COVID-19 Protocals for Track & Field
- Thread starter The_Rocco
- Start date
JAVMAN83
Well-known member
Lacking further input, which may or may not be coming, it would probably be expedient (i.e., CYA) to do the "social distancing" thing & wear masks when not training. Given that COVID-19 & its variants are molecules smaller than any of the apertures of any of the masks in production, including the vaunted N-95 variant, there is no such thing as 100% safe. While masks, especially the N-95 variant can and do prevent a large % IF the molecules are present, 100% protection is not nor will ever be possible. Hopefully, our vaunted "leaders" aren't going for that. A reasonable compromise, not that it is really needed given the extremely small % of kids that come down with serious symptoms, would be a mask and some distancing. The whole 6' radius thing is a bunch of crap. Just don't get in each other's faces, especially in closed spaces, and kids & adults have done and will keep doing just fine.
So, masks & some distancing is the wisest and most expedient course of action, IMHO. Don't let Dimwit Dewine murder another year of kids' competition lives!
So, masks & some distancing is the wisest and most expedient course of action, IMHO. Don't let Dimwit Dewine murder another year of kids' competition lives!
LOL. I wasn't going for another debate again but whenever you throw covid out there, its only a matter of time. I am to the point though that we need to be told what restrictions we need to plan for. This is getting way too late.
I just want to know what we need to do. Are there going to be limits to how many people can practice, especially indoors? How meets are going to look like? Are meets going to be limited to a certain number of teams? Every other lane at meets?
The OATCC played the wrong hand in XC and gave us restrictions that no other sports had. Cross country was and still is, the only sport that had to change.
Hopefully they realize that we are WRESTLING and have not put unneeded restrictions on us again.
Totally agree. And its not that Gabor has been unable to do it due to his current situation. Its all spring sports.I am in total agreement with you that the "powers-that-be" are seriously late to the game. You'd think this situation had snuck up on them or something?
Fuster-Cluck...I hope it doesn't come to that and that protocols are presently coming for the kids' sake.
I am not a procrastinator and hate when you have to be when someone else is not being proactive. It would be nice to have some certainity about what to expect so we can convey it to the athletes to give them some as well. Fuster-cluck is right LOL!
Agree with much of the article except for mainly the patience. The article was written in September when we didn’t know the plan would work for the fall. we now know that both fall and winter sports ran without many concerns. 5 months has pass from that article and we have a lot less question marks.
Finishtiming
Active member
My thoughts as to what should be done as to not restrict us like they did for xc. From what I am seeing at the college meets.
1) team camps have enough room to keep each team spaced out.
2) possibly the larger invites be smaller (no reason to not still have up to 16 team invites as long as team camps can be spaced out.)
3) spectators similar to football or soccer or larger if local health dept allows.
4) distance events allow no more than about 24 but seed so that team mates are in a lane together.
5) masks at all times except during racing.
6) time schedule to allow for time between events so that athletes from other events are not trying to checkin with previous event.
1) team camps have enough room to keep each team spaced out.
2) possibly the larger invites be smaller (no reason to not still have up to 16 team invites as long as team camps can be spaced out.)
3) spectators similar to football or soccer or larger if local health dept allows.
4) distance events allow no more than about 24 but seed so that team mates are in a lane together.
5) masks at all times except during racing.
6) time schedule to allow for time between events so that athletes from other events are not trying to checkin with previous event.
We have been fortunate to practice and compete this entire indoor season, going back to starting the first week in November. We have just over 50 athletes out for our indoor team (plus another 10 to 20 who just show up for conditioning). Our distance kids always run outside but also lift weights in the weight room. The rest of the team has been indoors the majority of the time between the hallways and using one of the gyms. We follow the protocols which say wear masks when not active but no masks when they are actively practicing. We have been to 3 indoor meets as a team so far (with a few individuals going to a few extra meets) and will be going to 2 more during the regular season plus the Indoor State meet. Besides no or limited spectators and coaches/athletes wearing masks when not competing, the meets don't look much different than normal, and we haven't had any issues with kids or coaches getting covid from the meets, nor have we heard anything negative associated with the meets we've been at (Virginia Beach, Spire, Logan, and Mount Vernon). As others have mentioned on here, HS sports in the fall for the most part went really well and included football, and now we have wrestling going on. At this point there's no reason to think we need to have a lot of changes or restrictions to the outdoor track and field season. Finishtiming posted some good basic suggestions and if you're a coach who hasn't done anything yet this winter, follow the protocols that your school or local health department wants you to follow and start providing opportunities for these kids. You may have to be a little creative in some ways but for the most part you can conduct practice as you've done in the past. Good luck to everyone finishing indoor and getting ready to start outdoor.
I agree but you know that the OHSAA will have protocals that we will have to follow. These are all good suggestions and hope it is just this but whatever they tell us, we will have to do. Planning without any guidance from them this late in the game is unacceptable.
Hopefully at the rules and interpretations meeting today they give us more guidance.
Yes, I should have stated in there that our school is having us follow guidelines from the OHSAA as far as practices are concerned. And I agree with you the OHSAA should have put out guidelines for track and the other spring sports by now. Hopefully we will learn more through the rules meeting.
Just watched the meeting. Nothing, not even mention of covid or protocals which probably means the higher ups at the OHSAA haven't okayed to talk about it yet.
But I want to acknowledge Gabor's devotion to the sport. Conducting this meeting while in a hospital room shows his love for the sport. Thank you Dale for all you do.
But I want to acknowledge Gabor's devotion to the sport. Conducting this meeting while in a hospital room shows his love for the sport. Thank you Dale for all you do.
CC Track Fan
Well-known member
Since near zero cases has been traced back to outdoor transmission that even without any restrictions track will be way "safer" that basketball, wrestling and football in the fall was. So are there any new rules even needed? Sure if you are practicing indoors follow what basketball had to.
My fear is they will make rules just to make rules to look like they are doing something. Such wrestler can't shake hands after match, basketball tip-offs not allowed (this was in KY) or the refs not touching football. So will they come up with something for track like require relay member to wear gloves?
My fear is they will make rules just to make rules to look like they are doing something. Such wrestler can't shake hands after match, basketball tip-offs not allowed (this was in KY) or the refs not touching football. So will they come up with something for track like require relay member to wear gloves?
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A coach contacted me because he had heard that every pole vaulter must have their own tarp to be placed on top of the landing area when that vaulter made their attempt. I looked it up, and this was one of the recommendations of the USATF.
We have lost our collective minds.
To be clear: I have no reason to believe this will come to the OHSAA.
Jeez. I hope that is not going to happen. 30+ tarps for my school. Is the state going to pay for all this?
How can wrestling compete the way they are and we have that restriction? I'm pretty sure a wrestling mat has more than just covid on it with how many times a face and other parts of their body are rubbing against it.
JAVMAN83
Well-known member
Good lord, a tarp? What lame-brained IDIOT suggested that? Haven't they paid ANY attention to the amount of meets going on world-wide...INDOORS! EVERY meet I've seen indoors this year has had NO such thing, NOR is it necessary in any fashioned.
This is an AIR-BORN VIRUS!!!
My blood is boiling having read such idiocy.
This is an AIR-BORN VIRUS!!!
My blood is boiling having read such idiocy.
copperfish73
New member
worked an indoor meet just a couple of weeks ago.. it was well run and well organized as it is every year.. didn't see a single tarp, on either the pole vault or high jump
JAVMAN83
Well-known member
Yep. I've been watching numerous meets online from Europe as well as the U.S. and haven't seen ANY such idiocy.
The lack of communication from the OHSAA is getting really unacceptable for all spring sports. We have been putting off meeting with the athletes for weeks now about how the season will look like, waiting on the OHSAA to give us some guidance, and still nothing.
Are they just thinking about winter tournaments? Track is the most participated sport. Can't they multi-task and address both? Can they please put us a little higher up on the priority list? We were the only season that sacrificed an entire season due to the current situation and the athletes want some certainity.
Are they just thinking about winter tournaments? Track is the most participated sport. Can't they multi-task and address both? Can they please put us a little higher up on the priority list? We were the only season that sacrificed an entire season due to the current situation and the athletes want some certainity.
CC Track Fan
Well-known member
I guess I am not sure what you think they are going to tell you about practice that you don't already know. They are allowed to be together in a classroom, able to play basketball together, wrestle each other so they should be able to most everything related to track practice outdoors with no issues. I would say if you practice indoors follow the same rules basketball does. They didn't have much to say about how schools practiced CC so I don't expect much for track.
I am guessing they will put out some guidance for meets but those are over a month away.
They did have the info for XC and it was outdoors, even for practices in a timely manner.
There is no reason they should have guidance for us right now. We should not be in a position where we just assume we need to do what basketball is doing, especially indoors with 150+ track kids involved in the sport compared to 30 basketball players. The basketball guidelines are for basketball. They were created in early October. We are already planning for next week but with hearing that tarps might be used for pole vault and other stupid resrictions might be in play is concerning. We need a baseline of what we are expected to do.
CC Track Fan
Well-known member
What did they tell us about CC practice that wasn't the same for all sports? I only remember masks when not exercising, take temps, don't share water bottles and try to have them in pods.
I know it is not basketball but what do you expect to be different? I am not sure how you can do 150 indoors (and follow guidelines) unless you have at least 3 large spaces to use.
I know it is not basketball but what do you expect to be different? I am not sure how you can do 150 indoors (and follow guidelines) unless you have at least 3 large spaces to use.
Mr. Slippery
Well-known member
Surely, you're not really this helpless.
Figure out what your practices can look like based on the facilities and amenities you have at your disposal. What works at one school may not work at yours, and what works at yours may not work at another school. You can do it.
psycho_dad
Well-known member
Our school has covid guidelines that we as coaches had to sit through a presentation on and then had to present that to the parents and kids. Now, we have to figure out how to make practices work within those guidelines. It's 6 months into the school year. The schools know what they need to do to contact trace and quarantine etc. So, the only questions are how meets will work and we are a month+ away from that. Things are changing so fast now that I'd rather they take time to make decisions.. why handcuff us now with restrictions that may not be needed in 6 weeks? It works the other way too. We don't want to be too lax either.
As a coach, I expect I need to dress warm, wear a mask and keep 6 feet away from everyone as much as possible. Practices will follow already established guidelines until further notice. We are almost exactly 1 year into this. We all know what to do. If you don't, I'm sure the kids do.
As a coach, I expect I need to dress warm, wear a mask and keep 6 feet away from everyone as much as possible. Practices will follow already established guidelines until further notice. We are almost exactly 1 year into this. We all know what to do. If you don't, I'm sure the kids do.
psycho_dad
Well-known member
Right. Like how do we prepare if we don't know all the answers on the test. I sort of assume that there will be a track and there will be field event facilities and the events will be the usual events. I can enter 2 individuals per event and 1 relay. No more than 4 events per kid. Top 4 advance. I can work with that.
EuclidandViren
Well-known member
This is not good. OATCCC was a hindrance in XC. I was once a full believer and backer of this trusty friend but I have grown tired of the crap they pull. XC was less than thrilling due to OATCCC and the goonies who tried to make 'guidelines.' What are guidelines?
The only saving grace was the state meet. The state meet was the best experience I've had in quite a while. I heard no complaints from coaches, athletes, fans and the all-important seating for grandma.
Down with OATCCC guidelines. Know your role OATCCC and stick to supporting coaches, having a clinic, an indoor 'state' meet, and a couple of Mideast/Midwest meets for seniors.
psycho_dad
Well-known member
I disagree. I think that what they did was supporting coaches by helping put in place general rules (guidelines) that allowed the season to happen and ultimately culminate in the State meet you enjoyed so much.
Just in this thread, there are coaches that seem to need guidance as to how to make things work one year into it.
The most important thing is the kids had a season. No guidelines, no season. I just heard the other night that OHSAA was going to treat CC as a contact sport and just hours after getting the OATCCC guideline proposal, they reversed it and things moved forward. The rules CC was going to be under would have been much more restrictive than they ended up being thanks to the OATCCC. They did exactly what a coaches association should have done.
There are stupid irrational things that we have to adhere to in order to have a season. Things that contradict other things. I have had nearly a year to think of how I'm going to structure and run practices. I guarantee you that day one, I'll get hit in the face with things I did not think of that throw a monkey wrench into the year long preparation. I welcome any input from other coaches and welcome anything the OATCCC can give us to help structure meets. 100 heads is better than one.
I helped work a CC meet and it went well. Looked like a CC meet. I attended the first meet of the year and the state meet. All looked like CC meets.
I know coach Howard did not utilize the weight room in the Fall like he usually does and we don't plan on using it like we have in the past this Spring. Throwers being the exception. Anything we can do outside we will. There are some engrained traditions that we just won't be able to do.