Page 16 - Mid Valley Times 1-21-21 E-edition

Thursday, January 21, 2021 | A16 | Mid Valley TiMes
'Let Them Play' rallies in Dinuba, Reedley and Sanger
Jon Earnest / Mid Valley Times
A group of Dinuba High School student-athletes representing football, wrestling and organized cheer held signs of support during a brief "Let Them Play" demonstration in front of the gym on Jan. 15.
LET THEM PLAY Continued from page A1
athletes representing football, wrestling and organized cheer held up signs in front of the main gym.
At the Reedley rally, par- ent Karl Warkentin was one of the speakers. He said in a video interview that the rally was one of an estimated 200 around the state.
"What we're about is, we want to open up youth sports of all types. Open it up safely, and we want the kids to get back on the field," he said. "They've been cooped up too long...We're here for the kids, and we just want to get them back on the field and playing ball."
At Dinuba High, football players and wrestlers gath- ered to make their voices heard. Although they have
been conducting unofficial conditioning and light running on campus, they clearly were frustrated at not being able to play games and build bonds with their teammates.
New wrestling coach Kent Olson said the current CO- VID-19 pandemic created a social void for the athletes un- like anything he's seen in his four decades-plus coaching and teaching.
In Sanger, senior John Pe- na told a crowd of between 80 to 100 of his frustration at his last year-plus of high school athletics being stripped away by the virus and its fallout.
"I play varsity football, basketball and golf over the last three years. I've lettered seven times in each sport," he said. "It's been disheartening, and it's been hard to remain optimistic and hold onto any
Danny Jimenez / Photos Contributed
sense of normalcy."
The California Interscho-
lastic Federation on Jan. 19 up- dated its tier status for athlet- ics, and all but four counties in the state are in the Purple Tier (widespread). That means that at this time, only cross coun- try would be allowed for CIF Season 1 sports among Central Section schools.
Reporter Juanita Adame contributed to this story.
Juanita Adame / Mid Valley Times
ABOVE: John Pena, Sanger High School ASB president and stu- dent-athlete, spoke at the school's "Let Them Play" rally in front of the high school on Jan. 15.
FAR LEFT: Parents of Reedley High School student-athletes held up signs during a "Let Them Play" rally on Jan. 15 at Pioneer Park. The rally was to support bringing back prep sports as soon as possible in California.
NEAR LEFT: Karl Warkentin, a Reedley High School parent, was one of the speakers at the Jan. 15 rally in Pioneer Park.
006752