The COVID-19 pandemic across the nation came down hard and unexpectedly for everyone in the country. Not only were classes forced to go online and campus closed, but sports were also postponed or canceled across the country.

It was no different for COD sports as the California Community College Athletic Association (CCCAA) first announced the postponement of the spring sports season for community colleges on March 12 and finally the cancellation of the season on March 19.

Mike Robles, the director of sports information and communication at CCCAA, answered some questions about the postponement decision.

Robles was asked about how the decision was reached, “The actual decision to indefinitely postpone our spring sports came as the result of an emergency vote last Thursday by the CCCAA Board of Directors after consultation with Jennifer Cardone, the CCCAA interim executive director, and others. Things were happening very quickly across the country last week but the decision wasn’t made hastily. Lots of information and perspective was considered before reaching the decision. We have a lot of work ahead of us but are committed to doing what’s best for our student-athletes and colleges.”

It is hard for anyone to believe what the current situation in the world is right now. Even for Robles, he does not remember something to this extent ever happening in college sports.

“I can’t recall anything to this extent in my more than 30 years of college athletics administration. Certainly, there have been other tragic occurrences such as 9/11 and the devastating fires last year that caused either postponements or cancellations, but I can’t recall entire sports seasons being suspended without any definite idea if they will return,” said Robles.

The decision to postpone and the eventual cancellation of the season came with immediate concerns for student-athletes who were preparing for conference games and put their eligibility on limbo.

With valid concerns about what would happen, Robles understands and tells athletes not to worry.

“Student-athlete eligibility was one of the main issues that came with the decision to indefinitely postpone the spring sports. Certainly, this decision was out of their control and that is a big consideration when considering our next steps. The NCAA, NAIA and other governing bodies of college sports are facing the same questions and we want to work with them to make sure we’re on the same page. Overall, we want student-athletes to know we understand their concerns and are doing our best to address them so they don’t have to worry,” said Robles.

On their latest statement, the CCCAA announced that nearly 9,500 student-athletes within the CCCAA will have their season of competition restored.

Like some professional sports, the return of the current college sports seasons seems to be far from making a return. With Robles adding, “At this time, there is no timeline for a possible return to our seasons.”

For more information on the CCCAA’s decision visit their website at cccaasports.org.