Image c/o: hufsd.edu
Due to coronavirus concerns, high school football in New York State will make its debut in the spring on March 1st.
This change is not only for football, other high risk sports such as Volleyball and Cheerleading will also begin on March 1st. However, according to Governor Cuomo, low risk sports such as tennis, golf, swimming, field hockey, cross country and soccer will stick to their original plan and begin in the fall on September 21st. With all the different sports out there, how can you differentiate between a high risk and a low risk one?
Low risk sports can be identified as:
1. Sports that maintain physical distance to the greatest ability and / or can be performed individually
2. Sports that avoid touching of shared equipment, not use shared equipment at all, or clean / disinfect any type of equipment between use by separate individuals
High Risk Sports can be identified as:
1. The least ability to maintain physical distance
2. The least ability to avoid touching of shared equipment, clean or disinfect equipment between uses by different individuals or just not use the shared equipment at all
Unfortunately, because of the coronavirus and not being able to get our hands on a vaccine, high school sports are going to be different to say the least. We are living in a new normal and, with that being said, a lot of things need to be taken into consideration with sports, especially high school sports.
Certain recommendations have been included in the New York State Athletic Association return to play guidelines for sports to follow. These include:
- Players maintaining a distance of at least six feet has to be maintained by each individual at all times, whether indoor or outdoor.
- Players should tell coaches immediately when they are not feeling well
- No hugging, high fives, shaking hands, or fist bumps
- Athletes should shower at home immediately after practice or games.
These are just some of the regulations New York State has put on high school sports. Of course the safety of the children is the number one priority, but due to these changes their mental and emotional health are being put on the back burner.