South Kam Football likely won't happen this fall due to COVID-19 (Image Credit: CFJC Today)

By Chad Klassen

HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS

‘I’m heartbroken for our Grade 12s’: Coaches, athletes dealing with reality their high school seasons may be cancelled

Aug 14, 2020 | 4:01 PM

KAMLOOPS — High school athletes may be out of luck when it comes to their respective seasons. While they haven’t been cancelled completely, student-athletes will be restricted to practice upon returning to school.

“The first reaction was a little more optimism than what we thought previously,” said South Kam Athletic Director Corey Yamaoka. “So they are allowing us to get a little bit of a return to sport. What that’ll look like is up to a whole pile of different layers.”

In a statement released on Thursday, BC School Sports said “co-cirricular activities such as our traditional interschool athletics are not permitted at this time.” However, Yamaoka is glad the students will at least be able to train together early on.

“Some of the stuff that might be missed during the season, now we can do in the offseason,” he said. “Unfortunately, it doesn’t look good for some of the fall sports.”

One Man's Opinion

COLLINS: A big month for the Pride community and our Indigenous peoples

2h ago

Two and Out

PETERS: NDP, Conservatives still desperate for power in Victoria

May 30, 2025

Looped In

LOOPED IN WITH NIKKI OMEN: May 29, 2025

May 29, 2025

The sport set to lose the most is football. South Kam senior head coach JP Lancaster has been working to build the program back up over the last few years. He says the Titans were going to be contenders this year.

“I’m heartbroken for our Grade 12s who will most likely lose the entirety of their senior season,” noted Lancaster. “After we emerged as a provincial contender in 2019, it seemed as though this season was our opportunity to take over the conference and make a deep playoff run. It is truly terrible to think of all of the Grade 12 students across the province in all fall sports who are losing this experience.”

Meanwhile, it’s wait and see for the other sports eager to get playing.

“I don’t think it’s going to be something that’s going to happen quickly,” noted Yamaoka. “I think there’s going to need to be quite a few different things that happen before we return to sport.”