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CCCAA Board of Directors announces implementation of Contingency Plan for return to sports in 2020-21
JULY 9 - The CCCAA Board of Directors overwhelmingly approved implementation of its Contingency Plan on Thursday, providing a return to intercollegiate athletics for the 2020-21 academic year that shifts all sports, including football, to the spring season.
The Contingency Plan was among three potential scenarios approved by the Board in early June. Each plan was wholly dependent on which phase of reopening from the COVID-19 pandemic the state of California was in on the CCCAA’s previously announced July 17 decision date. The return to athletics in January will only occur if it is safe to do so, a decision that will be guided primarily by state and local health guidelines.
The Contingency Plan can be viewed here.
The most ambitious was the Conventional Plan, which kept all sports except men’s and women’s basketball in their traditional places on the calendar. However, it was reliant on California being in Phase 4 of its reopening by mid-July, a likelihood that’s diminished in recent weeks. The Board, based on a recommendation from the CCCAA’s COVID-19 Work Group, decided to approve immediate implementation of the Contingency Plan rather than wait for July 17.
“I know I speak for the entire CCCAA Board that moving Fall athletics to Spring 2021 is a huge disappointment,” said Dr. Erika Endrijonas, Board Chair and President of Pasadena City College. “However, the need to keep our student-athletes and the amazing coaches and athletic trainers who work with them safe was simply the only option available with the virus spiraling out of control across the state.”
The Contingency Plan originally had men’s and women’s cross country, and women’s golf competing in the fall but was slightly modified in its latest version to move those three sports to the spring with the remainder of the CCCAA’s 24 sports. They’ll start practice in mid-January and begin competition in February along with basketball, football, soccer, women’s volleyball, water polo and wrestling. Badminton, baseball, beach volleyball, men’s golf, softball, swimming and diving, tennis, track and field, and men’s volleyball are scheduled to start practice in late March before commencing competition on April 10.
All sports will have a 30% reduction in the maximum number of contests or competition dates that they are currently permitted and will also have regional postseason competition. Formats for the postseason will be announced at a later date. The CCCAA will not have state championships in 2020-21.
“We were very hopeful that we could go forth with the Conventional Plan,” said Jennifer Cardone, Interim Executive Director. “It’s the closest to what everyone is used to and provides for the least disruption to our student-athletes and colleges. Unfortunately, California’s reopening progress has slowed, and it’s become apparent that we would not be in position to put it into action on July 17.
“The health and safety of our student-athletes, coaches and staffs are our top priorities,” she added. “While the Contingency Plan has the most drastic changes, it’s also the one that provides us the best opportunity to return to competition.”
The Board of Directors will still meet on July 17 to address issues related to this decision as well as other scheduled agenda items. The CCCAA has 110-member colleges and approximately 24,000 student-athletes.
FAQ RELATED TO SPORTS CANCELATION
The California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) announced on March 12, 2020 that competition and practices (outside of regularly scheduled classes) for spring sports and any and all nontraditional sports seasons were postponed indefinitely, effective immediately. The CCCAA Board of Directors subsequently announced on March 19 that all actions listed in the previous sentence were moved from postponed to canceled. Additionally, it was announced that face-to-face recruiting and travel related to recruiting is prohibited until April 15 when the ban will be re-evaluated. On April 7, the recruiting was extended and will remain in place until the statewide shelter-in-place order has been lifted.
We understand the ramifications of this decision are widespread and there are many questions. The following FAQ is being provided to help provide answers and will be updated as information becomes available and as new questions emerge.
What spring sports are impacted by the announcement?
The baseball, women's badminton, women's beach volleyball, men's golf, softball, men's and women's swimming and diving, men's and women's tennis, men's and women's track and field, and men's volleyball regular seasons. Additionally, the 2020 CCCAA Men's and Women's Basketball Championships were canceled and will not be rescheduled.
How does the cancelation of sports affect student-athlete eligibility?
The Board of Directors subsequently voted that nearly 9,500 student-athletes who competed this spring will have their season of competition restored, provided they had not quit or been cut from their teams prior to the seasons being postponed by the CCCAA on March 12. The restoration only applies to the student-athletes’ status within the CCCAA. The NCAA, NAIA and other collegiate governing bodies are currently addressing similar issues and the CCCAA will continue to work with them to help student-athletes who wish to eventually transfer. Documentation will be completed by the student-athletes' respective institutions and conferences.
What is meant by "practices outside of regularly scheduled classes?"
The CCCAA does not have jurisdiction over college or district decisions related to instruction. The decision whether or not a team can continue to meet on or off campus during scheduled class time is up to the member college or district. The recent board decision to postpone spring competition does not prohibit students from meeting during scheduled class time, but ultimately the question should be answered by the local college or district administration.
Can CCCAA schools still conduct face-to-face/in-person recruiting?
No. In light of the state and federal guidelines related to COVID-19, the CCCAA has also instituted a temporary ban on face-to-face recruiting - and any travel related to recruiting - until April 15 at which time the CCCAA will review and decide whether to continue the ban or not. It’s similar to recruiting restrictions put in place by other collegiate governing bodies. Correspondence, as defined in Bylaw 2.5.A.5 and in Bylaw 2.5.B.10 of the 2019-20 CCCAA Constitution and Bylaws, is permissible during the ban. On April 7, the recruiting ban was extended and will remain in place until the statewide shelter-in-place order has been lifted.
Are spring CCCAA Championships still going to be held?
With the cancelation of the spring sports, the associated CCCAA Championships have been canceled as well.
Will the CCCAA declare any of the remaining 16 men's and women's basketball teams as state champions using some kind of metric such as overall record, poll, RPI or another rating service?
It is unfortunate that we were not able to determine men's and women's state champions but since winners could not be decided on the court, the 2020 champions will be listed as "Not determined."
What about all of the statistics and records from the basketball and spring seasons?
All records, statistics and individual and team achievements up until the cancelation will remain.
What is the status of the 2020 CCCAA Convention scheduled for March 31-April 3?
The convention has been canceled. Refunds to registrants who have paid will be issued but will take at least four to six weeks. Additionally, reservations at the Doubletree by Hilton Ontario Airport can be canceled by calling the hotel directly at (909) 937-0900 or Hilton at 1-800-Hilton, or by using the Hilton app. While the convention has been canceled, the Management Council Business Meeting, Vote on Legislation and the Board Meeting will still take place virtually but dates for those to occur have not been announced yet.
NEWS RELEASES
https://www.cccaasports.org/coronavirus/Contingency_Plan_announcement (July 9)
CCCAA Board of Directors adopts athletics plan for 2020-21 (June 5)
CCCAA establishes FAQ page for coronavirus issues (Mar. 13) * Note most recent FAQ information is above
2020 CCCAA Convention canceled (Mar. 13)
CCCAA postpones spring sports competition, practices and nontraditional seasons indefinitely (Mar. 12)
CCCAA Men's and Women's Basketball State Championships canceled (Mar. 12)
STUDENT-ATHLETE RESOURCES
CCCAA Constitution and Bylaws
NCAA homepage
NAIA homepage
(Updated June 5, 2020)