Georgia’s high school athletes will be permitted to train on school grounds beginning June 8.
The Georgia High School Association’s Board of Trustees made the decision at a meeting last Thursday, May 21. Activities are voluntary and limited to conditioning and weight training. Schools are still prohibited from holding practices and cannot use “balls or specific equipment.”
“The plan is restrictive and provides for conditioning only,” read a memo from executive director Robin Hines to member schools. “As the data related to COVID-19 continues to improve, restrictions may be reduced after input from our health care professionals and guidance from our governor.
“Please make every effort to follow the recommendations and restrictions included in the guidance provided. As you return to conditioning, keep in mind that the majority of your athletes have ‘deconditioned’ the past two months and need to work into what would be normal for this time of year. Reduce the work and gradually increase the workouts with time.”
Hines added, “Finally, ensure that your school and system leadership are aware of this guidance and have the opportunity provide input into your plan to move forward with conditioning and for preparing and maintaining your facilities. Keep in mind that member schools may be more restrictive than the guidance but may not be less restrictive. There has never been a time more critical for athletic departments, school administration and system level administrators to work together.”
Conditioning sessions are limited to groups of 20, and “groups should be the same individuals (including coaches) for each session to limit risk of exposure. Students or coaches cannot change groups for the duration of this guidance,” according to the GHSA.
Locker rooms and shower facilities may not be used, and “weight equipment should be cleaned prior to each workout and sanitized between use by each student. Each student should have their own personal water bottle. Social distancing should be adhered to always and masks/face coverings are recommended for the weight room.”
The GHSA recommended that member schools prepare an Infectious Disease Prevention Plan prior to staff and athletes returning to conditioning.
Athletes should answer the following questions before being allowed to workout:
﹣ Do you or have you had a fever in the last week?
﹣ Have you been diagnosed with COVID-19?
﹣ Have you been in contact with anyone diagnosed with COVID-19?
﹣ Have you traveled to a “hot spot” for COVID-19?
The GHSA stated, “If the answer is yes to any of the questions, the athlete should not participate in any workouts for a 14-day period.”
Gilmer High School athletic director Matt Johnson said, “We’re meeting this week with school and district leaders who pertain to athletics so we can make sure we’re 100 percent compliant in every way to give our kids the opportunity to condition and work out. I’m putting out feelers right now to see which sports need that time to condition because it’s open to everyone.”
The summer months are not only used as the preseason for fall sports teams. Winter sports such as basketball and wrestling normally attend camps during June and condition at GHS facilities. With limited space and the need for increased safety precautions, fall sports will get priority over winter sports, according to Johnson.
June is a vital month for football preparation. A return to some type of normalcy is a welcome sign for GHS football coach Kevin Saunders.
“We’ll be able to get around the kids a little bit,” he said. “We’ll have these three weeks to get them conditioned and ready to start football back. It will be a little bit of a process but we’re looking forward to it. We just need to get all of the logistics and everything worked out and we’ll go from there.”
Players have followed work out routines while at home since schools dismissed March 13, but Saunders noted there is no substitution for face-to-face interactions.
“They may have done a little bit at home but they’re not in football playing condition,” he said. “I’ll be able to be around them and push them. It’s hard to push yourself when you don’t have a goal to look forward to because they didn’t know what was going to happen.”
Summer conditioning can be grueling, but Saunders believes players are ready to hit the field in some fashion.
“They’re excited and most of them are ready to go,” he said. “They’ve gotten to the point where they’ve gotten bored. They want to get back to being involved in something normal. They want to get out here and be a part of football. You could have told them they could come up to the field to play checkers, and I believe most of them would have shown up.”
Johnson and staff will use the week to devise a plan to divvy GHS facilities and practice spaces between fall and winter sports programs.