COVID-19 Related:
- SCHSL Sets Guidelines for Resuming Summer Sports Activities… well as expected the SCHSL did issue a statement and guidelines yesterday concerning the resumption of summer sports activities for its member schools… The one question they did not exactly answer was when… The answer to that they left up to the local school districts…Just as President Trump has left opening up of the country to each state’s governor, the SCHSL will let the districts decide when to start if they will follow the guidelines they set forth for reopening… Now I don’t suspect that District 55 and 56 will be opening up summer sports activities immediately for two reasons… One is that they have to make sure they have the procedures and policies set forth in the guidelines ready to go before allowing the coaches to hit the fields and gyms… The safety of the student-athletes, coaches and staff are their highest priority… The second reason is that the most pressing matter to take care of in the next week is graduation… Both districts have graduation coming up this next week and are concentrating on that… I don’t expect an announcement form either district until late next week if then.
- Guideline Requirements… Now the guidelines for reopening are about 8 pages long and if you click here it will carry you to the SCHSL website posting where you will find a link to a memo that accompanied the guidelines for SCHSL Commissioner Jerome Singleton, the guidelines themselves and a list of frequently asked questions… The guidelines will have 3 different phases and from now until further notice the schools must operate under Phase I guidelines… To be honest they are still working on Phase II and II…The sports will be broken down into 3 categories of potential infection risk ( low, moderate and high) and each category will have its own specific guidelines.
- Some of the highlights of the guidelines are :
- Balls and other sports equipment can be used, but with restrictions but no balls or other equipment can be used for the first 10 days of workouts or 14 calendar days in order to “minimize common contact points”.
- Coaches and staff members must wear face covering throughout the entire workout/practice sessions, while athletes are required to wear them while not actively participating
- If shared equipment is used, it must be disinfected frequently during each event or between each use.
- Maintaining social distancing means many things used during workouts and practice sessions – like handheld dummies for football and spotters in the weight room will not be allowed
- If shared equipment is used, it must be disinfected frequently during each event or between each use.
- Players must arrive dressed ready to participate and return home to change or shower… Locker rooms are closed.
NASCAR
- Chase Elliot Takes Win at Charlotte… After having some bad luck in earlier races, Chase Elliot picked up his first win of the season as he took the checkered flag in the Alsco Uniforms 500Cup Series race at Charlotte last night… The race was scheduled for Wednesday but rained forced NASCAR to reschedule it to last night and rain still caused a small problem last night as lightning and rain in the area caused the race to be stopped for 75 minutes on lap 28… Denny Hamlin tried to catch him in the end but was unsuccessful as he finished second about 2.2 seconds behind Elliot… Now for more on the race click here and when you get to the to the NASCAR site there will be another link there to the order of finish for each driver.
- NASCAR Moves on to Bristol This Weekend… NASCAR now moves its races to Bristol this weekend for a Cup Series race on Sunday at 3:30 and an Xfinity Series race Monday at 7:00 pm
- NASCAR Announces Starting Lineup and Pit Stall Procedures … Now for the true NASCAR fans out there, since NASCAR is not having qualifying for the upcoming races through June 21, they had to come up with a way to determine the starting lineup and pit stalls location… well they came up with a process that they will use and if you would like to see what that is click here.
- NASCAR TV Schedule for the Week… To see the NASCAR broadcast schedule for this week click here.
Local YMCAs Open with Restrictions… The Clinton and Laurens YMCAs have now reopened with restrictions and changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic with the safety of their members and staff in mind.
- Clinton YMCA… The Clinton Family YMCA opened Monday, 5-18-2020 under what they refer to as Phase 1 Guidelines and Restrictions… First the Y’s hour are now Monday-Friday 7am to 7 pm, Saturday 7am to 6 pm and closed on Sunday… The list of restrictions and guidelines are quite long but a few of them require social distancing (6 feet minimum), use of one entrance only where all will have their temperature checked, class sizes limited to 10, gym for walking only (no basketball), time limits on some equipment and many other items including but not limited to more frequent cleaning and sanitizing… To see the entire list of guidelines and restrictions click here.
- Laurens YMCA Moves to Phase II of Reopening… The Laurens YMCA (which is part of the Lakelands Region YMCA) has moved into Phase II of its reopening… Their hours of operation are still Monday-Friday from 5 am to 7pm, Saturday 8 am to 4 pm and will be closed on Sunday… In Phase II they still have many of the same restrictions and policies that were put in place for Phase I but more programs and activities will be opening up on June 1 or June 8 such as the aquatic center, private swim lessons as scheduled, personal training, wellness classes and others including T-Ball practice at Collyar Park on June 1… Now to see their press release concerning the Phase II portion of their reopening along with the Phase I restrictions and guidelines, click here… If you have any further questions call the YMCA at 984-2626
This & That:
Golf for Kids… On Monday 5-25-20 I was informed by Brian Harlan that the Annual Golf for Kids Golf Tournament scheduled for Saturday, May, 30, 2020 at Lakeside Country Club has been postponed… At this time no makeup date has been scheduled but if I hear of the date I’ll be sure to pass it along to you… For any questions concerning this Brian Harland at 984-2626 or email him at brian@lakelandsymca.org.
Rhythm on the Rails… The City of Clinton’s first Rhythm on the Rails event of this season originally scheduled for May 15-16 has fallen victim to the COVID-19 pandemic and has been rescheduled for June 19-20… In addition to the usual entertainment, vendors and rides it will also include Smokein’ on the Rails a BBQ cooking contest…. For more on this event including links to vendor applications, click here.
If you have any comments, suggestions, or want to reports scores, please contact me via email at: sports@wlbg.com or text me at 864-981-3470.