It’s still uncertain whether sports will be allowed when Denair High School reopens to students in August. The COVID-19 pandemic – which cancelled all spring sports and required students to transition to all online classes in mid-March – hasn’t gone away. Maintaining social distancing, wearing face coverings and applying all appropriate safety measures will be encouraged if not required.
Melissa Treadwell, Denair’s athletic director, expects the CIF – which governs high school sports in California – to announce by July 20 whether fall sports such as football, girls volleyball, girls golf and cross country will be played and, if so, under what circumstances.
“Our goal is for our students to be able to play sports,” Treadwell said.
Meanwhile, supervised conditioning drills began this week for athletes in many fall sports, plus the girls on the various cheerleading squads. There are strict guidelines all schools must follow:
- Student groups must be 25 or less
- One coach per group
- No equipment can be used
- Activities must be outside
- Social distancing must be practiced
- Athletes will come dressed; no locker rooms will be available
- A temperature check will take place prior to each athlete’s workout
- No parents; only athletes
The guidelines are for the “health and well-being of the coaches and athletes,” Treadwell explained.
In their morning workouts, varsity and JV football players are running, stretching and doing exercises. There are no pads and no footballs.
“Many of our players haven’t done much since the middle of March,” said Coach Anthony Armas. “This is an opportunity to start getting them back into shape in preparation for the upcoming season.”
Boys basketball – though it isn’t a fall sport – also has been impacted, said Coach R.J. Henderson. Many of Denair’s players participate in AAU club basketball in the spring and summer, traveling to tournaments in Northern California and Nevada. The COVID-19 situation has put all that on hold.
“I can’t have any involvement with them so they are truly 100% on their own,” Henderson said. “The only thing they can do now together on campus is outside conditioning.”
