Georgia high schools begin summer football workouts amid murky state COVID-19 rules
The association that governs sports for hundreds of Georgia high schools released guidelines for COVID-19 safety as football teams began to plan summer training programs.
Whether those guidelines, issued by the Georgia High School Association, are mandatory, or merely suggestions, is a matter of interpretation and, for some high school coaches, confusion. GHSA Executive Director Robin Hines said questions “can be answered by reading the guidelines.”
“There are both mandates and recommendations in the guidance,” Hines said in an email. “Summer workouts are voluntary but there are mandates should workouts occur, such as group size and until (this past Monday), balls and other sport specific equipment.”
How are the guidelines enforced?
According to Hines, schools that violate the guidelines will be investigated and receive “the appropriate consequence is given based on the Constitution and (GHSA) By-Laws.” He did not specify how the association will enforce its coronavirus guidelines; the GHSA is not sending observers to workouts.
The association does not require temperature checks or COVID-19 screenings for players or coaches prior to each workout. Masks are optional, but other guidelines are enforced more strictly, depending on the school.
The GHSA did not allow sport-specific equipment — such as footballs, pads and helmets — in its initial guidelines. Starting this week, those items are allowed and must be sanitized between sessions.
But equipment must only be used for conditioning purposes, Hines said. Intrasquad competition is still prohibited. Quarterbacks can throw passes to receivers, for example, but not against a defense. The six-foot social distancing rule is still required.
Groups of 50, including coaches, are allowed at practices, which remain voluntary as of Monday. That number started at 20 and was increased to 25.
How are teams responding to guidelines?
Districts are allowed to be more restrictive than the governing body. For example, during a morning workout at Troup High on Wednesday, Tigers head coach Tanner Glisson paced the weight room, reminding athletes to side spot. Troup also temperature checked each individual who entered the team’s indoor practice facility, reporters included, and read their temperatures aloud.
The Bibb County Public School District requires temperature checks for players and staff each morning, Bibb County Athletic Director Barney Hester said.
In Muscogee County, masks or facial coverings are optional for athletes, but each participant must bring their own water bottle to practice. Guidelines will be enforced by school officials, according to MCSD Athletic Director Jeff Battles.
Brookstone, a private school in Columbus, began workouts around three weeks ago and interprets the guidelines as mandated rules.
“Some people might consider (GHSA’s guidelines) broad ... but I felt good about the guidelines they’ve given us,” Brookstone Athletic Director Jimmy Messer said. “We take that as a mandate: if it says no scrimmaging, we’re not going to scrimmage. If it says 20 in a group including coaches, we’re going to be sure that we try to adhere to that.”
Harris County’s approach is similar in that it’s following the guidelines, but is more strict in certain areas.
“We don’t want to take any chances with anybody’s safety,” Harris County Athletic Director Bryce Robinson said. “Just, none.”
Robinson occasionally observes conditioning workouts to make sure each team is following the guidelines.
Middle Georgia high schools working within rules
In Bibb County, the district has chosen to follow the guidelines laid out by the GHSA, including taking the temperature of each player upon arrival to the facilities for practice.
The district has also invested in cleaning machines to spray down the workout equipment after each use.
Hester said the GHSA doesn’t govern much during summer beyond restrictions on when players can practice in pads and various other minor rules.
“It is all still left to you, the individual districts and individuals schools,” Hester said. “I told our coaches there is no not following our guidelines... it is of the utmost importance to follow those guidelines.”
As a first-year head coach, Chad Alligood of Northside High School in Warner Robins said the transition has been difficult; he hasn’t had a chance to spend quality time with his new team.
Before footballs were allowed in practice, Northside struggled to install a new playbook. Alligood said his players and staff are following all of the GHSA guidelines.
Northside has around 180 total players, so practices with groups of 20 have been running from 8 a.m. to around 6 p.m.
“It was good to get in front of them (at practice) but the hard part is your giving the message to nine different groups,” Alligood said. “I really still don’t feel like we’ve started yet because you can’t get everybody in the same room and talk to them. Our kids don’t even know who their teammates are.”
This story was originally published June 26, 2020 at 7:00 AM with the headline "Georgia high schools begin summer football workouts amid murky state COVID-19 rules."
