Preseason workouts handled with care

The recent uptick in covid-19 numbers around Arkansas is forcing high school football coaches to proceed with care during preseason workouts, but doing so has done little to spoil their teams’ state of mind.

The moods around camps this summer aren’t what they were at this point in 2020.

“We’re not back to the way that we normally would be, but I can definitely say the mindset is different,” said Benton Coach Brad Harris, whose Panthers had to pull out of last season’s Class 6A playoffs after several players were quarantined when one tested positive for covid-19. “You don’t have nearly as many restrictions now that we had then. We’re mindful of the situation, of course, but there’s a different outlook right now.

“Last year, there were so many uncertainties. Really, we didn’t know if we were going to have a season until about this time a year ago. We’d already postponed school a week, too, so there were a lot of question marks. But this year, we’re full speed ahead.”

Football is getting back into the swing of action, as evidenced by the number of scrimmage games scheduled for next week. The season won’t officially begin until Aug. 26, but Harris’ sentiments echoed what Des Arc Coach B.J. Paschal and Jonesboro Coach Randy Coleman recently on how high the enthusiasm has been during practices.

That doesn’t mean the situation involving covid-19 and high school sports isn’t fluid. In fact, the sudden increase in coronavirus

cases around the state, particularly among the youth, has generated a level of concern.

Last year, there were several health and safety mandates put in place by the Arkansas Department of Health that affected all high school activities. The Arkansas Activities Association eventually ruled that sports would proceed as planned, contingent on the organization’s return to play directives being followed as well as those that were issued by the Department of Health and Gov. Asa Hutchinson.

There haven’t been any such decrees handed out for the upcoming school year — a possible indication that better days were ahead before the current surge in covid-19 cases — but AAA Executive Director Lance Taylor is still urging schools to do what they feel is the best way to ensure student safety.

“The Arkansas Department of Health doesn’t have any mandates right now, but they do have best practices,” he said. “What we’re trying to tell the schools is just, ‘Hey, you’ve been through this once.’ They know what worked and what didn’t. So just do things that they know are going to be the best ways to keep kids safe.

“That’s been our message to them because there aren’t any mandates anymore.”

One example Taylor pointed to centered on wearing masks. He said he’s seen where some districts have decided to implement the rule while others are leaving it optional.

“What we’re gonna tell the schools is that if they’re playing at home, they will follow their guidelines,” he said. “But when you go away and you are the visitors, you’re going to have to follow the guidelines that their school board voted in if they’re different. It’s just kind of common-sense things like that because there are no mandates right now.

“But of course, things can change at any time. If the [Arkansas Department of Health] decides to issue mandates, we’ll pivot and change with it just like we did last year.”

The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Northwest Regional Campus provided additional education on the pandemic by hosting a Facebook Live event Tuesday where Dr. Ramon Ylanan, the team physician for the University of Arkansas and an assistant professor of Family and Preventive Medicine and Orthopaedics at UAMS, discussed covid-19 and school sports. Coaches, parents and students were encouraged to discuss any reservations about how to approach their upcoming seasons.

“Things have been going really well, but we’re taking precautions,” said Greenwood Coach Chris Young, who led the Bulldogs to a 14-0 record and a Class 6A state title last season. “Things were really relaxed during the first part of the summer, but with the way things have gone lately, it’s kind of got you worried again.

“Looking at the numbers going up around the state, it’s obviously in the back of our minds thinking about what if. So we’re kind of doing some of the things we did last year, like limiting the time that they’re around each other when they don’t have to be, whether it’s a break, before practice or after practice. We’re making sure we’re spreading out some, too. … Just trying to make it where every one of our kids is safe and eligible to play on Friday nights.”

“What we’re gonna tell the schools is that if they’re playing at home, they will follow their guidelines. But when you go away and you are the visitors, you’re going to have to follow the guidelines that their school board voted in if they’re different.” AAA Executive Director Lance Taylor on guidelines for wearing masks at sporting events