Throughout the pandemic, it has been our goal to provide a safe and physical outlet for our student-athletes. We carefully planned and prepared for the many challenges that were ahead of us. There are times that no matter how hard you try or how much you prepare, things don’t go as you planned. On Tuesday, January 20th, the CIF Southern Section announced that the fall season’s playoffs and championships would be canceled. Following that decision, our league (Western Athletic Conference) decided to cancel the league’s fall schedule as well. It is with great regret and disappointment that our fall season has officially come to an end. The reality of not being able to meet the specific tier requirements in the allotted time given to us has forced us to make this decision. The decisions made by CIF, our League, and our Athletic Department were driven by the current State of Emergency and multiple Executive Orders directing the citizens of California to adhere to specific health and safety requirements of the California Department of Public Health (“CDPH”). These orders include the CDPH's COVID-19 Interim Guidance: Youth Sports issued on August 3, 2020 and the UPDATED COVID-19 Interim Guidance: Youth Sports issued on December 14, 2020. I will be in contact with each of our fall athlete’s parents to communicate the partial refund of their participation dues for the canceled season. We recognize that these times are difficult. To all of our athletes, especially our senior athletes, please know that this sport does not define who you are! Yes, it is a big part of what you enjoy and what you do, but it does not define you. Your identity is in something far greater than this sport! Please trust that God has great plans for you and your future. So, where do we go from here? Southland's Christian Athletics is not going away! We are Southlands Strong and will continue to do what we can to provide a safe and physical outlet for our student-athletes. Although our fall season will officially conclude on Friday, January 22, our fall coaches will continue to be there for our student-athletes. They will continue to pray for them, communicate with them, and push them to be the very best that they can be. Additionally, our coaches have already started to plan for off-season practices and scheduling of games for a great 2021-22 season. To our seniors, I know that does not provide much comfort for you right now. We are planning some great things to include you in during the 2021-22 season and are hopeful that you return to be part of our alumni game and 2021 Senior recognition game. Our spring sports are staying the course with the schedule that CIF sent out in July. Our current plan is to begin spring practices on February 22nd and begin playing games by the end of March. We are confident that with the guidelines set forth by CIF and our government officials that we can safely play a spring season for some of the sports that we offer. We will be sending out detailed information (start dates, locations, etc.) in the coming weeks ahead and will continue to update you as information is available. In closing, I am fully confident that we will come out on top of this! We are Southlands Strong and we serve a Mighty God! Please join us as we continue to pray for our students, our staff, our families, our schools, and our country. I am sure there may be questions that you have. I am here to serve you and to answer those questions for you. Please do not hesitate to reach out to me with prayer requests or questions. In His service, Mr. Marvel Athletic Director Southlands Christian High School [email protected]