YC, Antelope in the process of returning athletes to campus

AIA released new guidelines on Thursday

The return to normalcy — in the sports world — is getting closer. On Thursday, the Arizona Interscholastic Association held a meeting via Zoom to endorse recommended guidelines in order to have a safe return to practice and competition.

“Our priority through this is for the safety and well-being of all our state’s student-athletes and those that support them,” said Executive Director David Hines in a press release. “We are not guaranteed to have a fall season. We are preparing to be ready on time, but it will all depend on how this situation develops as the summer goes on. We just ask that schools, coaches, players and parents

consider and utilize the guidelines until we get back to normal.”

The guidelines are based on Governor Doug Ducey’s phased reopening of the state; however, it is up to schools and district personnel to monitor their own situations.

Yuma Catholic and Antelope have already begun, or are in the process of, bringing back athletics.

“I don’t know if they were guidelines, they were suggestions,” YC principal and head football coach Rhett Stallworth said of the AIA’s release. “We will do our best to abide by everything. We’re going to put the kid’s safety first. That’s the bottom line.”

Stallworth noted that YC teams have been slowly coming back to campus over the last week. But added precautionary measures have been taken to ensure the health and safety of the athletes comes first.

“We’re slowly getting things back going by having meetings and getting some time in,” he said. “They’ve laid out plans, detailed plans that they follow every day. From limiting the number of people to temperature checks, it goes on and on and on.”

Antelope, on the other hand, most likely will not see athletes arriving on campus June 1. Athletic director Rocky Jaime did note he’s talked to a few of