Local athletes participate in Let Us Play Day
Local high school athletes have a resounding request — let them play.
To further their point, student athletes gathered Friday afternoon at a non-school organized play day at Memorial Park to support the effort of getting sports back while playing games like volleyball, football and cornhole.
The Let Us Play Day was in coordination with events throughout the state by the grassroots “Let Them Play” movement advocating for students to be able to play sports.
Putting their own twist on the statewide Let Us Play rallies, local student athletes held a Let Us Play Day Friday, Jan. 15.“Lassen High School senior athletes have been looking forward to the 2020-2021 sports season for many years,” LHS senior and athlete Autry Satica wrote in the description for the Youtube video featuring local students. “High school is supposed to be the time you enjoy, but considering how many activities and events have already been taken from us this year, one of the things we still can put our hope in is sports.”
The video, edited and directed by Satica, features the pleas from local athletes to bring back athletics and requests the California Interscholastic Federation, the governing body for high school sports in California, consider allowing high school sports.
“Dear Governor Newsom, CIF, Northern Section, CIF, Lassen County Health Department and Lassen High School administration, we are senior student athletes at Lassen High School,” the video began.
“As an athlete, the sport season you look forward to the most is your senior year. Canceling our senior season will take a physical, emotional and social toll on all our lives.
“Being an athlete, we receive support from our teammates, peers and community. Missing that positive feedback is affecting our ability to feel valued in a way we do when we are performing our sport.
“Not letting us play is making many of us lose our drive to be successful — not only in our sports, but in our studies, too.”
The video continued, featuring students sharing the lack of sports is affecting the school’s energy and it’s taking away the senior’s ability to be the “big kid” looked up to.
“We are over the wait and want to know when we can get back out there.”
Several athletes also shared their personal stories about why they participate in sports.
Currently, the CIF has a COVID-19 modifications list for education-based athletics listing what sports are allowed in the various color tiers.
