Long Beach City College announced on March 10 that conditioning classes for the Athletics program will resume in-person instruction for some sports on Mon., April 12. These classes are contingent on Los Angeles County being moved to the red tier of California’s reopening classification system and City of Long Beach’s Health Orders’ alignment with the State’s COVID-19 Guidelines for Higher Education. 

The conditioning classes will be held outdoors and will practice all of the standard COVID-19 safety protocols that LBCC has implemented during the pandemic. 

Sports returning to campus for conditioning include beach volleyball; baseball; men’s and women’s basketball; cheer; men’s and women’s cross country; football; men’s and women’s soccer; softball; men’s and women’s swim/dive; men’s and women’s track and field; men’s and women’s volleyball; and men and women’s water polo.

“Long Beach City College knows that the physical well-being of athletes is dependent upon them being in shape at a level to compete,” said Long Beach Community College District Interim Superintendent-President Dr. Mike Muñoz. “I’m happy to see that we found a way to support our student-athletes, coaches, and staff while practicing our strict safety protocols.” 

The South Coast Conference (SCC) decided on Feb. 25, 2020, to suspend athletic conference competitions for traditional spring sports for the 2021 season. However, SCC did allow individual colleges the opportunity to conduct conditioning classes and compete as circumstances allowed.

“I want to commend our student-athletes who have hung tough and persevered during the past 12 months. Our coaches, Athletics staff, and faculty have been heroic in their efforts to keep our students and athletes engaged both physically and academically during a time when we couldn’t meet in person. And our administration has always considered the safety of the College’s inhabitants in making decisions,” said LBCC Interim Athletics Director Dr. Bill Husak. “There is now a light shining at the end of the tunnel for Vikings Athletics. Long Beach City College will again be able to offer the high-quality Athletics and Academic programs it has been so prestigiously recognized for developing and offering.”

The LBCC Athletics Department Re-Socialization Plan has been reviewed and approved by the College. It is based on the best practices put forth by the Institutes of Higher Education as well as the health agencies of California, Los Angeles County and the City of Long Beach.

LBCC will continue to follow State and local guidelines including those received from Los Angeles County and the City of Long Beach Health Department for any changes and steps to re-opening. 

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, LBCC’s Liberal Arts Campus and Pacific Coast Campus have been closed to the public since mid-March 2020 and LBCC classes have mostly been taught remotely with some essential labs taught in-person. Athletics at LBCC, like other California Community Colleges, shut down almost a year ago due to the pandemic.