The Illinois High School Association released the guidelines for Stage 1 of its Return to Play plan to athletic directors on Friday.
Schools are permitted to open for voluntary strength and conditioning sessions on June 6. Sport-specific drills are not permitted and the sessions are limited to three hours per day. Outdoor workouts are strongly encouraged.
Schools will need local school district approval to conduct workouts.
Other guidelines:
-Masks shall be worn when social distance of 6 feet apart cannot be maintained. Groups of 10 people or fewer must be predetermined and students cannot switch from group to group.
-There will be no interactions between groups.
-Coaches must maintain a daily record of what students are participating and athletes will be monitored at the start of practice for temperature and other symptoms of coronavirus.
-Camps, clinics and open gyms are prohibited.
“The IHSA Return to Play Guidelines offer some important first steps in allowing student-athletes to re-acclimate both physically and mentally to athletics, but more importantly, they allow each school to assess their own individual situation and determine if and when they want to proceed,” IHSA Executive Director Craig Anderson said.
The IHSA canceled all spring high school sports tournaments and suspended summer contact between players and coaches in late April. Coaches and athletes have been waiting for more news since then.
Two weeks ago the National High School Sports Federation released guidelines for restarting sports. The IHSA generally adheres fairly closely to NFHS recommendations, so that document provides a solid look at what the future may hold.
