We’re in the kid business.’ N.C. private schools return to high school football practice
Providence Day and Charlotte Christian look like they will be the first high school football teams in Mecklenburg County to return to the field and among the first in North Carolina. At Providence Day, the Chargers will begin what new coach Chad Grier calls “a modified version of a summer program” on June 8.
The coronavirus pandemic has altered the normal high school sports schedules. The N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association and the N.C. High School Athletic Association canceled spring sports due to COVID-19 concerns. The NCHSAA had to cancel its boys and girls basketball championships.
There haven’t been any high school sports played in North Carolina since March.
When football comes back next month, Grier will have fewer than 25 players on the field at a time. Players will wear gloves and each position group will have separate balls, he said. Sanitizing wipes will be at every station.
“It’s the new normal for right now,” said Grier, a former state championship-winning coach at Davidson Day and the father of Carolina Panthers quarterback Will Grier. “Is it perfect? No. Does it beat the alternative, doing everything on Zoom calls? Absolutely. We’ll make the best of it and embrace it.
“We’re in the kid business, and we have to make sure we’re protecting kids and make sure we provide them with outlets right now. They need them.”
Schools in the NCISAA could begin offseason workouts May 18, according to executive director Homar Ramirez, and the league released a set of guidelines this week for its 94 members schools.
The independent schools are not a part of the NCHSAA, a collection of more than 400 public, non-boarding parochial and charter schools.
The NCHSAA is targeting a June 15 date for sports, including football, to potentially return, based on stable conditions with the virus in the state. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, which plays under the NCHSAA umbrella, is still evaluating its plans and has not committed to a June 15 return, even if the statewide organization allows it.
The NCISAA “guidelines for conducting summer activities” were created by the association in conjunction with its Sports Medicine Advisory Committee and are in compliance with recommendations from the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services.
The NCISAA recommendations include:
▪ A cloth face covering for athletes, coaches, staff and participants when not actively engaged in physical activity or when they made less than six feet from others.
▪ Coaches and students should be screened for COVID-19 symptoms prior to each workout. Screenings should include a temperature check.
▪ No more than 10 people can work out at a time inside. Up to 25 may gather outdoors.
▪ Locker rooms may not be used. Students should report with the proper gear on and return home to shower. Workouts should be conducted with “pods” of students so that the same groups are always training together.
▪ All athletic equipment must be cleaned after each use. A basketball player, for example, can shoot with a ball, but a team should not practice or pass a single ball where multiple players would touch it. A football player should not participate in team drills where a single ball is handed off to other teammates. Contact with other players should not be allowed.
At Charlotte Christian, which is also planning to start football workouts June 8, coach Jason Estep said summer practice is going to be different than any one before it.
“We’re planning on a normal season,” Estep said, “with the expectation that we might have to make some adjustments, and that’s how we’ve done all of our planning to this point. But I’m excited to get back. Ultimately, we’re going to have to do what the (NCHSAA) does. We play a lot of public schools. If the public schools go a different route, I’m in trouble. Our first private school game is not until October.”
Charlotte Latin coach Justin Hardin said his football team did not have return date set.
Charlotte Country Day coach Drew Witman said his school did not have a return date either, but said he couldn’t wait to get back on the field with the team.
“We’re not sitting on our hands, administration-wise,” Witman said. “We’re putting together plans for when we do it. It’s not about ‘When, then how,’ but ‘How, then when.’ We’re preparing right now and when we get the call to go, then we’re ready to rock.
“I’m a worker, and you’ve just got to work differently. I miss these kids so badly it hurts, and I want to get back together with them. I don’t care if it’s two kids or 10. These kids want to get back together. As coaches, we miss them. I know I’m going to tell these kids as soon as I see them, ‘Don’t take this for granted, in terms of being together.’”
At Providence Day, Grier had a similar message. He feels like his players — and many of the athletes at Providence Day — would enjoy a little return to normal.
But Grier said he understands if some parents are not as gung-ho as he is.
“On a personal level,” he said, “I don’t have any concerns. Everyone has their own personal beliefs. I’ve spent way too much time when I was quarantined watching the news. But I may have parents with concerns, and we have to do everything we can to make them comfortable, and if they’re not, they’re not going to be penalized.
“I’ve got a lot old-school in me. Our summer program is hugely important. It’s where we teach. But I’m a big believer in parents doing what is best for their kid. If you want to send them, come on, and we’ll do it as safety as we can and get the most out of them that we can. If you don’t want to send them, that’s your prerogative.”
Providence Day and Charlotte Christian look like they will be the first high school football teams in Mecklenburg County to return to the field and among the first in North Carolina. At Providence Day, the Chargers will begin what new coach Chad Grier calls “a modified version of a summer program” on June 8.
The coronavirus pandemic has altered the normal high school sports schedules. The N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association and the N.C. High School Athletic Association canceled spring sports due to COVID-19 concerns. The NCHSAA had to cancel its boys and girls basketball championships.
There haven’t been any high school sports played in North Carolina since March.
When football comes back next month, Grier will have fewer than 25 players on the field at a time. Players will wear gloves and each position group will have separate balls, he said. Sanitizing wipes will be at every station.
“It’s the new normal for right now,” said Grier, a former state championship-winning coach at Davidson Day and the father of Carolina Panthers quarterback Will Grier. “Is it perfect? No. Does it beat the alternative, doing everything on Zoom calls? Absolutely. We’ll make the best of it and embrace it.
“We’re in the kid business, and we have to make sure we’re protecting kids and make sure we provide them with outlets right now. They need them.”
Schools in the NCISAA could begin offseason workouts May 18, according to executive director Homar Ramirez, and the league released a set of guidelines this week for its 94 members schools.
The independent schools are not a part of the NCHSAA, a collection of more than 400 public, non-boarding parochial and charter schools.
The NCHSAA is targeting a June 15 date for sports, including football, to potentially return, based on stable conditions with the virus in the state. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, which plays under the NCHSAA umbrella, is still evaluating its plans and has not committed to a June 15 return, even if the statewide organization allows it.
The NCISAA “guidelines for conducting summer activities” were created by the association in conjunction with its Sports Medicine Advisory Committee and are in compliance with recommendations from the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services.
The NCISAA recommendations include:
▪ A cloth face covering for athletes, coaches, staff and participants when not actively engaged in physical activity or when they made less than six feet from others.
▪ Coaches and students should be screened for COVID-19 symptoms prior to each workout. Screenings should include a temperature check.
▪ No more than 10 people can work out at a time inside. Up to 25 may gather outdoors.
▪ Locker rooms may not be used. Students should report with the proper gear on and return home to shower. Workouts should be conducted with “pods” of students so that the same groups are always training together.
▪ All athletic equipment must be cleaned after each use. A basketball player, for example, can shoot with a ball, but a team should not practice or pass a single ball where multiple players would touch it. A football player should not participate in team drills where a single ball is handed off to other teammates. Contact with other players should not be allowed.
At Charlotte Christian, which is also planning to start football workouts June 8, coach Jason Estep said summer practice is going to be different than any one before it.
“We’re planning on a normal season,” Estep said, “with the expectation that we might have to make some adjustments, and that’s how we’ve done all of our planning to this point. But I’m excited to get back. Ultimately, we’re going to have to do what the (NCHSAA) does. We play a lot of public schools. If the public schools go a different route, I’m in trouble. Our first private school game is not until October.”
Charlotte Latin coach Justin Hardin said his football team did not have return date set.
Charlotte Country Day coach Drew Witman said his school did not have a return date either, but said he couldn’t wait to get back on the field with the team.
“We’re not sitting on our hands, administration-wise,” Witman said. “We’re putting together plans for when we do it. It’s not about ‘When, then how,’ but ‘How, then when.’ We’re preparing right now and when we get the call to go, then we’re ready to rock.
“I’m a worker, and you’ve just got to work differently. I miss these kids so badly it hurts, and I want to get back together with them. I don’t care if it’s two kids or 10. These kids want to get back together. As coaches, we miss them. I know I’m going to tell these kids as soon as I see them, ‘Don’t take this for granted, in terms of being together.’”
At Providence Day, Grier had a similar message. He feels like his players — and many of the athletes at Providence Day — would enjoy a little return to normal.
But Grier said he understands if some parents are not as gung-ho as he is.
“On a personal level,” he said, “I don’t have any concerns. Everyone has their own personal beliefs. I’ve spent way too much time when I was quarantined watching the news. But I may have parents with concerns, and we have to do everything we can to make them comfortable, and if they’re not, they’re not going to be penalized.
“I’ve got a lot old-school in me. Our summer program is hugely important. It’s where we teach. But I’m a big believer in parents doing what is best for their kid. If you want to send them, come on, and we’ll do it as safety as we can and get the most out of them that we can. If you don’t want to send them, that’s your prerogative.”
