CIF’s purple tier sports allowed to begin competing

Following the most recent state and county COVID-19 regulations, the CIFs purple tier sports, which include cross country, golf, tennis, swimming, and track and field, have been allowed to resume.

Vishnu Kannan

Following the most recent state and county COVID-19 regulations, the CIF’s purple tier sports, which include cross country, golf, tennis, swimming, and track and field, have been allowed to resume.

by Vishnu Kannan and Muthu Panchanatham

The California Interscholastic Federation’s (CIF) purple tier sports, which include cross country, golf, tennis, swimming and track and field, have been allowed to resume following the most recent state and county COVID-19 regulations, as per an email from athletics director Dan Molin. 

Information regarding how to sign up for the purple tier sports can be found here.

The remaining sports, which are split up into the red, orange and yellow tiers will only resume if future county guidelines permit. If the seasons for these sports do not begin by their assigned cancellation dates (which can be found in the image below), they will be shut down permanently for the year. The start dates listed indicate the days that tryouts will be held, as some teams may still begin training before then.

Water polo and swimming athletes can register for a three-week cohort from Feb. 16 to March 4, in order to prepare for the aquatics season, which starts on March 8. Students can register for the cohort using this form.

Bryan Zhang (12), captain of the boys varsity golf team, is planning on playing when golf resumes, and he is most looking forward to being able to spend time with his teammates for the first time, since his junior season was cut short in March due to the pandemic.

“I can’t wait to play practice rounds and matches with the team, where we are focused on our score, yet also able to have fun and enjoy our time together,” Bryan said. “I am also looking forward to the competitive energy of matches and tournaments that cannot be recreated by playing by yourself.”

Alexa Lowe (11), who is a member of the girls varsity track and field team, is confident that the athletics department will create safe conditions for the student-athletes who choose to compete this year.

“I’m not really concerned about returning, because I trust that the athletics directors and coaches will make the right decisions regarding COVID-19 restrictions,” Alexa said. “One thing I hope [for] is that students are motivated to [play] and that we will still have a decent sized team in the spring.”

Similar to past on-campus events, athletes will still follow the safety protocols that have been put in place by state and county. Once again, only one cohort will be allowed at a time, and athletes are prohibited from doing an outside activity while participating in a Harker program. Any competitions being held will prioritize safety by accommodating the current guidelines and following reasonable schedules.

In his email, Molin recommended that students register for purple tier sports to give them the best chance of playing competitively this year. If county guidelines allow the higher-risk tier sports to resume, athletes can choose to switch to one of those activities.