California Interscholastic Federation

The California Interscholastic Federation (CIF) is the governing body for high school sports in the state of California. It mirrors similar governing bodies in other states; however, it differs from some of the others in that it covers most high schools in the state of California, both public and private. Few exceptions exist; five California high schools compete in the Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association instead, due to their proximity to Nevada and the difficulty they face in traveling to other California schools. CIF is a non-profit corporation. It is based in Sacramento, California.

History

The CIF was founded in Los Angeles in 1914 by a group of area school principals. It was founded in order to standardize rules and team structures between schools; it was also intended to prevent abuses such as "school shopping" by athletes and teams fielding players over high school age. Other school principals voluntarily entered into the program, and by 1917, the organization was established statewide.

In 2005, CIF required that all student athletes sign a promise to not take any steroids or they face expulsion.

Championships

CIF holds state championships in:

• boys' and girls' basketball
• boys' and girls' cross country
• football
• boys' and girls' Golf
• boys' and girls' track and field
• girls' volleyball
• wrestling

CIF also hosts a State Cheerleading Championship in conjunction with the football championship.

There are also Northern...
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