Peter Karavedas predicts that the later season will not prompt any rising senior football players with offers from colleges to opt-out of the season in favor of early enrollment.
“Even the high-level guys [who early enroll], might still be playing in high school because there may not be a college football season until the spring,” Karavedas said. “I don’t anticipate that being an issue for us.”
Another bylaw modification CIF released was the extension of “Summertime Rules,” which states that school principals will have full authority over their respective teams and can allow school teams to compete in events not sanctioned by CIF.
Originally, the “Summertime Rules” were in place from each district’s respective ‘last day of school’ until the beginning of the first official starting date for fall sports. This rule allowed high schools to sponsor sport camps, tournaments and allowed non-school affiliated sport camps to use school facilities, according to the CIF-SS.
“As soon as the administration allows us to get back in the pool, I plan on taking full advantage of this extension,” aquatics director Keith Nighswonger said. “[The boys and girls water polo teams] will play in as many tournaments and games as possible.”
Other sports that compete in the off-season include wrestling and basketball, the latter of which typically hosts the annual “Rumble for Rosecrans” tournament in November for the boys team.
As of July 28, the tournament will be rescheduled to be held March 15-21, 2021, according to ocsportszone.com.
The girls basketball program is planning on hosting a varsity tournament as well: “The Showcase at Sunny Hills” from March 30-April 2, 2021.
“We’re hoping to take advantage of the extended summertime rules when we feel it is safe enough, which probably means playing in some exhibition games and tournaments,” head girls basketball coach Jae Byun said. “But, honestly, I’m a little pessimistic about that happening anytime from now until January.”
Athletes are not concerned about the possibility of injuries while playing in tournaments in close proximity to the start of Freeway League games.
“I am not worried about getting hurt by playing in tournaments before league, but a lot of people on our team do get injured a lot before the season,” girls basketball shooting guard junior Elizabeth Rosenkranz said.
Although high school teams had dramatic changes in their schedules recently, the suspension of bylaws 600-605 and the extension of the “summertime rules” from the CIF-SS have created optimistic reactions from athletes.
“Practicing on two teams can get you a lot of good training, and players who play both club and school will probably gain more skills,” Rosenkranz said. “I think it’ll have a positive impact.”
