The Kentucky High School Athletic Association has released a set of guidelines for teams to begin workouts in gyms beginning Tuesday, June 15. The KHSAA made the update to its COVID-19 guidance page on its website sometime Thursday.
The decision for sports to participate in a gym or any facility rests with each individual school district. Schools can hold voluntary workouts but cannot require an athlete attend. Indoor activities may also not consist of any scrimmages or competitions — only conditioning and individual and group skills work through at least July 12.
This is good news, especially for volleyball and cheer who are the only two fall sports that are indoors. Basketball teams have used June for workouts, team camps, and summer games. The part with summer games is unlikely to happen in 2020.
Here are the guidelines for indoor sports, to include swimming —
- It is HIGHLY recommended that all team activity during these periods be done outside if feasible, with appropriate social distancing guidelines observed.
- All coaches should be instructed to wear cloth masks/face coverings at all times in the presence of students and maintain social distancing guidelines at all times.
FACILITIES CLEANING
- Prior to an individual or groups of individuals entering a facility, hard surfaces within that facility should be wiped down and sanitized (chairs, furniture in meeting rooms, weight room equipment, bathrooms, athletic training room tables, etc.).
- Individuals should wash their hands for a minimum of 20 seconds with warm water and soap or hand sanitizer before touching any surfaces or participating in workouts.
- Hand sanitizer should be plentiful and available to individuals as they transfer from place to place.
- Appropriate clothing/shoes should be worn at all times to minimize sweat from transmitting onto equipment/surfaces.
- Any equipment such as weight benches, athletic pads, etc. having holes with exposed foam should be covered.
- Students must be encouraged to shower and wash their workout clothing immediately upon returning to home.
Entrance/Exit Strategies
- Consider strategies to prevent groups from gathering at entrances/exits to facilities to limit crossover and contact, including staggering starting/ending times.
Limitations on Gatherings
- No gathering of more than 10 people at a time (inside or outside) prior to June 29.
- Workouts should be conducted in “pods” of students with the same 5-10 students working out together weekly to limit overall exposures.
- Smaller pods can be utilized for weight training.
- There must be a minimum distance of 6 feet between each individual at all times.
- If this is not possible indoors, then the maximum number of individuals in the room must be decreased to obtain a minimum distance of 6 feet between each individual.
Pre-Workout Screening
- All coaches and students should be screened daily for signs / symptoms of COVID-19 prior to participating, including a temperature check. Anyone with a temperature of 100.4 degrees should not participate and be sent home.
- Responses to screening questions for each person should be recorded and stored.
- Any person with positive symptoms reported should not be allowed to participate, should self-isolate, and contact their primary care provider or other health-care professional.
- Vulnerable individuals should not supervise or participate in any workouts.
JUNE 15-JUNE 28
- No more than eleven individuals (10 players and one coach, 9 players and 2 coaches, etc.) should permitted in any small group during this segment.
- Each entire group (or groups) shall remain together and intact as cohort groups) including coaches during that session.
- If groups are subdivided into multiple groups, those groups cannot change through the session.
- In order to preserve cohorts and minimize multi-group interaction, there is no use of “stations” during this segment, where an adult coach might remain stationary and groups of athletes rotate to work with that particular coach or individual.
- Shared equipment is not permitted in this segment. Racks / baskets of balls should not be available.
- If individual opportunities are desired for dribbling, shots, etc, the athlete should utilize their own ball or should be assigned a ball to be used by that player and only that player for the entire session (and sanitized routinely), and another party acting as a rebounder or retriever should not be permitted.
- This period is specifically no-touch per the guidelines and as such, there is no opportunity for physical contact between athletes, or between coaches and athletes and no opportunity for multiple individuals to be in one-on-one, two-on-two or another iteration of person vs. person activity, even in skill development.
- All individuals must avoid physical contact with others including high fives, huddles, or other close contact occurring before, during, or after activities unless the contact is for the purpose of safety.
JUNE 29-JULY 12
- Groups of fifty (50) or fewer are permitted, divided into subgroups with no more than eleven individuals (10 players and one coach, 9 players and 2 coaches, etc.).
- Shared equipment is permitted in this segment per the guidelines, but with frequent sanitization.
- As feasible, if individual opportunities are desired for dribbling, shots, etc, the athlete should utilize their own ball or should be assigned a ball to be used by that player and only that player for the entire session (and sanitized routinely).
- This period is specifically low-touch, medium sharing per the guidelines and as such, there is only minimal, necessary physical contact permitted between athletes, or between coaches and athletes.
- All individuals must avoid physical contact with others including high fives, huddles, or other close contact occurring before, during, or after activities unless the contact is for the purpose of safety.
The KHSAA also had additional guidelines for cheer squads who may use the time for workouts or tryouts for the fall season.
- Each school may establish its Bylaw 23 “Tryout” window for sport-activities (i.e. Sideline Cheer, Competitive Cheer and Dance) during this segment, and if that is utilized, there will be no additional tryout allowed prior to the official start of practice as defined within Bylaw 23 (unless further altered by the Board of Control).
- As a high-touch sport or sport-activity, the Sideline Cheer, Competitive Cheer and Dance tryouts may be done virtually or in person if the only person involved in the tryout is the prospective member of the team without additional support, bracing or stunting partner.
- Sideline Cheer, Competitive Cheer and Dance squads desiring tryouts to involve partners for support, bracing or stunting may not be held until the official start of practice as defined within Bylaw 23 (unless further altered by the Board of Control).
- Because no activity during this period can be mandatory, squads holding tryouts during this period should plan an additional tryout segment once the official limitation of seasons periods begin.
Later this month, the KHSAA is expected to announce its guidelines for practices, workouts, and possibly games for July 12 and beyond.
The complete document with updates can be found on the KHSAA website by clicking HERE
