High school athletes, parents and coaches held rallies at high schools across California on Friday afternoon to advocate for a return to play amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The “Let Them Play CA” rallies were sparked by a Facebook group organizing a long list of California high schools that would host the rallies in hopes of getting local officials’ attention with a plea to get their kids back in sports. Parents from a handful of highs schools in the Bay Area participated at their kids’ school.
At De La Salle, a crowd of some 75 concerned parents and others gathered to share their message.
“This is not just about my kid, it’s about tall the kids of California and especially the less fortunate kids,” Anouschka Wardy, a parent of three from Lafayette said. “Sports for them are incredibly important to keep them off the streets and out of trouble and focused on their school work.”
Wardy says her two oldest sons played football at De La Salle. She fears her youngest, who is a senior, is missing on a life-changing opportunity.
“Obviously not playing his senior year for a program like De La Salle is life-changing in this family,” Wardy said. “He won’t have the same memories that his brothers had, but he put in the same amount of work.”
Mike Powers has a senior and a sophomore at De La Salle who have been playing football since they were 7 years old. He argues the state should recognize the detriment a lost football season is for kids across the state.
“It’s a mental health issue,” he said. “There are a lot of kids who can play in college and this is their only avenue to do that. It goes both ways. We hope they can get tape so colleges can see these kids play.
“The other component is the mental health of the kids. It touches on both of those. We’re two, three weeks away from having to cancel the (football) season or have a season, so we’re trying to get into the governor’s ear with some science and stats behind it. And some mental health stats too.”
Laura Malone, who has a son who attends De La Salle, points to other states across the country playing sports amid the pandemic as a reason why California should do the same.
“Sports are very important for these kids. It’s a matter of their mental health and socialization,” Martinez said. “They aren’t supported. They aren’t heard, and they don’t have advocates.”
Peter Mazolewski, a parent with a recent De La Salle graduate who played football there, said there’s more harm than good keeping kids off the field and away from competition.
“We know there’s very little transmission in the outdoor environment,” he said.
The rallies came the same day that the Central Coast Section announced its latest plan to allow all sports to practice — abiding by distancing restrictions — beginning Saturday, and one day after the North Coast Section unveiled a plan to reframe its calendar to allow for low-contact sports to begin competition Feb. 1, pending board approval.
With all Bay Area counties still in the purple tier and California under a stay-at-home order, sports such as football and basketball will have limited, socially distanced practices with competition dates yet to be written in stone.
These rallies are just the latest in a movement from parents and coaches who have been focused on the mental and emotional strain that isolation has placed on the kids.
Serra High School football coach Patrick Walsh formed the “Golden State HS Football Coaches Community” in an attempt to get local officials’ attention with data that proves a season can begin. Parents feel that same urgency.
“They need to get out and be normal,” Malone said. “The data proves that it can be done.”
