(Tucson, AZ) Pima Community College (PCC) will move the soccer, basketball and volleyball seasons to Spring 2021 in order to align with national guidelines and keep students and the community safe during the COVID pandemic.
The College is moving the seasons after the National Junior College Athletic Association’s Presidential Advisory Council and Board of Regents adjusted its Plan of Action for the 2020-21 academic year to postpone the seasons of Fall and Winter “close-contact” sports.
How the PCC men’s and women’s cross country seasons will be scheduled is still under review. While the College is hopeful their season can proceed this fall, a final decision has not yet been made. Whether the season proceeds or is delayed with other sports, cross country will also use enhanced safety protocols.
“Moving these sports to Spring is a common-sense approach to the pandemic,” Chancellor Lee D. Lambert says. “It protects the health and safety of our student-athletes while giving them the best opportunity to compete and succeed on and off the field.”
Team training will be conducted with enhanced safety. Athletic and fitness classes will be delivered virtually.
This decision is consistent with other adjustments made by PCC to protect the health and safety of students and employees during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Fine Arts Department has had to cancel all live, in-person performances for music and theatre, as well as art exhibitions. The department is planning for virtual performances and exhibitions in the time ahead, with the hope of delivering live-streamed small concerts, recitals, and performances.
Most Fall courses will be taught virtually or online, except for those Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs that are required by an outside accreditor to be taught face to face, such as Nursing and Aviation Technology, and those that cannot be taught virtually, such as Automotive and Welding. In those circumstances, social distancing measures will be put in place, and students and faculty will be required to use personal protective equipment (PPEs).
Read the NJCAA media release regarding the postponement.
Press Release courtesy of Pima Athletics
