The Triton Athletic Department met this morning with several coaches to discuss the re-entry to sports guidelines provided by the IHSAA and the Indiana Department of Education. A great discussion took place as we planned our re-entry strategy. The IHSAA, in partnership with the Governor's office and the IDOE, put together a three-phased plan that we will follow. We will have schedules available for summer workouts and conditioning in the coming weeks. Please know that we will do our part in ensuring a safe environment for returning to play. It's also important for both student-athletes and parents to know that returning to sports will look different than in the past, but we must work together to ensure the safety of everyone involved.
Although the entire plan hasn't been finalized, we wish to share the following guidelines that we know will be in place:
Phase I is from July 6-19. This phase has limitations on the number of hours student-athletes can participate in activities (total of 15 hours per week). We will adhere to all guidelines on time limits! Phase I recommends the use of face masks when vigorous activity is not taking place (players and coaches). We will be providing our coaches with specific instructions for using face masks when necessary. Each student-athlete will need to provide their own mask and their own water bottles, as sharing water bottles will be prohibited. There are more details in Phase I that will be provided at a later date.
Phase II is from July 20 - August 15th. During this phase, the hour restriction is lifted and we now follow the normal IHSAA by-laws in regards to summer and regular-season practices. Phase II continues to recommend the use of face masks and we will train our coaches on when this is necessary. Each student-athlete should again provide their own face mask and water bottle. Phase II has fewer restrictions than Phase I, but not all details are included here. We will provide more details at a later date.
Phase III starts on August 15th. During this phase, competitions can begin. At this point, we believe that fans will be allowed to attend our competitions. Fans will be asked to follow social distancing guidelines. Phase III continues to recommend the use of face masks and we will train our coaches on when this is necessary. Each student-athlete will need to provide their own face mask and water bottle. Traveling to and from games is still being discussed to determine the safest way to transport all of our teams to away contests.
***In all phases, student-athletes and coaches will be required to go through a pre-practice screening process. This screening process will include sanitizing hands and answering a series of COVID related questions. At this time, we do not plan to use temperature screens. This decision is based on recommendations received from the IHSAA Medical Advisory Board, as well as state and local medical professionals.
Again, this is not an all-inclusive list of guidelines and procedures, but we felt this was the important information to share with you at this time. We will continue to provide guidance as we work through this process, following the recommendations of the Governor, the IDOE, the IHSAA, and our local health department.
If you have any questions, please contact Athletic Director, Mason McIntyre at mmcintyre@triton.k12.in.us
