AHSAA Cancels Summer Competitions
The summer time is usually a crucial time of preparation for football teams everywhere. Weightlifting, conditioning and summer competitions are a staple across high school football across the country. Today the Alabama High School Athletic Association released a memo stating that summer competitions would be cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Schools often travel to 7-on-7 camps to hone the timing between a quarterback and his skill position players and allow the defensive players to practice defending passing concepts. This summer those camps and competitions will not be allowed.
The memo did allow for conditioning, weight lifting and skill position work to go on as the local schools see fit as long as they are complying with the Alabama State Department of Education and the Alabama Department of Public Health's guidelines for safety.
Alabama State Superintendent Dr. Eric Mackey hopeful that schools will be able to reopen on June 8 and begin the 2020-21 school year as planned.
The AHSAA Medical Board is working on creating basic health guidelines for schools to follow once kids have returned to campuses. The guidelines will focus on physical distancing, minimizing group activities, face coverings, sanitizing equipment, hand washing and more.
Students should prepare to have physicals conducted by their primary care doctors instead of participating in mass physicals at the school.
Schools are being instructed to prepare to provide accommodation for students who have health risks and for students whose parents feel it is unsafe for them to return to school.
The AHSAA is expected to continue to meet and provide an update to schools and students between May 22 and June 1.
Alabama's 2020 Football Schedule