Dillon District Four Athletic Director and Dillon High School Head Football Coach Jackie Hayes discussed how athletics is proceeding in this time of COVID-19.
Hayes said they were in Phase 1.5 of the athletic plan.
Volleyball practice will start on August 24 with their first game on September 8th. Hayes said this is a fast-moving process. He also noted that there will be varsity and junior varsity volleyball teams, but no B-team.
As part of Phase 1.5, teams have to practice in pods, and there can be no more than 15 people in a pod. In football in Dillon, there are eight pods of 15 people, and in Lake View, there are three or four pods. There is no body to body contact. They can throw the ball around. He said they could put on helmets, but the problem with the helmets is that they have to be six feet apart. The helmets have to be sanitized before they are put in the locker room and have to be sanitized before they come back out. He said this is not effective for them right now, and there is not enough room for the helmets when one has 100 players. Hayes said they won’t go to helmets until they reach Phase Two when they let the players go to the locker rooms.
Hayes said there is a list of protocols they have to follow at practice every day including temperature checks, wearing masks to practice, and social distancing. They also have to have sanitizing stations, and players must bring their own water bottle and provide their own water.
Hayes said he had to send in a document to get approval to play football games at home. He said they won’t go to Phase Two until September 8th, and the first projected play date is September 25th. He said they have 6,500 capacity in their stadium so approximately 1,100 – 1,200.
If it is approved to have games in the stadium, there will be not hot food sales. Temperatures will have to be checked before people can enter the stadium. Everyone must wear a mask. There will be no tailgating. There will be attendants at the bathrooms, and if someone goes into the bathroom, it will have to be cleaned before the next person goes in. There will be hand sanitizer at all ticket boots and gates.
If ticket sales are limited to 1,000, this number will include the band, the cheerleaders, the chain people, the press box, etc. – everyone except for the players.
He said the National Federation will decide next week how they will distance on the sidelines. This will probably stretch goal line to goal line. All of the extra people usually seen on the sidelines will be eliminated.
Hayes said there are many things that they will have to do that they are not accustomed to doing.