L.A. Schools Gain Approval to Resume Winter Sports

The Los Angeles Unified School District received a green light Wednesday to continue its winter sports season, although several schools will play shortened schedules.

All district athletic events have been postponed since the Jan. 17 earthquake, even though classes resumed at most schools Tuesday.

Boys’ and girls’ basketball, boys’ and girls’ soccer and wrestling will resume their regular-season schedules beginning Monday, and five of the district’s six conferences will try to play postponed basketball and soccer games.

“I think on the list of priorities right now, sports is not at the top,” said Dick Browning, district senior high superintendent. “But I’m also not in favor of not having sports for no reason. I think we’ve come up with good plans to make a go of it.”

In a meeting of coaches and athletic directors Tuesday at Grant High in Van Nuys, there was unanimous support to continue the season, even though many schools in the San Fernando Valley had damaged gymnasiums or were being used as shelters.

The Northwest Valley Conference is the most affected and will play an abbreviated schedule. Seven of the conference’s eight teams have lost use of their gymnasiums, at least temporarily.

Half of the conference’s basketball teams will not play postponed games and will resume their schedules Feb. 4. The other half will scrap their schedules and hold a three-day round-robin tournament at El Camino High in Woodland Hills. The boys’ tournament will be Feb. 9-11 and the girls’ Feb. 16-18.

The conference’s soccer teams will not play postponed games and will play abbreviated schedules.

“Our seasons will last a week longer now because of makeup dates,” said Barbara Fiege, district athletic commissioner. “But our basketball teams will still get done in time to try and qualify for the state tournament.”