CIF Prepares for Possible Venue Change

The California Interscholastic Federation is working on contingency plans should there be war in Iraq while the state basketball championships are going on this weekend in Sacramento.

Marie Ishida, CIF executive director, said plans are to hold the event as scheduled on Friday and Saturday at Arco Arena, but individual school districts will have the option of not sending their teams.

Ishida is most concerned that Arco Arena could be declared off-limits as a security precaution.

“We’ve been told large venues are in touch with Homeland Security and in some cases they will be told whether they can stay open or not,” she said.

The CIF has received permission to move Saturday’s competition to Sunday if needed, but it wouldn’t be at Arco Arena.

“The fear isn’t war but possible terrorist repercussions,” Ishida said. “If they tell us to shut down, we don’t have a say.”

The City Section Interscholastic Athletic Committee voted overwhelmingly on Monday to approve a rule that will make students who transfer without moving ineligible for varsity sports competition for one school year.

The rule, which passed by a 19-3 vote, would not become effective until July 1, allowing a window of opportunity for parents to transfer their children over the next few months.

Doi Johnson, the representative from the Football Coaches’ Assn., cast one of the dissenting votes.

Johnson, football coach at Jefferson, said the organization is concerned that juniors who transfer will have no place to play because the section has no junior varsity program.

The vote puts the City Section on equal footing with the Southern Section, which passed a similar measure last year.

In another development, Willie Crittendon, an assistant superintendent who has overseen the City athletic program for four years, announced his retirement.

Eric Sondheimer

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A Long Beach Poly girls’ track and field team expected to challenge national records in three relay events during the outdoor season set two national indoor marks Sunday in the National Scholastic Indoor Championships at the Armory Track & Field Center at New York City.

A Poly quartet of sisters Shalonda and Shana Solomon, Jasmine Lee and Dominique Dorsey won the 800 relay in 1 minute 35.86 seconds to break the record of 1:36.55 set by Moore League rival Long Beach Wilson in 1997.

And the Solomon sisters, Lee and Shantae McKinney won the 1,600 relay in 3:41.54 to break the record of 3:42.47 set by Wilson in 1997.

“It was something that we felt was achievable,” Poly assistant Crystal Irving said about breaking the national records. “But we knew our passes would have to be crisp and we would have to maintain our speed through the [passing] zones.”

Long Beach Poly Coach Don Norford said earlier this year that junior Derrick Jones could be the most accomplished boys’ sprinter to come out of the sprint-rich school by the end of his high school career.

On Sunday, Jones won the 60-meter dash in the National Scholastic Indoor Championships.

That came a month after Jones had won the 50-meter dash in the L.A. Invitational at the Sports Arena against a field that included most of the state’s top returning sprinters.

-- John Ortega

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Matt Hynick, an outfielder from West Hills Chaminade, has committed to UC Santa Barbara, and Nick Petrucci, a third baseman from Mission Hills Alemany, has committed to Fresno State.

Goalkeeper Charles Alamo of San Luis Obispo High and midfielder/defender Jesse Dunn of Mission Viejo Capistrano Valley have committed to UC Riverside.

Marty Meyer has been fired after four seasons as boys’ basketball coach at Oxnard Santa Clara.