Spring sports set to proceed for Maricopa Community Colleges
Dec 1, 2020, 4:35 AM | Updated: 7:42 am
(Facebook Photo/Maricopa County Colleges)
(Facebook Photo/Maricopa County Colleges)
PHOENIX — Spring sports next year will proceed for Maricopa Community Colleges, despite a recent spike in coronavirus cases.
Practices and competitions can begin Jan. 4 as long as teams follow safety guidelines set by the Maricopa Community College District. Some of the sports that will move head in the spring include volleyball, basketball, softball, golf and tennis.
However, athletes can expect to compete in fewer games than usual.
“Their playing time will be probably cut in half in some ways,” said Scottsdale Community College Interim President Chris Haines. “But at least they get a chance to play and at least they have a chance for recruiting scouts and things like that to see them play.”
Haines was part of an ad-hoc committee that helped come up with the “Return to Play” safety guidelines.
The committee includes college presidents, athletic directors and athletic trainers. They consulted with health experts, including Maricopa County’s top health official, to come up with the safety guidelines and recommendations.
“We met almost every week, and we tried to talk through everything from how do we put student athletes on buses to how do we make sure that they have the least amount of contact with anything and everybody except for their teammates,” Haines said.
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The “Return to Play” safety guidelines include requiring all student athletes and coaches to attend a virtual COVID-19 education session with their athletic trainer before resuming in-person activities.
They must also do daily symptom screenings and temperate checks, as well as wear face coverings whenever they’re not physically active. Weight rooms and locker rooms will not be utilized for practice and at games.
Haines said the district will rely on various individuals – including coaches, athletic directors, college presidents – to ensure the guidelines are being followed.
She added the district will reevaluate if COVID-19 numbers continue to rise like they have been since the beginning of October. They reached record levels last week.
“We’re hoping that we’re able to do this safely,” she said. “But if things go really sideways on us, we’re going to have a conversation and decide where we go from there.”
