Back in business

Since then — nothing.

Until Wednesday, when I was back out in the wild to cover the Half Moon Bay-Menlo-Atherton cross country race in Atherton — the first high school sporting event on the Peninsula in nearly a year. Girls’ tennis and golf, along with swimming, will also get underway in the following days and weeks.

I’ll be honest: I can’t remember the last time I covered a cross country meet in person. But when given the opportunity to get out of the office and out to an event of any kind, I jumped.

While getting student-athletes back competing has been the goal for nearly a year, let’s not forget that we’re still battling COVID-19 and as such, there are still responsibilities for those who may be fortunate enough to watch these events as they unfold. Because the truth of the matter is, fans will still have some conditions to follow if they want to watch.

First and foremost is wearing a mask and social distancing. If you don’t want all of this to get shut down again, follow those two simple rules — for the sake of everyone. The fact of the matter is, fans are kind of down on the priority list when it comes to the return of sports. Unless you are a parent or sibling in the same household, attending a game is not a “right,” it’s a privilege in this day and age, so act accordingly.

If you do plan on attending these events, please be cognizant of these conditions and don’t argue if a school administrator or coach asks you to mask up or move along. Just don’t be a fool and ruin if for those who do follow the rules.

After all, this is all for the kids, remember?

***

While sports are slowly returning, a release from the California Interscholastic Federation Wednesday jolts you back into reality that we’re still amid a pandemic and information is still changing rapidly.

But in this case, it’s actually good news. The CIF has now come full circle when it comes to club sports and high school athletics. In normal times, athletes are not allowed to play club and high school concurrently. When the pandemic hit and everything got canceled, the CIF relaxed that by-law for the 2020-21 season, only to reinstate the rule based on guidelines from the California Department of Public Health in regard to cohort training.

Well, I guess the CIF looked a little closer at the wording from the CDPH and have decided, once again, to waive the rule and allow athletes to play both high school and club sports at the same time.

“We have confirmed that their specific language regarding cohorting and multi-team participation is not a mandate, but a recommendation,” the CIF said in a press release. “Therefore, effective immediately, the CIF is reinstating its waiver of Bylaws 600-605.”

Football is the lone exception. Football athletes will not be allowed to play both club (which has become a thing during the pandemic) and high school football at the same time, although if an athlete had previously played club football, they would still be eligible to play high school ball. But as of Feb. 10, playing both is no longer an option.

This ruling gives high school-aged athletes the opportunity to make up for lost time and get the most competition they can. Is it unhealthy to be practicing and playing games four or five days a week? During normal times? Yes. The way things are currently constructed? I think one season of extra work would be OK.

Nathan Mollat can be reached by email: Nathan@smdailyjournal.com or by phone: 650-344-5200 ext. 117.