By Brittany Snow | Production Chief

   The fate of this school year’s athletics lies in the hands of the Southern Section of California Interscholastic Federation (CIF-SS) and the decisions they will make at the executive meeting next Tuesday. Gabrielino High School students and coaches are awaiting news of when they can resume in-person conditioning and competition.

   The most recent announcement from the CIF-SS came on Jan. 19, when it announced that playoffs for Season One Sports were canceled. However, practice and competitions for certain athletics were cleared to begin as early as Jan. 25.

   Only a few activities have been given the go-ahead so far, including cross country, golf, tennis, and track and field. Still, these sports had been experiencing a delay since the start of Southern California’s stay-at-home order.

   “There are league titles and school records that are set to be broken,” stated Edith Gonzalez, coach of Gabrielino High School’s girls cross country team. “[The athletes] have worked so hard over their high school careers, developing, growing, and maturing as students and as athletes.”

   The continuation of contact or indoor sports such as football and basketball are under evaluation. Such activities will be monitored and approved by the California Department of Public Health’s colored tier system. 

   This system determines what sport is safe to partake in during four different levels of risk. These categories include purple for widespread , red for substantial, orange for moderate, and yellow for minimal tier. 

   The widespread rank includes the few sports recently cleared to begin. However, sports like football and basketball remain at the orange and yellow classification. This categorization is part of the federation’s Education-Based Athletics COVID-19 Modifications, with their guidelines adjusting weekly. 

   “It’s not over. There’s still time left in our fall sports season,” CIF-SS commissioner, Rob Wigod said in a teleconference on Jan. 19. “I don’t believe [now] is the [time] to tell our student-athletes we’re done fighting for them.”

   Although the wait might be a little longer for clearance of the remaining Season One Sports, both cross country and Season Two Sports might still see the first competition of the 2020-21 school year soon.

   With the ongoing COVID-19 risk, however, the possibilities of a section-wide championship, hosting students of seven counties in one location is not realistic, according to a statement posted to the organization’s social media platforms.

   “The decision to get rid of the playoffs is a significant move,” Michael West, president of the Southern Section Executive Council told the Orange County Register. “But in the end, the decisions need to be made for the athletes and what is best for them at the moment.”

   Although the playoffs for Season One Sports have been canceled, conditions will be reassessed in early April, leaving the possibility of Season Two Sports championships up in the air.

   The final decision of whether or when Season One Sports will commence will be made by a combination of the league’s announcements and decisions reached by the Gabrielino faculty in the coming weeks. 

   “To the athletes: stay strong, keep training, don’t give up, and stay positive,” Gonzalez added. “We have and will continue to get through this.”