Is your state allowing contact sports?

[MSWR0319]

Just curious what your state's take is on contact sports? Currently in our state, you are allowed to practice following certain requirements, but not allowed to play games or scrimmages unless you do Covid testing 3 days before each event. This pretty much puts an end to it because a) the teams in our area can't afford testing and b) it's taking testing 7 days to get back. We've already got positive testing on our football team. I'm just so sick of the whining from people complaining that their kid can't play sports. They're claiming they're just gonna show up to play games anyway, etc and trying to find ways around it. Just move on and deal with not playing sports for a season! My kids are usually involved in at least one sport each season, but I've told them we just have to deal with it right now. It's part of being socially responsible so spread doesn't occur. Just wondered if others were seeing the same thing or if you were allowed to play sports.

[smilequeen]

Football appears to be high risk...that was the only sport with cases traced back to the sport here. My boys were playing hockey and lacrosse and there were no Covid cases related to those contact sports in our area. No COVID cases on their teams or within the parent groups. However, there seem to be cases in some sports related to parents who can’t be socially distant so we are just practicing for now. I want my kids to be able to practice and play if it is safe, which it seems to be, but we are a go with the flow family. No one is going rogue here.

[AngB]

Football appears to be high risk...that was the only sport with cases traced back to the sport here. My boys were playing hockey and lacrosse and there were no Covid cases related to those contact sports in our area. No COVID cases on their teams or within the parent groups. However, there seem to be cases in some sports related to parents who can’t be socially distant so we are just practicing for now. I want my kids to be able to practice and play if it is safe, which it seems to be, but we are a go with the flow family. No one is going rogue here.

My kids have all been in indoor swimming lessons and my 4 yo has been doing indoor soccer classes (where they scrimmage but they are 4 so not much contact besides being 4 yo's) since mid June without incident. The nearby county restricted youth sports but our county hasn't really restricted anything (and we have the numbers to show it but not sure that much has been tied specifically to youth sports..) I do know that a marching band member at our high school just tested positive last week after participating in band so we'll see how that goes...

[mom2binsd]

Our state just came out with a huge chart outlining all sports/their risk level and what each level meant with respect to what you can do. Our state high school board then came out with their guidelines for school sports. Some sports like football are being moved to spring sports. MY DD is a high school swimmer, their season is still fall, but there will be changes, we haven't heard details but I think only dual meets and probably no big conference meets, no relays. There are lots of other rules for playing and practice. Both of my kids play hockey and for some reason, our state has classified hockey as high risk but basketball as medium risk, any high risk sports can only practice with limitations and no games, which is crazy as basketball has closer contact, little protective gear and they all touch the same ball, hockey players wear so much geat and use sticks and never touch the same equipment, and most players have limited contact (it's not all fighting like the media portrays it). Every hockey parent I know is pretty upset, it's not like we can play hockey outdoors and to go an entire season (and our last one was cut short) is a long time and it's hard to duplicate hockey except on the ice. Minnesota fought to have hockey classified as a lower risk and was successful, we are hopeful, even if we just play some local teams vs our normal league play up in Chicago.

In high school, golf/tennis/cross country and girls swim will take place in the fall with a lot of new guidelines, if school is successfully reopened.

Around here I have seen baseball leagues operating as normal, people going to travel tournaments out of state. My DS had a job umpiring in town baseball, he was able to do the job without being too close to anyone, the coaches had to wear masks when they were at the field and he had to get them to sign the scorecard. He was happy to have a job (and it pays 25 for 1.5 hours of work). Our ice rink just opened up, with crazy restrictions and very little interaction off the ice (getting dressed in the parking lot etc). My DD works at the ice rink and they have a lot of precautions in place. I have not heard of any testing requirements for baseball, aside from the stay home/no sharing of food/water bottles/spectators distanced and they are wiping down bats/helmets in between kids/encouraging use of personal equipment vs sharing equipment.

We are in an area with the latest rates at about 2%. Our very large county has had 15 reported deaths since this began in March (10 of which were in one nursing home that is probably going to be shut down/it is not a good place). Masks are required everywhere and pretty much being followed inside stores etc at almost 100%, I have seen people turned away from stores for not wearing a mask. Schools are either opening 5 days or 2 days in person with hybrid or online if families choose.

https://dceocovid19resources.com/ass...outhsports.pdf

[dogmom]

We have fairly detailed guidelines. Football is in the highest risk (we have three levels) and currently football players can only do
“Level 1: Individual or socially distanced group activities (no-contact workouts, aerobic conditioning, individual skill work, and drills).” Here are the guidelines for youth sports for my state:

https://www.mass.gov/doc/safety-stan...tep-1/download

Baseball is moderate, so they can have games, but not tournaments. Then there is extra guidance, which is only sort of being followed which I can tell by driving by park on way home from my work. I posted frustration about all the people in my local park not wearing masks and not social distancing in a local mom’s Facebook group and got blasted by someone whose husband coaches and how hard he works and how they have standards and are following them, etc. Like it was a personal attack on her. Then all these people chimed how important it is. I’m at such a loss on what to do now. Clearly people aren’t always following the guidelines, they are in denial about it how often that is happening, and any pointing out to them they might want to do better if you actually want schools to open is somehow shaming. I’m not calling people names, I’m not calling police. I am not posting pictures of people or kids doing things. I’m just: I see this every day coming home from work, we need to do better.

[carolinacool]

Our state high school athletic association has pushed the start of the fall season, football included, to at least Sept. 1. That means practices can start then, although workouts can begin next week. People are peeved, especially those with juniors or seniors. The association hasn't even started to address winter sports like basketball.

DS is 10 and is on a mid-level AAU basketball team. Right now in NC, use of gyms and gatherings over 25 people indoors are prohibited, so a lot of teams are traveling out of state, mostly to South Carolina, to play in tournaments. Several of the older teams in his organization are doing so. I get it for older kids. They missed the spring recruiting season. And while most of these kids are not being looked at for big Power 5 programs, they could be in the running for smaller D1 schools and DII schools.

From what I read, the tournaments have good protocols in place -- masks for everyone except for kids during their games, the only spectators allowed around a court are parents and staff of the teams playing, you must leave when your game is over, you can't bring in your own balls, etc. I was watching our seventh grade team on Instagram Live yesterday, and I heard a couple of reminders about mask wearing. I think they are trying.

DS' own team has been practicing outside since May. I know the coach would like to take them to a tournament in SC.

[carolinamama]

I just had to look up the official state guidelines for youth sports. In NC, everything appears to be a "recommendation to reduce the spread" rather than a specific orders. The only real requirement is following the state Mass Gathering Limits - currently 10 people indoors and 25 outdoors. There is little to no enforcement.

Now for the reality - some sports, even contact are almost back to normal while others maintain a strict plan for distancing. Cheer and gymnastics gyms are open, using the daycamp loophole. Lacrosse and baseball tournaments are going forward. A local lacrosse team got shut down for 14 days after 2 positives, although it's likely they were independent of eachother. But maybe that's an even bigger problem. Larger soccer clubs are continuing socially distant practices but some teams are holding unsanctioned scrimmages on their own. The school district keeps postponing the start of fall sports practices. I suspect some are happening anyway although I don't know for sure. Parents are up in arms over no sports. I feel for the kids losing their seasons, especially the seniors. But I'm also not complaining, even though all 3 of mine are losing out on competitive seasons too.

[ang79]

Fall sports are a go here, I'm assuming that means football too. PIAA just decided last week that the fall sports season will start as planned but the post season may be shortened (not as many teams or games for play-offs I think). They are also not allowing spectators at sporting events, parents included. Some local politicians are fighting this. My 8th grader has been doing summer practices 3 times a week for cross country. This is listed as one of the safest sports, contact wise (there are 3 tiers, football is the most risky). She starts normal season practices 5 times a week Aug. 10. We have already talked with her about the possibility of the season being cut short due to outbreaks. So far there have not been any reported sports related outbreaks in our county, but a few neighboring county high schools have had to do two week quarantines for either players or coaches testing positive (I know at least one school was for football, another was for lacrosse or soccer I think). Schools are to be checking temperatures and doing a symptoms checklist with players and coaches before every practice and game. School starts Aug. 27, I'm curious to see how long into the start of school it will be before practices/games have to stop or quarantine for 2 weeks since most of these kids will be back in school together.

[melrose7]

We did baseball for the summer. No masks, minimal social distancing from kids on the bench.
Soccer resumed for practice in July. No masks
DD2 started back at ballet in studio in June, no masks.
DD2 and DS are doing indoor swim lessons at the high school
I started back playing soccer in July. No masks
Football is suppose to start end of August as of now
I am fine with the no masks and everyone for all sports/activity haven’t had any positive cases

[PZMommy]

No youth sports currently and no high school sports until December. Doesn’t matter if it is contact or not.