Guidelines for return to sports in fall presented to NDHSAA

by Erik Gjovik

Foster County Independent

Nearly three months have passed since the COVID-19 pandemic forced the closure of all high school extracurricular activities across the country.

As a result, state sports governing bodies throughout the country are weighing their options to get their athletes back in the game in time for the fall season, but with better protection against the spread of the potentially-deadly virus.

The North Dakota High School Activities Association (NDHSAA) was presented with a set of re-opening guidelines put forth by the National Federation of State High School Association's (NFHS) Sports Medicine Advisory Committee on May 18.

NDHSAA Executive Director Matt Fetsch said that plans are underway to find the best solution to return to competition for student-athletes.

"We're forming a 'Return to Competition' committee that will meet later in June," Fetsch said. "Hopes are to have a reopening recommendation for the Board of Directors prior to July 1."

Central to the NFHS guidelines is a three-phase process to be followed if sports are to resume, which mirrors guidelines put forth by the White House in April in regards to the pandemic.

NFHS Director Karissa Niehoff said that the guidelines, which cover 16 pages total, "utilized recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as well as some return-to-play considerations by the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC), in formulating this guidance document for re-opening athletics and other activities in our nation's schools."

In the introduction to the document, it states that, "The recommendations presented in this document are intended as ideas for state associations to consider with their respective SMACs and other stakeholders in designing return-to-activity guidelines that will be in accordance with state or local restrictions."

Some of the particular precautions imposed as part of each phase are as follows:

Phase 1

Prior to workouts, all coaches and students should be screened for signs and symptoms of COVID-19, which includes temperature checks.

As part of the first phase, gatherings, both outdoors and indoors, are restricted to no more than 10 individuals, and the use of locker rooms is strongly discouraged.

Students should report to workouts in proper gear, and return home to shower after they are finished.

Along with maintaining social distancing practices, workouts should consist of the same 5-to-10 individuals, or "pods", with smaller groups for activities like weight lifting, to limit exposure potential.

Equipment is not to be shared. For example, basketballs are not to be passed between teammates, and football players should not use the same tackling dummies or sleds that others have used. Also, wrestlers are not allowed to engage in person-to-person contact, but can drill on their own.

To ensure hydration, students must bring their own water bottles, and communal water stations (fountains, troughs, etc.) are not to be used. This applies for all three phases.

Phase 2

The screening requirement and pod workouts remain in effect for Phase 2, but outdoor gatherings can now be increased to up to 50 individuals. Indoor workouts remain at 10 individuals or less.

Lower risk sports practices and competitions can resume, which include cross country (with meets operating under staggered starts), golf, track and field individual running and throwing events, weightlifting and sideline cheer.

Modified practices for sports deemed as moderate risk can begin, such as basketball, volleyball, baseball, softball and track and field events such as pole vault, high jump and long/triple jump.

Athletic equipment should be cleaned intermittently during practices and games.

If proper sanitation practices are followed, volleyball, baseball, softball and the other moderate risk track events can be moved into the lower risk category, provided that masks are to be worn in competition. Masks are not required in high-aerobic sports, such as cross country or swimming.

Locker rooms, or team meeting spaces, can return at this stage, but social distancing is still to be followed at all times.

Phase 3

Gathering sizes of 50 individuals are permitted both outdoors and indoors, and the requirements for screening and pods in Phases 1 and 2 have been dropped. However, if anyone has had a fever or cold symptoms in the previous 24 hours, they are not allowed to compete, and should contact their primary health care provider.

Moderate risk practices and competitions can begin in Phase 3, with modified practices for higher risk sports such as football, wrestling and competitive dance allowed to start.

Reassessment of epidemiology data in comparison to other states, as well as in other sporting organizations and levels of play, are to be considered if higher risk sports will be allowed to resume.

Mask usage can continue in Phase 3 when not engaging in athletic activity, like sitting on the bench, or in the locker room.

Other considerations

At each phase of the guidelines, adequate cleaning schedules for facilities and equipment should be maintained at all times.

Clothing, shoes, and towels are not to be shared, and clothing and towels must be cleaned or washed after each workout.

Hard surfaces are to be wiped and sanitized prior to their usage, such as chairs, lockers, weights, bathroom facilities, and tables. Hand sanitizer should be readily available in all practice and competition venues.

Transportation to and from events will utilize multiple vehicles to prevent overcrowding on buses, which can include those owned by parents or guardians.

Artificial noisemakers, such as air horns or timer-based alarm devices, can be used by coaches in lieu of whistles.

Players are not to engage in contact behavior such as pre-game/post-game handshakes, high fives or fist bumps.

Attendance at school events will be allowed through a tier system. Fetsch said that regular season attendance directives from local or state health departments and/or the Governor would be enforced by host schools themselves.

Tier 1 will include or essential members, include athletes, coaches, officials, event staff, medical staff, and security.

Tier 2 includes media personnel such as television and radio broadcasters and newspaper reporters/photographers.

Tier 3 consists of spectators and vendors.

At the time of the guidelines' writing, only Tier 1 and 2 personnel are allowed to attend events until state and local health departments lift restrictions on mass gatherings.

If there is a recurrence of COVID-19 this fall and winter in some locales, the guidelines stipulate that state associations "must be prepared for periodic school closures and the possibility of some teams having to isolate for two to three weeks while in- season."

"Until a cure, vaccine or very effective treatment is readily available, or so-called 'herd immunity' is confidently reached, social distancing and other preventative measures such as face covering will be a 'new normal' if workouts, practices and contests are to continue," according to one of the document's points of emphasis.