By Mike West CIF Commissioner

It is anticipated that the three bylaw changes proposed by the CIF Sports Medicine Advisory Committee will pass this coming Friday, April 5 at the State CIF Federated Council meeting.

The  State CIF has announced that it will help support member schools with the purchase of the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature units that will be necessary to adhere to Bylaw 503.K(1) should it be amended by offering these units to member schools at a reduced price. Schools will be able to secure  one WGBT unit for $250 and if a second one is desired, it would cost $500. 

The CIF Southern Section is currently in a position to support our member schools with the purchase  of an additional Automatic External Defibrillator should one or more be necessary for a school to  meet the requirements of Bylaw 503.L for next year. If the bylaw change is approved by the Federated  Council on Friday, April 5, the CIF Southern Section will send out a survey on Monday, April 8 to all  member schools asking if they will need an additional AED. The survey will close on Friday, April 19 so  that we can determine the number of units to purchase and place the order so schools can receive the  unit before the beginning of next school year. We will support as many schools as we can with this  purchase, however we may not be able to support every school site depending on the demand. The  sooner schools submit the survey, the more likely they will be to receive an AED purchased by the CIF  Southern Section. 

Officials Appreciation Week – April 21-27 

This month we will be celebrating Officials Appreciation Week for the spring sports between Sunday, April 21 and Saturday, April 27. It would be a great idea to have campus student leaders provide a  thank you note as a small token of appreciation for what these individuals do for our athletic programs  across the Southern Section. I understand that they get paid to be there, but they also put forth a lot  of personal time and energy to do their best and be prepared for the games they cover. 

Though we are seeing a slight increase in the number of individuals signing on to be officials, we still  need to focus on retaining these new officials once they come to our campuses. We have also seen a small increase in the number of incidents involving either coaches or spectators negatively interacting  with officials, many of which could have been avoided with proper planning and resource allocation.  Though there is some specific information on page 146 of the Blue Book on providing for game  officials, here are some basic principles to consider when officials come to your campus:

-Consider the officials to be guests on your campuses. Make sure that they know where to park,  how to get to the appropriate facilities, and who to contact if there are questions.

-Have responsible school personnel available at all home games should a problem arise. Also, have a  plan established on how these personnel will address potential incidents with spectators or even  coaches.

-Make sure that the officials get to and from their vehicles safely and without incident.

Most of our member schools do a great job of taking care of our officials before, during, and after  games. However, it is always good practice to review your procedures and make sure that everyone  involved in monitoring games knows their role and obligations for both student and official safety. 

The Dr. John S. Dahlem Digital Library 

On the CIF Southern Section website is a link titled “History” if you click on that link, there are a variety  of options to choose from that provide historical information about our Southern Section schools and  athletes. One of these options is currently titled “Digital Library”. This link will have significantly more  content soon due to the digitizing of all the pictures and video we have had stored for years. This  “History” tab and all the information you can find on it is there in large part because of one man, Dr.  John Dahlem.

Dahlem was a coach and principal at Loara High School. He earned his bachelor’s degree in history  at the University of Oregon (’65), his master’s degree in Latin American History from UCLA (’66), and  his Doctorate in Human Behavior from United States International University (‘93). He received a  Bronze Star as a member of the United States Army, having served in Vietnam.

Dahlem is one of  only 41 people to ever complete the Explorer’s Grand Slam: climbing the highest point in each of the  seven continents and reaching both poles. He is the oldest person and one of just nine Americans to  ever achieve the Explorer’s Grand Slam (2013) Dr. Dahlem is also the Second-oldest American and the  senior half of the oldest father-son team to ever climb Mt. Everest (2009). Dahlem is a past  president of the California Scholastic Federation-Southern Section and has been inducted into the  National Wrestling Hall of Fame.  

Dahlem gives not only of his time, but his money. He has almost single-handedly funded the historical  archives in the office from his own pocket. Due to his efforts, the memories of thousands of  student-athletes will live on for years to come. We are honored to name our new digital library, the Dr. John S. Dahlem Digital Library.