Raleigh – An Oct. 15 announcement from the N.C. High School Athletic Association confirmed what many had feared: sports will begin next month, but crowds will be sparse.
In the release, the association maintained its desire to mirror both advice from the N.C. Department of Health & Human Services, as well as following executive orders issued by Gov. Roy Cooper.
As such, volleyball and cross country – the only two sports Robbinsville will have on the fall docket – will have a much different feel, as state officials hope to prevent an athletics-based outbreak of COVID-19. The association halted the spring sports season March 13 – one day before the state basketball finals – and has not had an official contest in the seven months since.
Protocols
Under Cooper’s Phase 3 executive order and state health guidance alike, spectators will be limited as follows:
* Outdoor facilities (parks, fields, courts): 100 people, or 30 percent of the facility’s fire capacity. If no fire capacity is in place, the formula is seven spectators per 1,000 square feet.
* Indoor facilities (gymnasiums): 25 people.
Players, coaches and support staff are not part of the calculations, but the numbers will greatly reduce the amount of families and friends that can view a sporting event.
Anyone in attendance at a contest must also wear a mask at all times. Players are not required to wear a mask during play but are welcome to. Athletes will only be required to wear a mask if not actively participating in the event.
Also new to the season:
* Post-contest handshakes have been eliminated.
* Coaches and officials must always wear masks and adhere to social-distancing guidelines for pre-contest meetings.
* Volleyball meetings will be held at center court, with one coach and one referee on each side of the net. Rosters will be submitted at the scoring table, rather than exchanged between coaches during warmups. Game balls will be disinfected during both timeouts and set changes, and teams will only rotate benches if officials deem the change necessary. Coin tosses before matches and for deciding sets will be held at center court. Lastly, social distancing will be required between officials and players during substitutions.
* For cross-country, masks must be worn to the starting area, and runners must keep up with their masks throughout their respective race. Designated team areas will be limited to just coaches and athletes.
* Athletes should bring their own water bottle, hand sanitizer and towels to each event.
Testing positive
If a coach, staff member or athlete comes into close contact with an individual that has tested positive for COVID-19 – defined as exposure closer than 6 feet for 15 minutes or more – they must immediately quarantine for 14 days.
Should a positive test come back for coaches, staff or players, participation in high school athletics will only resume if the following steps are taken:
* More than 10 days has passed since the positive test was returned
* The individual must go more than 24 hours without a fever
* All symptoms must be improving
* The individual is cleared by way of a “Return to Play” form, completed by a licensed health care provider
Football
With gridiron action beginning in late February, the Oct. 15 announcement also included a new stipulation for football workouts.
Once a program has completed two weeks of workouts, helmets can be worn.
However, any other protective equipment will not be allowed and a licensed athletic trainer must be present before helmets can be worn.