State to allow indoor youth, high school sports
Dublin boys basketball coach Tom Costello stopped outdoor practice in Pleasanton on Thursday afternoon and asked his 14 players to take off their masks.
“I haven’t seen this many bright faces and happy smiles in a long time,” he said.
Word spread quickly of Thursday morning’s announcement in San Diego of a settlement reached to allow youth and high school sports in the state.
Attorney Stephen C. Grebing, a managing partner of Wingert Grebing of San Diego, said the settlement lets all high school sports be played in counties with adjusted coronavirus case ratios below 14 per 100,000. As of Tuesday, that was 54 of the state’s 58 counties, including all nine in the Bay Area.
Athletics in San Francisco, however, remain on hold. The city’s health department requires schools to apply for inperson learning before sports resume. The San Francisco Unified School District, recently sued by the city for not reopening schools during the pandemic, has not submitted a plan for any public high school.
Gov. Gavin Newsom did not comment on the settlement Thursday, but Dr. Mark Ghaly, the state’s Secretary for Health and Human Services, said new guidelines will be released in a few days. California Interscholastic Federation Executive Director Ron Nocetti said he would “reserve comment until we see the agreement.”
“This is a major win for the youth of California,” said Randy Bessolo, a high school coach in San Francisco for 16 years who along with MiramonteOrinda boys coach Chris Lavdiotis helped organize the Bay Area Basketball Coaches Alliance. “Playing youth sports has been proven to be safe, and the risks of not playing are far greater than playing.”
Data supporting the claim that indoor sports have been played safely in 43 other states, supplied by the advocacy groups Let Them Play CA and BABCA, contributed to the settlement, Grebing said.
Let Them Play CA and the Golden State High School Football Coaches Community previously worked with the governor’s office for three weeks to set guidelines that allowed highcontact outdoor sports, such as football, to resume. But indoor sports had remained banned.
“A month ago, I would have thought no way we were having a season,” said SalesianRichmond boys basketball coach Bill Mellis, a BABCA member. “When outdoor sports were OK’d, there was a little light at the end of the tunnel, but I still was skeptical. Now? Today? Wow, things are moving so fast.”
Coronavirus testing could be a major hurdle in the process.
Newsom said the state agreed to pay for some outdoor sports like football and water polo, but not indoor sports. Details on how to pay for those tests are being worked out.
“I’m really excited for the players, parents and community,” Bishop O’DowdOakland boys basketball coach Lou Richie said. “But there’s obviously still a lot of moving parts.”