By CINDY CROSBY
cindyc4@yahoo.com
Colleton Prep Academy announced Monday July 6 that athletic summer activities were suspended due to the local spike in Covid-19 cases. Prior to the suspension of athletic activity, CPA was following SCISA’s Phase 1 Guidelines for in-person return to practice/play which was to begin no earlier than June 1.
In a press release, Colleton Prep’s athletic director Greg Langdale said:
“Unfortunately, due to the recent spike in Covid-19 cases in our area, Colleton Prep has suspended all athletic-related activities until July 19. This includes, but is not limited to, all football practices and workouts, volleyball, cheerleading and summer athletic camps. Hopefully all goes well and we will be able to resume as scheduled on July 20.”
Currently, the following Summer Youth Sports Camps are planned with a fee of $40 per participant for first camp and $30 for each additional camp:
• Girls Basketball Camp, July 20-23, 5:30–7:30 p.m.
• Baseball Camp, July 20–23, 5:30–7:30 p.m.
• Football Camp, July 27–29, 5:30–7:30 p.m.
A cheerleading meeting previously planned for July 6 was moved until July 20 at 5:45 in the school cafeteria.
Due to Covid-19, student athletes are required to schedule their own physicals this year. Necessary forms are available on the school website and must be completed and returned before student athletes are allowed to practice or participate in sports.
SCISA’s Phase 1 Plan for in-person return to practice/play included:
• Group size Social Distancing: Groups/pods of 10 or less including coaches. Players separated by six feet or more within each group.
• Pre-Workout Screening Enhanced Screening: Daily temperature check, screening questions. If screening test is failed, not allowed to participate until cleared by healthcare professional. If sick, stay at home.
• Vulnerable population: Identify students or staff. Stay home or modify activity/or grouping.
• Weight Room: Five per 1,000 square feet or groups/pods no larger than 10 including coaches. Equipment set up inside or outdoors, properly spaced, or a combination of locations. Equipment spaced at least 10-feet apart. Spotters may stand at the end of the bar only. Enhanced sanitation. Equipment should be wiped down thoroughly before and after an individual’s use of the equipment.
• Outdoor Activities: Groups/pods of 10 or less including coaches. Social distancing of six feet required.
• Indoor Activities: Five per 1,000 square feet. Social distancing six feet apart. PPE requirements/recommendations.
• Enhanced sanitation. Recommend not using locker rooms (all activities). Players arrive in appropriate workout clothing.
• Equipment: No shared balls or sports equipment first 14 calendar days to minimize common contact points. Beginning the 15th day, balls and equipment may be utilized but must be properly cleaned and sanitized. No shared towels.
• Handwashing Stations: Handwashing stations for each group. Utilized following each activity.
• PPE: Personal Protective Equipment: Coaches/staff should wear facemask or face covering. Recommended for players when not inhibiting.
• Cleaning and Disinfecting: Clean and sanitize all areas, surfaces, chairs, etc. frequently.
• Hydration: Student-athletes should bring their own water bottle(s). Water bottles cannot be shared. Disposable cups can be used. Water cows/troughs, fountains should not be used.
• Logistics Recommendations: Stagger arrival time of groups/pods so that the players do not arrive at the same time to discourage socializing. Keep the same students in each group/pod working out together. This ensures limited exposure if someone develops an infection.
• Forms Requirements: New agreement for participation/warning of inherent risk required before allowed to workout
• Cross Country: Runners should maintain at least six feet of distancing between individuals, no grouping (starts and finishes).
• Golf: Maintain appropriate physical distancing six feet apart.
• Swimming: Swimmers should maintain at least six feet of distancing between individuals, no grouping (starts and finishes).
• Tennis: Conditioning, no sharing of balls, each player may use their own can of balls to serve and use racket to pass other balls (singles only), ball machine use by individuals only. Players may do individual drills, wall volleys and serves. Wipe down rackets and balls after use.
• Football: Conditioning and individual drills. A player should not participate in drills with a single ball that will be handed off or passed to other teammates. Contact with other players is not allowed. Protective equipment prohibited. Groups/pods separated by at least 25 yards.
• Volleyball: Conditioning, individual ball-handling drills, each player has own ball. A player should not use a single ball that others touch or hit in any manner.
• Cheer: Conditioning and individual technique/choreography work. Students may not practice/perform partner or group stunts. Chants, jumps, dance, tumbling without contact are permissible as long as physical distancing is adhered to.
• Basketball: Conditioning, individual ball-skill drills, no contact or sharing of balls. A player may shoot with a ball(s), but a team should not practice/pass a single ball among the team where multiple players touch the same ball.
• Baseball/Softball: Conditioning and tee work. Players should not share gloves or bats or throw a single ball that will be tossed among the team. A single player may hit in cages, throw batting practice (with netting as backstop, no catcher). Prior to another athlete using the same balls, they should be collected and cleaned individually.
• Track and Field: Runners should maintain at least six feet of distancing between individuals, no grouping (starts and finishes). No sharing of implements/equipment. Padded equipment/implements should be cleaned between use.
• Soccer: Conditioning, individual ball skill drills, each player has own ball, feet only (no heading/use of hands), no contact.
• Scholastic Shooting Sports/Equestrian: Maintain appropriate physical distancing six feet apart.
• Lacrosse: Conditioning and individual drills. Contact with other players is not allowed, and when permitted, there should be no sharing of sports equipment. Protective equipment prohibited.
• Bowling/Archery: Maintain appropriate physical distancing six feet apart. Wipe down arrows and balls after use.
• Wrestling: Conditioning, mirror drills with spacing, no contact. Wrestlers may skill and drill without touching a teammate (as long as physical distancing is adhered to). Wipe down mat after each use.
• Meetings with Players Video/Chalk Talk: Maintain appropriate physical distancing six feet apart. Facemask or face coverings should be used
Some activities carry a lower infection risk because they can be done with physical distancing or individually with no sharing of equipment or the ability to clean the equipment between use by competitors. These activities include: cross country (with staggered starts), golf, tennis, scholastic shooting sports, archery, equestrian, sailing, bowling, swimming (relays maintain social distancing), and track and field (field event with an implement needs to be cleaned after each use by participants).
Other activities carry a moderate infection risk activities because of their close, sustained contact, but with protective equipment in place that may reduce the likelihood of respiratory particle transmission between participants or intermittent close contact or group sports or sports that use equipment that can’t be cleaned between participants. These activities include volleyball, soccer, baseball, softball, and basketball.
Activities that involve close, sustained contact between participants and a lack of significant protective barriers are the higher infection risk activities. These include: football, wrestling, competitive cheerleading, and lacrosse.
