As sporting events continue to remain on hold, Delta’s student-athletes are encountering obstacles while moving ahead with their education through college athletics. The way in which the California Community College Athletics Association (CCCAA) has managed itself during the COVID-19 pandemic has brought divided opinions within Delta’s athletics program.
Director of Athletics Tony Espinoza thinks the CCCAA has done everything it can to support the athletes and prioritize health and safety.
“I think they’ve done as well as could be expected considering the circumstances. It’s been a very difficult 11 months for everyone, and I can only imagine what it’s been like for the CCCAA president and staff. They’ve done a great job of keeping us updated in regards to COVID, answering questions and communicating bylaw modifications related to eligibility,” said Espinoza. “Most importantly, they’ve kept the health and safety of our student-athletes as their main focus as we’ve transitioned through these difficult times.”
Although the CCCAA is concerned about keeping the athletes healthy, others disagree with Espinoza.
Baseball Head Coach Reed Peters is outraged with the CCCAA’s response and said the current situation is negatively impacting the student-athletes.
“This is an injustice,” said Peters. “Emotionally I am very bitter with the way all this is being handled. The group we serve is at very low risk, yet they have suffered more than any group,” This is costing them their dreams and future.”
While athletics for many schools at the community college level in California is at a complete stop, competition at four-year colleges is ongoing. Peters said this means students at community colleges are at a disadvantage in terms of development and will find it even more difficult to become a recruit at a higher education institution.
“With us on hold and the D1’s [Division I universities] playing, our guys are getting further behind in the development process,” said Peters. “On top of that, the D1’s cannot recruit until probably July now. So even if we can go it’s unlikely they will be able to be seen. Our only hope is video, and we are not able to get with them to do that either.”
In an attempt to continue helping their players with development, the Big 8 Conference baseball coaches are trying to waive 2.12B, a bylaw prohibiting coaches to train more than one player outside their college.
“Schools that cannot afford to test [players for COVID-19] could opt out and still get some coaching and help moving on to the next level. Unfortunately, the CCCAA is not listening to common sense,” said Peters. “Common sense would be to open it up for schools who can test, and allow schools who cannot afford testing to still get help from their coaches. Definitely a disparity. We didn’t get to play last year, and the state, county and CCCAA don’t seem to care if we play this year.”
The CCCAA has also been criticized for its lack of clarity during the pandemic.
Women’s Soccer Head Coach Adrienne Sorenson said the organization hasn’t helped Delta or other colleges proceed with its contingency plan.
“Not enough guidance on how to execute a season or help in doing so, which is why so many programs and conferences were forced to opt out,” said Sorenson. “Very poorly managed from the top of the CCCAA.”
Keeping students to continue participating in athletics has been another challenge.
Golf Head Coach Tony Troncale said with no competition taking place, players are tempted to leave his team and focus completely on their education.
“The most challenging thing is to keep players interested in playing golf,” said Troncale. “If they aren’t playing, they’re losing interest and moving on to other things. Many of them want to graduate and move on to four-year colleges.”
Delta, along with the rest of the Big 8 Conference, have already opted out of the Spring I season, and will decide on whether or not to opt in for Spring II later this month. Track and field, swimming and diving, baseball, softball, beach volleyball and men’s golf are the sports awaiting the decision to know if they can participate in competition.
