‘Ain’t going to be fun.’ COVID-19 changes summer rules for local high school football
Summer workouts for local prep football teams will look much different this year because of the coronavirus pandemic.
GHSA member schools can begin conditioning workouts on June 8. The governing body’s plan is restrictive and provides for conditioning only, while Alabama schools may hold voluntary conditioning, individual skill development and workouts beginning June 1.
Workouts at Georgia schools may not include balls or sport-specific equipment. All summer work is voluntary.
Here’s what a social-distanced summer will look like for some of the area’s schools.
Weight-room limits
Only 20 people, including coaches, are allowed in a school’s weight room at one time, according to the GHSA’s guidance.
Manchester’s coaching staff met for over two hours on Tuesday and will meet again Thursday night to go over final plans for summer workouts. Head coach James Moore said he plans to call each player over the weekend to get an idea of how many will attend the workouts.
Once the staff gets a tentative number, the athletes will be divided up into groups based on position. The Blue Devils have 55 students signed up to play varsity football, according to Moore.
Two Blue Devils coaches will observe workouts from inside the weight room, with one coach outside. Seventeen athletes will work out in stations, which Moore said will include everything the player needs to complete his workout — dumbbells, a hexbar, rubber plates for deadlifts and powerclean, and more.
The GHSA recommends staff and athletes have their temperature checked prior to each workout. Use of locker rooms and shower facilities is prohibited. At least 15 minutes should be scheduled between workout groups to allow for disinfecting the facility, according to the governing body.
“Once they come in the door, we’ll temperature them at the door,” Moore said. “Once they enter the weight room, they’re not leaving the weight room until they completely finish.”
Muscogee County schools do not have a set start date for summer workouts, according to MCSD Athletic Director Jeff Battles, meaning schools like Columbus High don’t know when workouts can begin.
When allowed, Columbus plans to go three days a week, from 8 a.m. to around 11:30 a.m. The team will split into four different groups for weight lifting, with the required 15-minute downtime in between sessions. Coaches will check players’ temperatures before each workout with a forehead thermometer.
“We’ve not been told to do this but we’re doing it anyway: If their temperature is 100 or above, they’re going right back home,” Columbus coach Phil Marino said.
Harris County’s weight room is big enough to “easily” fit 50 athletes at a time, though the Tigers must scale that number down by 30 to adhere to the GHSA’s guidelines.
Harris County’s players will break into groups: Offensive linemen, offensive skill positions, defensive “ones” and defensive “twos.”
Social distancing should be adhered at all times and masks or face coverings are recommended for the weight room, according to the GHSA.
A second acclimation period
With teams missing out on spring football practices and optional summer workouts, an unofficial acclimation period will likely be necessary for athletes returning to high-intensity training.
No competition is allowed between schools, and no visitors are allowed at conditioning sessions.
“We’ve got a feeling that it’s going to be a slow go at the beginning,” Harris County coach Jamie Fox said. “Because these kids aren’t going to be in near the shape that they would be in at this normal time.”
If a training acclimation period takes place in early June, followed by the June 28 through July 4 dead week, it would be “business as usual” starting July 5, GHSA Executive Director Robin Hines said in early May
“It ain’t going to be fun,” Moore said. “But it’s better than nothing.”
The 2020 GHSA football season is currently scheduled to kick off Aug. 21.
