First a trickle, then a stream, now a flood.\u00a0That\u2019s what it\u2019s been like watching sports flow back across Long Beach over the last few months, with next week signaling an unprecedented pandemic high-water mark.<\/p>\n
Competitive sports at the youth\/high school level were banned from March 13, 2020, until January, although practices and conditioning workouts were still being held. Over the last two months, football, cross country, and water polo have returned and been able to hold abbreviated seasons.<\/p>\n
This week, things get a little nuts. As of today, the following sports will be happening simultaneously as Long Beach, and the rest of Southern California, attempt to hold a 10-month high school sports season in two months: football, boys\u2019 and girls\u2019 basketball, baseball, softball, boys\u2019 and girls\u2019 soccer, track and field, volleyball, wrestling, badminton, swimming, lacrosse, golf, and tennis.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a lot!\u201d said Moore League secretary Lisa Ulmer, who has been the Long Beach Unified School District\u2019s point person in constructing new schedules for all these sports.<\/p>\n
Just a few months ago, youth sports teams weren\u2019t allowed to play catch without sanitizing balls in between throws and now, most high schools in the city will be participating in 30-40 athletic events on a weekly basis for the next two months. It\u2019s a dizzying acceleration.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust as quickly as everything shut down, things are starting up full speed,\u201d said Long Beach Poly girls\u2019 athletic director Crystal Irving.<\/p>\n
Coaches and administrators have largely expressed happiness for kids who will be getting sports seasons back, but there\u2019s plenty of stress too. Some high schools such as Lakewood High don\u2019t currently have a field available as it\u2019s under construction.<\/p>\n
At the collegiate level, Long Beach State is in full swing with the Dirtbags at this point, along with softball, men\u2019s volleyball, beach volleyball, track and field and water polo. At LBCC this week, the Vikings have been allowed back on campus for conditioning workouts.<\/p>\n
School sports aren\u2019t the only ones returning, either. The city\u2019s youth baseball fields have been packed since the Health Department granted them permission to host Little League and Cal Ripken League youth seasons as well.<\/p>\n
The last frontier is fans. While the high school and youth events have been open for parents of athletes\u2014for transportation as much as spectating\u2014the general public hasn\u2019t had much of a chance to see games in person. Last week\u2019s California Department of Public Health guideline modifications open that possibility, and Long Beach State athletic director Andy Fee said he\u2019s hoping to have fans at Bohl Diamond at Blair Field in a reduced capacity for Dirtbag games soon.<\/p>\n
In other words, after 13 months of waiting, you might be able to buy a ticket and a beer and watch sports in person in Long Beach, sooner than later.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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