CK McClatchy Athletics – an Update (Part 1) 

by Skye Dickenson  

 

The second Thursday in March was a huge day for CKM Athletics. The campus was alive with early-season activity as the Spring Sports schedule hit full stride. I arrived on campus with my daughter around 4pm to cover Men's Tennis, Baseball and a Swim meet. Men's Volleyball was playing their first home game at 6 o'clock that evening.

 

I parked on Bidwell Way and walked through the north gate, placing us in the middle of the action just a few paces in for around the hundredth time. Never has arriving on campus during a game or match gotten old, and every single time I cherish the opportunity to share these experiences with my kid, as well at RtR supporters and online followers. She has become one of the biggest fans of CKM Sports, in part because the women's teams have welcomed her with open arms. She will be class of 2032.

 

As we roamed around campus that day, immersing ourselves in the action while I took pictures and videos of the events, neither of us -- nor the hundreds of student athletes and parents on campus -- could have imagined that would be the last time the historic McClatchy campus would be alive with sporting activity for the remainder of 2020.

 

The baseball, tennis and swim teams came out confident and ready.

 

Baseball dominated in a win over Christian Brothers, and many senior swimmers and tennis players were starting to shift into fifth gear for a successful run through their final year of high school athletics. Tennis Coach Willard Hom was making his usual paces on the rocky pathway just south of the six courts, all of which were redone and resurfaced in advance of the 2018-19 year.

 

Baseball Coach Mike de Necochea was working in unison with his small fleet of coaches, and the squad was enjoying the newly re-turfed field and the benefits of an outfield fence. Athletic Director Rob Feickert was skillfully juggling the choreography of orchestrating a swim meet with as many as 40 races and north of 100 competitors. We were loving all of it.

 

At about 545, I dropped my daughter off at my parents, grabbed a quick bite and went back to campus. Men's Volleyball was locked in a battle, but I was able to chat with Head Coach Kent Kitade as they pulled away in the final set. Just then, I got a notification on my phone that the NBA had canceled the New Orleans Pelicans versus Sacramento Kings game, which a handful of my friends were already at Golden 1 Center to attend.

 

I read it out loud to Kent, and we looked at each other like "hmmmm. I wonder where this is going?"

 

A few minutes later, the "Flying Lions" smashed a spike off the hardwood of the Janice and Harvey Tahara Court that ricocheted off the gymnasium wall, and the referee's whistle blew for the final time that night. It concluded a 3-2 victory over West Campus, and ended up representing the final moment of sports at McClatchy in all of 2020.

 

After I picked up my kid, the first thing we did when we got back to my house was slide the SD card into my laptop and decide on the best pictures from the day. I use a small yet versatile Sony camera at all CKM events for a few reasons. The primary reason is I like to be able to put my camera in my pocket whenever I like, shaking hands and communicating with people. I also like to be able to move quickly through hallways, fields or other places when the situation requires without worrying about a large and very expensive camera bouncing with me.

 

We went through the pictures and found a few really good ones. As any photographer knows, you never know quite what you have until you look at it up close.

 

Later that evening, I, like many of you reading these words, got an automated call from the SCUSD saying that they were shutting down operations for the next three days, extending into the following week. Soon it was the rest of the week, then through the rest of April. Then came the announcement that there would be no in-person instruction or sporting events in high school for the remainder of the 2019-20 school year. A few hundred CKM student athletes who had put in tons of hard work up front were informed that their seasons were done.  

 

What followed was a totally unprecedented situation where students, teachers, staff, coaches and parents began to navigate their way through choppy waters in uncertain times.

 

The emotional and financial support shown to the senior class of 2020 allowed McClatchy to honor this group in the best way possible given the situation. It is worth noting that the McClatchy 2020 Senior Class stepped up and showed true maturity and an ability to adapt quickly. There are so many incredible student athletes in the McClatchy 2020 Class, and covering their successes and getting to know them to varying degrees is a blast.  

 

Recently, the California Interscholastic Federation released an official schedule and outline, detailing how high school sports will proceed…… (End of Part 1)  

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CK McClatchy Athletics – an Update (Part 2) 

 

Recently, the California Interscholastic Federation released an official schedule and outline, detailing how high school sports will proceed.  

 

The common theme is that everything has been put off until at least the last few weeks of 2020. The CKM Football Team and both Cross Country squads can begin practice on December 7. CKM Varsity Head Coach Malcolm Floyd is a master motivator and a very upbeat human being, and he will lead his troops into battle beginning with practices that may involve portable heaters and parkas instead of large buckets of ice water and cooling towels.

 

The Cross Country squad is always solid. Head Coach Julie Watkins leads a large group that continues to churn out solid runners. The Senior graduating Class of 2020 featured a few longtime superstars, and the Class of 2021 includes the first CKM female student athlete to run a sub five-minute mile.

 

The Men's and Women's Soccer Teams, the Men's and Women's Water Polo squads and Men's and Women's Volleyball will all begin practice as soon as December 14. This means that once the switch is flipped to the "on" position, juggling the task of making facilities available to all teams as needed will be a rubix cube type of situation. This falls on the sturdy shoulders of our Athletic Director, Robert Feickert.   

 

"It is going to be interesting," said the former Sacramento High Dragon who now bleeds McClatchy red. Coach Feickert has the top athletic position in a school with not only a storied athletic history, but a legion of teachers, coaches, parents and supporters that help put CKM sports in a position to be as successful as possible. "I want to thank everyone for being patient in this ever-changing situation we are in right now. I am ecstatic that my student athletes will be able to compete this year."

 

Anyone can donate any amount at any time to any CKM team (click here).

 

There is a reason that Soccer and Volleyball are played by the Women in the fall and the Men in the spring. It involves the availability of facilities, as mentioned in Part 1. In this unique and unprecedented situation, parents and coaches may have to embrace a schedule that is a bit fluid. But everyone involved with McClatchy has been up to every task asked of them in the last months.

 

"The earlier start date for the Metro League will not be a big deal. Sharing the season with Women's Volleyball will be a challenge. But no complaints." These are the words of longtime Men's Volleyball Coach Kent Kitade, who was leading his troops very successfully through the first few weeks of a Metro campaign that looked incredibly bright before the lights were turned off.

 

A new Women's Volleyball Head Coach will run the squad this year after the very popular and savvy leader Corey Houle respectfully stepped down. Houle said in a recent interaction that she will still be around and always be a fan, and her impact on the program will be felt for a long time.

 

The two McClatchy Soccer Teams have been incredibly fun to watch up close from the bench over the last few seasons. Both teams have a true chemistry and a knack for daring defense, pinpoint passing, and bashing the ball into the back of the net. The Women's and Men's squads are led by coaches on the pulse of their program, who manage each game closely with the intention of getting a victory while protecting the best interests of their players. Their seasons will begin as early as December 28.

 

Water Polo has long been played by both the Men's and Women's squad in the fall, so the sharing of the pool does not create issues. Because of the size of the CKM Pool and its L-shape, teams can actually warm-up in the easternmost section as the games unfold, decreasing the length of time between the next starting whistle.

 

Fingers crossed that the longtime and occasionally tinkered-with heating system keeps the pool warm for a season that is going to begin as early as a few days before Christmas.

 

To put things into perspective, a total of eight CKM Teams could start their seasons in the final days of 2020, which will run through the final days of February and the final days of March.

 

Other squads including both Golf teams, both Tennis teams, Wrestling, both Basketball teams, the Swim team, the competitive Cheer season, Baseball, Softball and Track & Field are all slated to start their seasons sometime in the final days of February and the first week of March...... (End of Part 2)

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