North Carolina Begins Process To Resume Athletics

North Carolina will begin the process of returning to sports by next Monday, June 15.

The North Carolina High School Athletic Association (NCHSAA) announced that the temporary moratorium on high school sports will be lifted on June 15, barring the OK from local school officials, according to an article from The Shelby Star.

In accordance with guidelines provided by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS), the state’s high school governing organization will require all student-athletes to complete a physical examination form, initial questions as well as a daily monitoring form.

Next week, sports will be permitted to resume limited workouts — no more than 25 participants in an outside capacity and 10 or fewer indoors. The article also states that an emphasis on the use of hand sanitizer, daily temperature checks, and regular cleaning of equipment.

The Tar Heel State had the majority of the spring sports season canceled as well as state basketball championships due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The moratorium on high school athletics has been extended three times, according to The Shelby Star, with the latest extension coming from June 1 to June 15. This new start date will set off the first of three phases that are expected to aid the process.

The NCHSAA classified its 13 sports into two risk categories: low risk and high risk. As part of phase one, low-risk sports like baseball can work on conditioning together and conduct tee or pitching machine hitting drills. High-risk sports like basketball can condition together and individual basketball skill drills are permitted, but there must be no sharing of equipment.

Phases two and three will be released in the coming weeks by the NCHSAA, the Shelby Star said.

To read the full story on the NCHSAA’s plan to return to sports from The Shelby Star, click here.