UIL releases guidelines for Summer Strength & Conditioning Workouts, set to begin June 8
HOUSTON - The University Interscholastic League released its guidelines for the beginning of Summer Strength & Conditioning workouts, which is set for June 8.
The UIL released its detailed guidelines on Friday morning, which included social distancing measures and more.
"We are cautiously optimistic about beginning summer strength and conditioning programs and marching band practices that safely allow students to get back to working with their coaches and directors in preparation for the 2020-2021 school year," UIL Executive Director Dr. Charles Breithaupt said in a news release. "While we are eager to resume UIL activities, we must do so carefully, deliberately and with an understanding that major adjustments are needed to ensure safety. The requirements outline an approach designed to help schools mitigate risk while ensuring students are physically prepared to return to activities in the Fall, should state and federal guidelines allow."
First, the workouts are voluntary and are not required for each school to do. If a school does elect to do the workouts, a few notable restrictions are in place.
One staff member per 20 students will be the quota during strength and conditioning sessions. During sports specific activities there is a maximum of 15 students per working group outdoors and a max of 10 per group indoors. While exercises are not going on "students and staff must maintain at least six feet of distance".
For the sport specific activities instruction, athletes can participate in that 90 minutes per day but only 60 minutes per day in a single sport Monday through Friday. Sports balls used for these have to be "regularly disinfected" during the workout and not shared with another group.
Indoor workouts will be allowed while maintaining a 25% capacity with workout stations set 10 feet apart on all sides and all equipment thoroughly disinfected after each use. The locker rooms and showers will remain closed and athletes will have to show up dressed and ready.
Currently, a strength and conditioning session can not be more than two consecutive hours per day Monday through Friday.
Also, according to the UIL website, no competitive drills involving one or more students on offensive against one or more students on defensive may be conducted during sports specific activities.
- Examples (including but not limited to):
- Basketball players may participate in drills, but cannot conduct drills / activities against a defender.
- In football, offensive / defensive drills are allowed, but no 7 on 7, or offense vs defense drills are allowed, etc.
Now, the biggest question is - What happens if one of the students or staff tests positive for COVID-19?
The UIL released the following about just that.
"If a positive case is identified among a participant in these summer activities, either staff or student, the group to which that staff or student was assigned and in contact with must be removed from the sessions while all members of the group self-isolate. If the confirmed individual regularly had close contact outside a single group, then all of the students and staff with whom the confirmed individual had close contact shall be removed from workouts for two weeks."
The following are listed as COVID-19 Symptoms to watch for, per the UIL website.
- Cough
- Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
- Chills
- Repeated shaking with chills
- Muscle pain
- Headache
- Sore throat
- Loss of taste or smell
- Diarrhea
- Feeling feverish or a measured temperature greater than or equal to 100.0 degrees Fahrenheit
- Known close contact with a person who is a lab confirmed to have COVID-19
Bradley C. Collier (VYPE)
