Written by Miguel Palacios
A collective groan of disappointment can be heard throughout the region as the California Interscholastic Federation San Diego Sector decided that it would not allow swimmers and divers to compete for a second time.
According to High Tech HIgh head swim coach, Susan Berardi, the CIF decision makes absolutely no sense and appears to have no scientific merit or logical reasoning to it. There is no chance of Covid-19 being transmitted through the chlorinated water and the swimmers would be within the acceptable distance for health measures. She stated to KUSI News that, “They’re blaming it on state/county guidelines, that they can’t keep the kids at a distance. Even though they’re outside, in chlorinated water, they’re wearing masks, they’re saying that that’s just not gonna meet guidelines.”
What really makes no sense is that the CIF-SDS has chosen to allow other sports to move forward with competitions; sports that actually require athletes to interact physically with each other with no social distancing, e.g. football and many other outdoor sports. Berardi states that the parents, the athletes, and the coaches have all asked the CIF to reconsider their decision and make some sort of compromise. Some of these students are in their final year of high school, and it is their last opportunity to compete and participate in the sports they love. Nevertheless, the requests seem to have fallen on deaf ears and the CIF is indifferent towards whatever nostalgia the children may feel as their high school athletics career comes to an end.
When KUSI asked coach Berardi if there was any chance that the kids would get to compete this season, she replied, “I guess there’s always a chance, but it’s not looking good.”
Photo by Mike Lewis/Ola Vista Photography
