TSSAA Allows Return to Play For High School Sports
The Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association has announced that high school contact sports will allow for contact drills to begin.
Photo Provided By: TSSAA
Article by Blake Franklin-
With Executive Order No. 55 being signed and implemented by Governor Lee on Friday, July 31, 2020, high school contact sports statewide will now allow for teams to begin contact drills. All players must go through a week-long heat acclimation process before they can take part in full pads. That includes two practices in helmets and then three days in helmets and shoulder pads. Football teams were allowed to begin heat acclimatization on July 20, 2020.
Teams also must receive permission from their school systems to start contact practices.
“We appreciate being able to work with Gov. Lee and his staff on this,” said Bernard Childress, Executive Director of the TSSAA. “I am pleased that we were able to develop some very specific guidelines for every sport that will allow our kids to get out on their fields and fully participate in football and girls’ soccer this fall.”
With contact practices now being permissible, there must be regulations and requirements that teams must completely adhere to in order for them to be allowed. The Board of Control adopted these at the July 22nd meeting.
Student-Athlete Participation Requirements
A pre-participation physical must be filed with the school office before a student-athlete can participate in any official team practice. Physicals performed on or after April 15, 2020 must meet the requirement for the 2020-21 school year. The American Medical Society for Sports Medicine suggests that student-athletes complete a COVID-19 questionnaire before returning to sports action, or after any COVID-19 test.
Preseason and Practice
The practice guidelines below are meant to supplement the existing TSSAA sport regulations and sport calendars, as well as any guidelines established by your Local Educational Authority.
– Scrimmages and/or practicing with another team are not allowed.
– Teams and players must follow local mandates and the rules of the facility regarding social distancing and cleaning protocols.
– Schools are expected to substantially maintain social distancing between players, coaches and…
For complete coverage, see the August 5th edition of The Lexington Progress.
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