For the first time since mid-March, several Siloam Springs athletics teams -- and teams all across the state -- will meet together in person Monday for workouts and practices.
It's something that hasn't happened for any of the teams since the last day of in-person school on March 16, when things were shutdown by the covid-19 pandemic. Since then, all athletic teams and events have been in a dead period and banned from meeting together in person. Teams have been allowed to meet online.
According to a directive on May 21 from Gov. Asa Hutchinson, with guidelines from the Arkansas Department of Health, and in conjunction with the Arkansas Activities Association, teams may begin restricted workouts in person June 1 in Phase I of the reopening.
Limited-contact sports such as baseball, softball, golf, track and field, cross country, tennis, swimming, individual dance, shooting and bowling are permitted to have competition events, according to an article in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Contact sports such as football, basketball, wrestling, volleyball and soccer are prohibited from holding practices and competition, but can work out in small groups. The contact sports also may not use a ball that is shared by athletes.
"Our coaches are extremely excited to be able to see their players again," said Siloam Springs athletics director Ken Harriman. "They are well aware of the guidelines and regulations they will need to follow as we begin this process. It's not everything they would have wanted in terms of what is allowed, but the biggest benefit is just being able to see them and re-establish that personal contact. We think this represents a huge step toward getting back to what maybe we used to take for granted. Nobody's taking it for granted now. The athletes are the lifeblood of any athletic program, and it just feels so good to be able to see them again."
The Arkansas Activities Association has released guidelines for teams, which include use of face mask, social distancing, sanitizing rules, avoiding personal contact and use of locker rooms and facilities.
The Siloam Springs football team will have a one-hour workout on Monday and Tuesday mornings, with check-in starting at 7:30 a.m. and the the workouts starting on the field at Panther Stadium around 8 a.m.
Head coach Brandon Craig said the AAA wants teams to go through an acclimatization period, slowly building up length of workouts. That's why they'll start with hour-long workouts before increasing those times to 90 minutes and then two hours by next week.
Craig said the football team will work out Monday through Thursday, following its typical summer routine. He said the coaches are excited about seeing their players again for the first time in more than two months.
"The first thing we're looking at is just obviously getting back together with our kids," Craig said. "That seems to be something we need to be able to do with our guys. We have a lot of kids that need us as coaches in their lives, so that opportunity is something we really value and we're really looking forward to that opportunity more than anything. We understand we're going to sacrifice some of the football aspects of normal summer routine. but just the opportunity to work with our kids, see them face to face, let them know that we're here, care about them, that we're in their corner, I think that's something they need right now."
Craig said most of the workouts will be on the field, but there will be some core weight room workouts while still following guidelines, including that no ball be used.
"Kids that are spotting (for lifters) will have to be wearing a mask at the time," Craig said. "Anytime you're not engaged in activity you're going to have to be wearing a mask. Coaches are going to be wearing masks the whole time. ... We're going to have to do a great job as coaches of monitoring that and making sure our kids are following it. I'm sure that our kids have been together outside of here. They're going to have to realize that when they're here they're on school property, and they're going to have to abide by the state guidelines. There's not going to be any contact between students and coaches, and students and students. No high fives, no pats on back, no fist bumps. We've always tried to establish the family aspect of it. They're an extension of our families and we love them and we don't want to not engage them, but at this point we're going to have to do that."
Craig said the coaches are aware that the Panthers have lost some ground in terms of conditioning in the last few months.
"Basically, we're starting at ground zero," he said. "We've got to take it slow. It's a slow process. We've got to be mindful of temperature and hydration. The number one thing that I think is imperative right now is we monitor the safety of our kids and we're actually able to see them and have contact with them instead of looking at them through a computer screen."
Siloam Springs cross country coach Sharon Jones said her teams' practices also will begin at 7 p.m. Monday. The cross country teams will also have morning runs on Wednesdays and Thursdays all of June. Cross country season begins in late August and early September.
"We've been keeping in touch with most of our runners and asking them to turn in running logs," Jones said. "Hopefully we'll be able to have somewhat normal practices this summer, following the social distancing guidelines of course."
Siloam Springs volleyball coach Joellen Wright said the Lady Panthers have a plan to get started soon, even with the constraints of not being able to work with a ball as a team. Volleyball season is scheduled to begin in August.
Siloam Springs girls basketball coach Tim Rippy said his team will begin having morning workouts on Monday, Wednesday and Friday of this week from 9 to 10 a.m.
Though they are permitted to begin practices Monday, Siloam Springs' baseball, softball and soccer programs aren't likely to start until later this summer, Harriman said.
Sports on 05/31/2020