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This has not been a normal year and the outcry from the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League community has been anything but normal in the aftermath of the SCVAL Board of Managers voting its league out of Central Coast Section playoffs for the season.
The voting took place in a hastily called meeting. It came three days after the CCS Executive Board announced it would sponsor playoffs for team sports.
The SCVAL Board of Managers, made up of the high school principals in the league, have been accused of everything from conspiracy to choosing vacations over students.
The Palo Alto Weekly has received over 40 emails on the subject the past 24 hours and the number continues to swell. People aren’t too happy about the decision.
The SCVAL website prominently displays its Belief Statement for the Student/Athlete as:
“Athletic participation is in place to enrich the mental, physical and emotional well-being of all student/athletes by providing competitive opportunities through which the lifelong values of sportsmanship, individual effort, teamwork, dedication, integrity, and total commitment are emphasized.”
Of course, COVID related issues have interfered with most decisions since March of 2020. But with COVID awareness, the rate of infection and vaccinations at an all-time high, this issue should not remain a scapegoat.
Below are a sampling of community reactions to the decision:
“If there is a good reason for denying CCS participation, please let me know and I will reconsider (donations),” wrote one parent.
Another wrote “Disappointed barely expresses our downright ANGER and disgust.”
“As if the challenges of the last year were not bad enough for our young people, your recent decision to rob our student athletes of the opportunity to compete at the highest level has made the situation even worse,” wrote another.
One theory has the superintendents asking the principals to vote against participating in the postseason.
Others are threatening legal action and all are asking the SCVAL BOM to reverse its decision.
The local community has no intention of letting this go any time soon. Stay tuned.
We will see what the SCVAL’s reaction will be to this outpouring from the community: Will the decision be reconsidered? Or, if the league sticks to its decision to not take part in the section playoffs, what its reasoning might entail.