Ever since the cancellation of all spring activities, next year’s sports seasons have been up in the air. There is a lot of uncertainty about whether or not they will happen, and nobody seems to have an answer. Student athletes have been worried and wondering if they will get to play next year. If so, what will that look like? Will they be able to practice with their teams in the summer? 

OSAA’s new announcement surrounding reopening sports and summer activities will hopefully answer some of those questions and put an end to some of those fears. Following an Executive Board meeting last Wednesday, May 20, the OSAA announced in a statement that, “while recognizing that county-by-county reopening may lead to inequities, the OSAA advocates for returning students to school-based athletics and activities and allowing youth sports organizations to operate in any and all situations where it can be done safely.” 

What does this mean? The OSAA is committed to bring back sports next year, although  “there will also likely be variation in what sports and activities are allowed over the next 9 to 12 months.” They also announced that the ban on team practices and workouts has been lifted on May 25, and released a set of guidelines that teams must follow in order to train together. However, these guidelines only apply to counties that are currently in Phase 1, and Multnomah County is planning to commence Phase 1 by June 12. As counties move on to different phases, OSAA will release sets of guidelines that match Governor Kate Brown’s orders concerning phases of reopening.

In addition to overall guidelines, such as required screenings before workouts regardless of sport, the OSAA also introduced sport-specific guidelines: 

OSAA Summer Workout Guidelines: Phase 1

Baseball: Conditioning and tee work. Players should not share gloves or bats or throw a single ball that will be tossed among the team. A single player may hit in cages, throw batting practice (with netting as backstop, no catcher). Prior to another athlete using the same balls, they should be collected and cleaned individually.

Basketball: Conditioning, individual ball skill drills, no contact or sharing of balls. A player may shoot with a ball(s), but a team should not practice/pass a single ball among the team where multiple players touch the same ball.

Cheerleading: Conditioning and individual technique/choreography work. Students may not practice/perform partner or group stunts. Chants, jumps, dance, tumbling without contact are permissible as long as physical distancing is adhered to. 

Cross Country: Runners should maintain at least 6 feet of distancing between individuals, no grouping (i.e. starts and finishes). 

Dance/Drill: Conditioning and individual technique/choreography work. Students may not practice/perform partner or group stunts. Jumps, dance, tumbling without contact are permissible as long as physical distancing is adhered to.
Football: Conditioning and individual drills. A player should not participate in drills with a single ball that will be handed off or passed to other teammates. Contact with other players is not allowed, and there should be no sharing of tackling dummies / donuts / sleds. Protective equipment prohibited. 

Golf: Maintain appropriate physical distancing 6 feet apart. 

Music: The extent of the spread of respiratory droplets during singing and the playing of wind instruments is currently under investigation. We recommend restricting these activities in schools until further guidance is available.

Soccer: Conditioning, individual ball skill drills, each player has own ball, feet only (no heading/use of hands), no contact.

Softball: Conditioning and tee work. Players should not share gloves or bats or throw a single ball that will be tossed among the team. A single player may hit in cages, throw batting practice (with netting as backstop, no catcher). Prior to another athlete using the same balls, they should be collected and cleaned individually. 

Speech: Maintain appropriate physical distancing 6 feet apart. 

Swimming: Swimming pools are closed statewide.

Tennis: Conditioning, no sharing of balls, each player may use own can of balls to serve and uses racket to pass other balls (singles only), ball machine use by individuals only. Players may do individual drills, wall volleys and serves. Wipe down rackets and balls after.

 Track & Field: Runners should maintain at least 6 feet of distancing between individuals, no grouping (i.e. starts and finishes). No sharing of implements / equipment. Padded equipment should be cleaned between use. 

Volleyball: Conditioning, individual ball handling drills, each player has own ball. A player should not use a single ball that others touch or hit in any manner. 

Wrestling: Conditioning, mirror drills with spacing, no contact. Wrestlers may skill and drill without touching a teammate (as long as physical distancing is adhered to).