Back conditioning
Cedartown and Rockmart athletes and more get back to preparing for fall seasons
The good news? Athletes, band members and more are finally getting a chance to return to the Cedartown and Rockmart High School campuses to begin their conditioning programs for the 2020 fall seasons.
The bad? So far, the Georgia High School Athletic Association is requiring that there be only 20 people at a time in weight rooms or in practice sessions and that no visitors can be allowed during times when coaches and youth are working out together.
The GHSA put down guidelines each district must follow in order to allow for student athletes to come back to campus, and Polk School District is following each without without any exceptions after players were allowed to start back with workouts last Monday, June 8.
PSD’s goal is to get students back in shape in time for the August start back to school — pending approval locally and on the state level. The rules include no more than 20 students or coaches together at a time, adhering to strict guidelines on cleaning equipment before and after each session, no use of showers or locker rooms, requiring each athlete to have their own personal water bottle and keeping social distancing in place.
There also no competition allowed between any school — so no 7-on-7 camps are allowed thus far — and no use of balls or other equipment that is passed between athletes.
Additionally, no visitors are allowed on campus during sessions at any time.
Schedules remain out at this time for when sports — and school for that matter — will officially get back into session. Superintendent Laurie Atkins said the district continues to make progress toward their full plan for returning students and educators to campus after schools were closed by Governor Brian Kemp back in March, and remained that way through the rest of the Academic year.