The future of fall sports remains uncertain

Victoria Artale, Photo Editor|May 20, 2020

As California governor Gavin Newsom talks about extending the stay-at-home order,  questions surrounding fall sports are rising among Diamond Bar High School student-athletes and coaches. 

“The most current news is that L.A. County is highly considering extending the stay-at-home order for another three months,” Athletic Director Albert Lim said via email. “If that occurs, the chances of summer camp occurring does not look promising.”

Most recently, Lim has been communicating with DBHS Principal Reuben Jones on the possibility of fall sports continuing next year. Lim mentioned that nothing is set in stone because they are waiting to hear from the Walnut Valley Unified School District. 

“As a public school, we cannot just decide what we want to do as a school,” Lim said. “We follow guidelines set forth by the district, who follows L.A. County, the state and federal government.”

Another topic of discussion is the college commitment process and whether seniors who want to compete at the collegiate level will be affected next year. Lim explained that although the commitment process might be later affected, the biggest issue on the table is the possibility of fall sports being canceled.

“I don’t believe it [Covid-19] impacts the college commitment process as most of this decision occurred prior to school closures,” Lim said. “Will the upcoming school year sports seasons even take place is the question we are all asking at all levels (high school, college, professional).”

Although Lim is focused more on the possible cancellation of fall sports, athletes that want to compete at the college level have their own concerns. 

“I was planning on playing football in college,” junior Blake Davis said via Instagram. “I’m kind of worried because if the coronavirus goes into the fall this can affect the recruiting process a lot.”

If fall sports don’t get canceled for the upcoming school year, Lim said  that he is looking forward  to entering the Hacienda League with Diamond Ranch, Los Altos, South Hills, Charter Oak, West Covina and Walnut. 

“I’m excited about our new league, but at this point, I’m just hoping that athletics will be able to happen and our student-athletes are able to compete,” Lim said. 

While athletes are confined to their homes, many coaches have been making the effort to stay connected with them. Lim expressed  his gratitude to the coaches for remaining  in touch  with student-athletes. 

“Coaches are doing the best they can to utilize technology in staying in contact with their athletes,” Lim said. “All of our spring coaches have done a great job in staying in touch with their team and recognizing the seniors through regular Zoom meetings, virtual banquet and/or home visit with seniors to provide them with gifts.”

During this time, some athletes are choosing to stay optimistic and continue training. Senior Nathan Sinn plans on competing in cross-country this coming fall and believes it is important to continue training. 

“Training is always important because you never know if/when the usual schedule will be back and it’s not fun to be out-of-shape when that happens,” Sinn said via text. “It’s also essential for distance runners to be training year-round because that’s how we develop.”

Even though athletes are trying to stay fit at this time, Lim also mentioned that he hopes DBHS athletes also pay attention to their emotions. 

“Since most of us are at home, I challenge you [DBHS athletes] to take this opportunity to spend more time in your inner world so that you can ultimately discover who you are,” Lim said. “We may not be able to control circumstances, but we definitely can control our thoughts, emotions and choices.”