September 11, 2001
Flag raising at Ground Zero
Tribute in Light after 9/11. As a temporary installation that ran from March 11 to April 14, 2002 the lights are now used during anniversaries.
Announcement After 9-11
The following announcement was made before athletic events on Friday, September 14, 2001. 39 of 42 football games were played Friday night. Horizon cancelled their game vs. Ramona. The Los Angeles City section cancelled all games and Garfield (Los Angeles) was scheduled to play Rancho Buena Vista (Vista). Vincent Memorial (Calexico) vs. Francis Parker (San Diego) was moved to 3:00 pm Saturday.
Announcement to be read before games:
Ladies and gentleman...The events of this week have been disturbing and troubling. Our Nation suffers trying to make sense of a senseless act. But we continue, a tribute to our courage as a nation.
President Bush declared today a national day of prayer and remembrance for those who lost their life and those who lost their loved ones. At the same time he asked us to carry on in the same spirit and with the same resolve that helped create this great nation.
Tonight’s game is a tribute to that American spirit. Tonight we are not (from different schools), but we are all Americans.
Play hard, play fair...Tonight we are all winners.
And now, please stand and pause for a moment of silence in memory of those who lost so much and gave so much this week.
The 2011 black out changed the city skyline. All power from SDG&E was lost, power was coming from back-up generators or secondary sources.
2011 Black Out County Wide
At 3:38 pm on Thursday, September 8, 2011 a 500-kilovolt high-voltage transmission line running from Arizona to California failed which then made the San Onofre nuclear power plant shut down automatically to avoid any damage from over use.
With the two sources of electricity down five million customers had no power including all of San Diego county, parts of Arizona and Baja California.
Power was restored by the following morning but all San Diego County public schools were closed on Friday and usually students can not play sports if they don’t attend school on school days.
Also, the confusion about when the power would be restored was a problem for sports played on Friday, September 9. Football teams were given the option to play Friday, Saturday or Monday; Sunday was still not allowed.
Twitter and texting allowed administrators and coaches to communicate with students and parents. All football games were played on Friday or Saturday. Other sports, if necessary, were able to reschedule at a later date.
The following was the announcement made from the CIF-San Diego section:
***IMPORTANT NEWS REGARDING THE POWER OUTAGE***
Schools that have the ability to play scheduled athletic events may do so. Home schools should communicate with visiting schools, officials and transportation services to relay any changes in the venue, time etc., or to confirm original game information. Please ensure appropriate supervision is arranged and that students and parents are notified as well.
2014 Wildfires
Brush fires primarily in the North County of San Diego began on Tuesday, May 13, 2014. Some schools postponed games on Tuesday and the San Diego Section cancelled (or postponed) all games and practices for Thursday and Friday, May 15-16, 2014. Below is the message from the San Diego Section on Wednesday, May 14th canceling Thursday, May 15th and then the message on May 15th canceling Friday, May 16th:
Message on Wednesday, May 14, 2014
URGENT MESSAGE FROM CIFSDS
As of 6:30 p.m., the following is in effect:
All CIF athletic competition, scheduled for Thursday, May 15, 2014 are cancelled. No contests are to be played in any sport. The fires themselves, the fluidity of circumstances, air quality, traffic/travel, school closures and school access are all issues that have prompted this cancellation.
Circumstances will be reviewed on Thursday and information will be provided via e-mail and on the CIFSDS website regarding competition on Friday and Saturday. We will also provide information on games that cannot be made up (due to playoff seeding) and any changes to the CIF calendar as a result of the cancellations.
Stay safe and thank you for your cooperation,
Jerry Schniepp
Commissioner
CIF San Diego Section
Message on Thursday, May 15, 2014
TO: CIFSDS Member Schools
FROM: Jerry Schniepp, CIFSDS Commissioner
John Labeta, CIFSDS Assistant Commissioner
RE: Cancellations and Schedule Changes Due to Fires
DATE: May 15, 2014
The CIFSDS and San Diego County Superintendents determined on a conference call today, May 15, 2014, that all CIFSDS athletic competition and practice be cancelled for Thursday, May 15th and Friday, May 16th. No practices or games are to be held on either day.
Another conference call is scheduled for Friday, May 16, 2014 at 10:00 a.m. to discuss practice and competition for Saturday, May 17, 2014. Notification will be sent to all schools on Friday, May 16, regarding practice and competition for Saturday, May 17.
This loss of competition days has impacted all spring sports and has caused changes to playoff and regular season schedules. Some playoff schedules have been condensed and some regular season/league schedules will not be able to be completed. We fully realize the impact this has on every school, but have needed to consider many things in reviewing schedules, including:
Championship venue availability
Senior activities
Availability of top officials
Academic Calendars
State Championships
We appreciate your understanding and cooperation in making these changes. The fires have devastated some parts of our section and school communities while others have not been impacted significantly. It is important for us all to be reminded that at times like these, athletics are secondary to the social, emotional and academic impact the fires have had on our schools. However, when we can resume our athletic schedule, we want to do all that we can to ensure that there is not a competitive advantage gained by any schools or teams. We have done our best to ensure this.
From the San Diego County Emergency Operations Center at 8:30 pm on May 14, 2014
9 Fires
10 Structures destroyed in Poinsettia fire
121,878 Alert San Diego contacts to alert residents to evacuate or prepare to evacuate.
Tomahawk Fire: 6,000 acres
Poinsettia Fire: 400 acres
Highway Fire: 600 acres
Bernardo Fire: 1,548 acres
Freeway/Pendleton Fire: 30 acres
San Marcos/Cocos Fire: 500 acres
River/Oceanside Fire: 100
Lakeside Fire: 17
Escondido Fire: 1 acre
TOTAL ACRES BURNED AS OF WEDNESDAY, MAY 14, 2014, 8:30 PST: 9,196
Message on Friday, May 16, 2014
URGENT MESSAGE FROM CIFSDS
- Competition and practices may resume on Saturday, May 17, 2014. The communication that was sent on Thursday, May 15th from CIFSDS regarding each sport remains in place. Due to air quality issues in the following communities/school districts, competitions and/or practices may be moved to alternative venues; the CIFSDS will assist with changing venues:
San Dieguito
Poway
Escondido
Carlsbad
Vista
San Marcos
Fallbrook
- Practices are at the discretion of each school district or school.
Please see attachment below regarding changes to all 2014 Spring Playoffs
Stay safe and thank you for your cooperation,
Jerry Schniepp
Commissioner
CIF San Diego Section