The decree lasted just a few hours. Just like that, high school sports have been given the green - or should we say purple - light once again in Santa Clara County.
After creating a panic with a decision Wednesday afternoon to enforce additional restrictions to high school sports competition, Santa Clara County officials reversed course Wednesday evening and announced that the county will follow guidelines established by the California Department of Public Health after all.
In an article that appeared on mercurynews.com, the county made the announcement to match its guidelines with those imposed throughout the rest of the state. That means that sports that have been designated in the purple tier can begin competition as soon as it is practical.
"I had a good suspicion there might be a change," Central Coast Section commissioner Dave Grissom told the Mercury News. "Calmer heads prevailed here. So let's get our kids back out there doing what they know they can do, in a safe manner."
High school sports in the purple tier include cross country, golf, swimming and diving, tennis and track and field. The two main leagues in Santa Clara County under the CCS umbrella - the Blossom Valley Athletic League and Santa Clara Valley Athletic League - have begun planning for some of these sports in Season 1.
The SCVAL, which has opted to break the rest of the school year into three seasons, plans to open competition for boys/girls cross country, girls golf, girls tennis and boys/girls swimming and diving. Teams can practice as soon as February 1, with competition starting on February 15.
The BVAL plans to hold two seasons with practice starting February 22 and games starting March 8 for Season 1 sports. This includes: cross country, field hockey, football, girls volleyball and boys/girls water polo. Of those sports, only field hockey is categorized in the purple tier.
