Covid 19 Update Concerning Athletics The Arkansas Activities Association will implement Phase 1 for the reopening of athletics beginning June 1. Guidelines are in place to make sure all athletes and coaches work in a safe environment. You can access the AAA Covid 19 landing page at

Click Here

>www.aractivities.org/covid19 . This opportunity for return to activity is not mandatory. If you are uncomfortable as an athlete or parent, please notify your child’s coach. What this means for the Marion School District beginning June 1: July 13 for JH All Marion High School athletic teams may begin workouts with the allowed time restrictions. MSD Administration has set the start date for Junior High conditioning and skill for July 22. Athletic facilities will open under the Arkansas Department of Health guidelines. The tennis courts and the walking track will open to the public All Arkansas Activities Association rules and guidelines will be in place for Patriot Athletic teams. Workout areas will be cleaned between all workout sessions. Locker rooms will not be used. All players must have a current physical on file. All players and coaches must wear a face mask. District will provide a washable face mask or a personally owned medically approved face mask will be acceptable for workouts. Players and coaches must provide their own water bottle. (no sharing) Players and coaches must wash hands before entering the workout area Coaches temperature will be checked each day upon entry Players and coaches will be asked a series of questions each day regarding Covid 19. Players will be sent home and not allowed to work out if answers do not safely allow. It is the recommendation of the Arkansas Activities Association’s Sports Medicine Advisory Committee that all AAA member schools implement a “graduated acclimation period” for your student athletes, band members, and students returning to other extracurricular activities after the mandated 10-week dead period pertaining to COVID-19. The guidelines in this document are to provide school district administrators and coaches talking points as you look to return to extracurricular activities on your campus to minimize risk of exertional heat illness and acute musculoskeletal injuries. It is imperative to follow the Arkansas Department of Health Guidelines. The guidelines in this document do not supersede the Arkansas Department of Health Guidelines. Earlier this year (2020) the Arkansas Activities Association’s Board of Directors voted to accept a state-wide guideline as it pertains to Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) for hot weather practices/competitions. Heat Index readings are no longer recommended for monitoring hot weather conditions as it pertains to extracurricular activities. Please make sure that you have reviewed the new WBGT guidelines for all AAA member schools/activities.

Click Here

>members.ahsaa.org/public/userfiles/SMAC/2020/WBGT_Table-1.pdf Also, remember that the Arkansas National Weather Services has produced a WBGT Practice Planning/Monitoring webpage for member schools to use.

Click Here

>www.weather.gov/lzk/hwave.htm#wbgt Each member school must have a venue specific Emergency Action Plan (EAP) and coordinate your plan with your responding Emergency Medical Services (EMS). The EAP should include but not limited to: where school extra-curricular activities are happening on our campus/community main entrance to venue emergency personnel at venue emergency communication (how/who will notify EMS) emergency equipment onsite roles of first responders nearest Automated External Deliberator (AED) any known pre existing medical conditions of the patient (allergies/asthma/diabetes/sickle cell/etc.) care plan for a victim of Exertional Heat Illness (EHI) care plan for cardiac arrest Student athletes should have a current athletic physical on file at the school prior to participating in any school lead activities. By AAA bylaw physicals are good 12-15 months. Conditioning activities include things such as weight training, wind-sprints, timed runs for distance, etc., and may be a part of the practice time. Practices are defined as the time period that a participant engages in a coach-supervised, school approved sport or conditioning-related activity. Practices are timed from when players report to the practice/workout area until the players leave the area. If a practice is interrupted for a weather related reason, the “clock” on the practice will stop and will begin again when the practice resumes. The goals of these recommendations are to allow for safe progression for an unacclimated, deconditioned athlete to start participating safely. These recommendations were developed to incorporate a gradual onset of exercise intensity, duration and exposure to equipment and a gradual onset of heat exposure and duration. This multifaceted approach strives to prevent musculoskeletal injury from the onset of unaccustomed exercise and protect against heat illness in the non-acclimated individual. FOLLOW THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH DIRECTIVE AS IT PERTAINS TO INDIVIDUAL PRACTICE, SOCIAL DISTANCING, HYGIENE, DISINFECTING, SCREENING, HYDRATION, ETC. NO CONTACT EQUIPMENT MAY BE WORN FOLLOW WBGT WORK:REST RATIOS A MAXIMUM OF 5 DAYS OF INDIVIDUAL PRACTICE CAN OCCUR FOR EVERY 7 CALENDAR DAYS INDIVIDUAL PRACTICE (CONDITIONING AND TRAINING) Days 1 and 2 …...1 session per day with a maximum of 1 hour in length Days 3-5…………..1 session per day with a maximum of 1.5 hours in length Days 6-10………….1 session per day with a maximum of 2 hours in length Days 11-13……....1 session per day with a maximum of 2.5 hours in length Days 14-25……….1 session per day with a maximum of 3 hours in length This graduated acclimation period represents the minimum standard. Students that start practice after day 1 must start at day 1 and continue through the graduated acclimatization period. Be aware and make accommodations for any students who have pre-existing conditions. These minimum standards include preparation for heat acclimatization. However, deconditioned athletes are at a greater risk of orthopedic injury, muscle strains, etc. Conditioning and practice should be designed with these risks in mind.