It’s been 10 months since youth sports teams have had any playing time, the state locking things down because of the coronavirus pandemic. McMillan described leaving his family in York, Pennsylvania, two years ago to pursue football and academics at Capital Christian. SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — As the debate continues over whether or not youth sports should be allowed to resume in California, supporters of letting kids play are working to send a message to Sacramento today. “The reason we are here today and not next week or the week after is because time is of the essence.”. The Let Them Play CA online movement grew to more than 61,000 supporters. Copyright 2021 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. He dreamed of attending Boise State and becoming the first in his family to go to college. There’s a lot of kids who don’t have that same ability. That came a week after teams in Western Washington got the green light to begin competition again. But organizers are hopeful they are making progress. If you're facing a global pandemic, that is a situation where you ought to listen to public health experts," Fletcher said. Zelbee Radar, a volleyball player at Bella Vista High School outside Sacramento, could be seen with multiple signs, one that read “I can go to a strip club but I can’t play HS volleyball” and another that read, “Seniors deserve a season too.”. Parents and students rally at VUSD and PUSD board meetings to bring back football, water polo. Gavin Newsom to ease the guidelines for youth sports to return to action. FRESNO, California (KGPE) – A group of Fresno County public school parents and their students say they have had enough of coronavirus-related closures and want to get back to representing their schools taking part in team sports. “To keep them out of jail. Instead, it made its way to the intersection of Katella Ave. and Los Alamitos Blvd., a block from the CIF-SS office. A couple in Southern California started the "Let Them Play CA" movement in California, and the group already has over 36,000 members on Facebook. Gavin Newsom, each organizing rallies in support of reopening youth sports. The Let Them Play … Since the pandemic hit, he and his team have traveled across state lines to play club football competitions, McMillan said. “Without it, I don’t have anything.”. Currently, nothing but purple-tier (outdoor, low-contact) sports are allowed in all but five sparsely populated counties in Northern California. Outside the Capitol, proponents of the Let Them Play CA movement gathered on the west-side steps to make their latest public case for a prompt return to play across the state. LAKEPORT — Up and down the state, north, south, east and west, the call on Friday afternoon was to Let Them Play in rallies held in big cities and small towns, including at … In California, there has been no outright decision to cancel the season but the clock is ticking for counties to reduce case rates enough to get any kind of season in before the mandated drop-dead date of April 17. The Santa Barbara rally was one of nearly 140 held throughout the state and organized by Let Them Play California, a grassroots group of supporters of high school athletics. Supervisor Nathan Fletcher says right now is not the time to ignore the advice from health officials. WATCH LIVE: BREAKING NEWS AND CONTINUING COVERAGE, Nearly 100 "Let Them Play CA" protests planned across state on Friday, Torrey Pines coach fighting to get high school athletes back on the field. “Sports was my life,” Radar said. The rally for high school sports to return comes as the state continues to be entangled with growing numbers of COVID-19 cases. Multiple demonstrations took place at O.C. Show full articles without "Continue Reading" button for {0} hours. Gladnick called out a group of three state legislators who he said were “nonresponsive,” “tone-deaf” and “politically arrogant.”. ‘Let Them Play’ rally in San Ramon part of statewide push for school sports Many student athletes and coaches rallied in San Ramon Friday, part of a statewide effort to reopen school sports. A number of speakers, including Radar and fellow student-athlete CJ McMillan, a football and basketball player at Capital Christian, at times fought back tears as they delivered their message from behind the lectern. … They are ending up in jail because they have nothing else to turn to.”. … California has ranked each sport's risk based on whether it’s indoors or outdoors and classified them under three categories: low contact, moderate contact, or high contact. The Los Alamitos rally originally was to be in front of the CIF-SS office. Let Them Play members say they will hold rallies across California at local high schools and at the State Capital on Jan. 15 at 4:00pm to get the attention of State and local officials. From 4 p.m., Friday, Jan. 15, on the sidewalk in front of Truckee High School, one of those rallies will be taking place. VISALIA – For months there have been various movements to bring sports back in Tulare County. The day started, Walsh later said on social media, on the phone again with Newsom aide Jim DeBoo. high schools on Friday, as the "Let Them Play" rallies advocated for high school sports to resume despite the rise of COVID-19 cases. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Let Them Play is not a political rally and is not sanctioned by California schools. Tehachapi area students gather for "Let Them Play California" rally held Friday afternoon in the parking lot of Coy Burnett Stadium. As the first student-athlete to speak at the rally, Radar said she dreamed of attending Oregon State, following in the footsteps of her sister, but said the school lost interest after she wasn’t allowed to play during the pandemic. © Provided by Mercury News Brad Hensley, the co-founder of Let Them Play, speak at a rally outside the California State Capitol in Sacramento, on Thursday, Feb. 11, 2021. In other states like Maine, Hawaii and Nevada, there will be no spring football season. RELATED: Nearly 100 "Let Them Play CA" protests planned across state on Friday. That, she said, sent her into a spiral of depression that included “blacking out” from alcohol to suppress the pain — one of many student-athletes to turn to alcohol, drugs or worse in place of sports, coaches have said. These kids are crying because they want to go to college. On the CDC's website, it says the risk of a COVID-19 spread increases based on the number of people a participant interacts with, how close they physically are to others, and if they share equipment with multiple players. The rally and letter-writing campaign come following weeks of back-and-forth meetings between Gov. Since the pandemic began in March, student athletes have gotten the short end of the stick, advocates argued. The intent of ‘Let Them Play California’ is to get Governor Newsom’s attention in hopes of getting him to allow a high school sports season. Parents want their message heard. Dozens of California high school athletes descended on the state Capitol Thursday morning to hand-deliver thousands of personal pleas to lift youth sports restrictions and allow them to return to the field for the first time since last spring. Print. And those who support the grassroots effort "Let Them Play CA," initiative are keeping the pressure on Gov. A “Let Them Play” rally will be held Friday at 3 p.m. in the Star Market parking lot in Salinas. Patrick Walsh, the football coach at Serra High School in San Mateo, turned toward the Capitol and said they were having daily meetings with officials who were inside those halls. Some students are making this known. “We haven’t even gotten the chance to prove we can play sports safely, the same way our government didn’t give small businesses the chance to prove they could impact safely.”, Like us on Facebook to see similar stories, More clashes in Minnesota after police shoot, kill Black man, China sends 25 warplanes into Taiwan's air defense zone, Taipei says. California Department of … Dozens of Cal High students and parents marched outside of Cal’s campus on Jan. 15 to protest the pause of school sports. Let Them Play CA leader ahead of state capitol rally: ‘We are so close to that 11th hour’, Prep league that includes Fremont schools, Logan, Newark Memorial, Moreau has a plan, California prep athletes no longer banned from club play, CIF says, Q&A: Legal expert on the Brown Act case against Santa Clara Valley Athletic League. “You have kids here crying because they want to get back outside with their friends and play. Those in the purple tier include sports like cross country, swimming, and tennis — mostly outdoor sports with minimal contact. Return-to-play advocates had earned the bipartisan support of 37 state assembly members and 12 senators as of Sunday, said Ron Gladnick, the football coach at Torrey Pines High School in San Diego and a leader of the Golden State High School Football Coaches Community. RELATED: Torrey Pines coach fighting to get high school athletes back on the field. Fremont board approves purple-tier sports to return, but is that the final hurdle? “We are here today to ask Gov. Kate Brown announced new guidelines that would pave the return for all outdoor contact sports, including football, in some parts of the state. “It’s very fitting that we’re at the steps of the Capitol today because we also have the support of the state legislature,” Hensley said. The latest group, Let Them Play Tulare County, was created in response to the Visalia Unified School District (VUSD) and Porterville Unified School District’s recent decision to cancel football and water … They are then grouped by risk tier. (Courtesy Let Them Play … Named “Let Them Play”, the rally called for school sports to return immediately, while keeping students safe during the COVID-19 pandemic. It will be our main way of communicating. California’s position on youth sports became lonelier Wednesday when Oregon Gov. The group promoted last Friday a series of statewide rallies at high schools. "If you're facing third and long, that's a situation where you ought listen to the football coach. Nick Smirnoff / For Tehachapi News Students stage a rally at Tehachapi High School on Friday in support of the statewide "Let Them Play" movement, a grassroots action dedicated to opening up school sports programs during the pandemic. Let Them Play CA officials are taking their fight to bring back high school and youth sports to the state capitol in Sacramento. Let Them Play CA has 61,706 members. A lot of these kids will listen to their coaches before they listen to their parents," Desmond said. Some kids are using sports to help save their lives,” Jackson said. Gavin Newsom’s staff and return-to-play advocates that have yet to yield any results. With four months left in the school year, time is running out for high school sports to make a return. However, not all legislators have been receptive. Saturday’s rally may only be the beginning of a longer battle for McElvany, as the Let Them Play group has gained non-profit status, raised more than $50,000 through a … As the debate continues over whether or not youth sports should be allowed to resume in California, supporters of letting kids play are working to send a message to Sacramento today. Newsom to lift the ban on youth sports and let them play,” said Brad Hensley, the co-founder of the Let Them Play advocacy group. Radar questioned the intentions of Newsom, who has continued to emphasize the importance of sports but has not committed to a more aggressive plan to get kids back on the field. Hensley said they had collected over 10,000 emails, letters and signatures in the past five days. RELATED: Nearly 100 "Let Them Play CA" protests planned across state on Friday San Diego County Supervisor Jim Desmond, who supports the … “We have a governor who says he wants sports to be back, calls himself an advocate for sports, yet where does he even show the support?” she said. Please join our email list ASAP. SACRAMENTO, Calif. (KTXL) — Dozens of student-athletes from all sports went to the State Capitol Thursday, demanding they be allowed to return to play competitive sports. They expected to eventually garner majorities in each chamber to sign on to a letter advocating for the return of youth sports. SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The latest push to play for youth sports hit the steps of the state Capitol on Thursday with another “Let Them Play CA” rally. So has the Facebook page “Let Them Play,” which has nearly 30,000 followers. The “Let Them Play” Rally brought together athletes from many Imperial County high schools and a host of young athletes from a variety of youth sports on Friday, Jan. 15, as an estimated 130 coordinated rallies took place throughout the state that afternoon in an effort push state politicians and Gov. SALINAS — The objective is simple. San Diego County Supervisor Jim Desmond, who supports the effort, said he believes athletes can stay safe on the field as they have at home. Under this plan, the sports in the purple tier could start practicing on Feb. 1. "When they’re home, they’re wearing their masks and taking the safety precautions. “Let Them Play,” rallies are taking place across California with a mission to bring back high school and youth sports. ‘Let Them Play' Rallies Held in SD County Rallies are being held in California, including in San Diego and San Marcos, to call on state leaders to allow children to play team sports again. Microsoft and partners may be compensated if you purchase something through recommended links in this article. Connect with friends faster than ever with the new Facebook app. “Let Them Play,” rallies are taking place across California with a mission to bring back high school and youth sports. Towards the end of the rally, numerous ‘Let Them Play’ signs and other posters were laid at the front door of the CIF-SS office. 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