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I am sure we can all agree that the year 2020 was one like no other. In March, 2020, when our schools and our athletic programs were shut down, we all thought it would only be for a few weeks and then we would be back to finish that school year as we would expect.
I vividly remember our office staff immediately after our schools closed compiling information on when they would be re-opening: some stating that it would be in a couple of weeks, some after Spring Break, etc. We all thought that by the middle of April, we would be back to normal on campus and in athletics. We were all wrong about that. From that point forward, the Fall of 2020 continued to see us struggle without our student-athletes returning to play. The cancellation of Southern Section Championships, CIF Southern Regional Championships and CIF State Championships in the Spring and Fall of 2020 was devastating to our student-athletes and all our stakeholders. We will never be able to replace what our student-athletes lost during that time period and that will stay with us forever.
When we finally got the opportunity to return to play in the Spring of 2021, it was truly a remarkable time when we all worked together and were able to conduct Southern Section Championships in 19 sports for Boys and Girls, an incredible accomplishment that we can all be proud of. However, even with everything that was done last year, not every sport was able to have the full regular seasons and championship experiences that we want to provide each year.
Which leads us to the current school year and the commitment we have all made to ensure that we achieved our primary goal of squaring the accounts for all those who had missed out last year and the year before. For example, in the Fall of 2021, we were able to conduct Southern Section Championships, CIF Southern Regional Championships and CIF State Championships in Girls Volleyball, Girls Golf and Football, Southern Section and CIF Southern Regional Championships in Girls Tennis and Boys Water Polo and Southern Section and CIF State Championships in Boys/Girls Cross Country. We squared the accounts in those sports!
In the Winter of 2022, we conducted Southern Section Championships, CIF Southern Regional Championships and CIF State Championships in Boys/Girls Basketball, Southern Section and CIF Southern Regional Championships in Boys/Girls Soccer and Girls Water Polo, Southern Section and CIF State Championships in Boys/Girls Individual Wrestling and Southern Section Championships in Traditional Competitive Cheer. We squared the accounts in those sports!
Now, as we begin our Spring Sports Championships, there is more work to be done to finish the job. We look forward to conducting Southern Section (with spectators allowed) and CIF State Championships in Boys/Girls Swimming and Diving, CIF State Championships in Boys/Girls Track and Field, and in Boys Golf. Over the next several weeks, leading up to the Memorial Day Weekend, we will be laser focused on completing this journey and squaring the accounts for all our sports by the end of the 2021-2022 school year.
I am grateful to you for your hard work, dedication, and professionalism, collaborating with our team, in service to the young people we are so fortunate to serve. We have put the best interests of our student-athletes first and that is the only way we have been able to achieve the great successes we have since March, 2020.
As always, I thank you for your continued help and support, it is truly appreciated.
