“Let Them Play” Protest Takes Place at Del Norte
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, competitive youth sports at California high schools have come to a stop. Parents and students across the state are responding to the situation by working together to organize a series of on-campus rallies, asking officials to start the sports season and let students play. At Del Norte, several dozen protesters gathered in front of the school on January 15 to participate in one of these rallies. The group included some students, but mostly concerned parents. Carrying signs and air horns, they marched toward Camino del Norte to make their voices heard.
Chad Ross, one of the parents who organized the event, said that the rallies aim to raise awareness for the importance of athletics for young people. Mental and social health are just as important as physical health, he said, and he’s witnessed firsthand the impact of the isolation that student athletes feel.
“We’ve been blissfully free of any COVID among the athletes, even when they were practicing and working out as a team,” he added. “We just feel like it’s time for the students to be able to play.”
“We’ve been blissfully free of any COVID among the athletes, even when they were practicing and working out as a team,”
Similar to Ross, Christine Barnhard is the parent of two Del Norte athletes.
“This isn’t about politics,” said Barnhard in her address to the group of protestors. “It’s not about diminishing the severity of a global pandemic. This is about getting our kids back to sports safely and immediately because the science shows that we can do so.”
She cited the impacts of physical inactivity and prolonged isolation on students: diabetes, obesity and mental health risks. “We don’t want to force anybody [to return], but we want a choice.”
As the group marched, several cars passing by sounded their horns in approval. The crowd cheered in response. Eventually, they began to chant, “Let them play.”
Allison Huang (‘22), who observed the rally, said, “I’m not sure if I 100 percent agree with the people that are here today. I understand that they’re wanting to go back and play sports. But I don’t understand, if you’re not a college athlete—why do you have to play?”
She added, “Even if it is discretionary, you don’t know who you’re going to spread [the virus] to.”
On the other hand, Del Norte basketball player Brynn Barnhard (’21) said that her main reasons for participating in the rally come down to her status as a senior athlete.
“I have considered playing in college, and to do so I need game film,” she says. “And if I can’t play anywhere, then that eliminates that possibility for me.” Furthermore, her sister is a freshman basketball player, and this is their only opportunity to play on the same team.
“You just always want just a little something back,” Barnhard continued. “Even if I had four or five games, I’d take it just to feel like I finished my senior year on a high note.”
According to Christine Barnhard, the protest at Del Norte took place at the same time as 138 other “Let Them Play” rallies in the state of California, with over 30,000 people participating in order to pressure state officials into reopening school sports. The events occurred not only in San Diego County, but also in other areas such as Orange County and the Bay Area. So far, there has been no direct response from officials regarding the plea for a youth sports season.
Steve Hazlett, parent of a Del Norte running back, was a guest speaker at the rally. At the end of his address, he expressed hope for the Let Them Play organization’s cause:
“Somebody said that the whole movement that we’re demonstrating was a third-and-11 situation, which, in football terms, is a negative and hopeless situation. But as far as I’m concerned, today’s the first day that we’re doing this—so this is first-and-10, and we’re focused to move the chains down the field.”