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Fall sports conditioning may start June 8
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The Georgia High School Association’s decision to allow student- athletes to begin conditioning workouts at schools beginning June 8 will come with a lot of caveats, a school official said Thursday during a meeting of the Bryan County Board of Education.

Bryan County Schools Assistant Superintendent Jason Rogers, who also serves as the system athletic director, briefly outlined a list of requirements that will be imposed on students and coaches, such as limiting workout groups to no more than 20 people – say 19 students and a coach, for example – and not allowing physical contact of any kind.

That prohibition on contact includes not having passing drills in football, Rogers told board members, and he noted initial workouts will instead be focused on conditioning since athletes have been unable to attend organized practices due to the pandemic.

The workouts cannot be made mandatory, Rogers said, but students who attend will have their temperatures taken and undergo a health screening each day before they’re allowed to take part in the workouts.

The GHSA guidelines are in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. They include stricter requirements for cleanliness of facilities such as weightrooms, where students and coaches will have help keep equipment clean, Rogers added. Locker rooms and showers will be off limits during the workouts.

There also can’t be mingling of conditioning groups, with coaches going from one to another, to prevent the possible spread of the coronavirus.

Rogers said the guidelines could change again due to the fluid nature of the pandemic.

Local high school sports are currently scheduled to begin Aug. 7 when Bryan County takes on host Richmond Hill in a two-game softball series that ends Aug. 13 at BCHS.


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