As some states and communities return to youth sports during the COVID-19 pandemic, many parents are trying to navigate this new experience on their own. Project Play is here to help. While some questions are best answered by public health experts based on local conditions, there are guidelines and best practices that are very useful. We will periodically answer youth sports parents’ questions in this Project Play Parent Mailbag. Got a question? Submit it in the form in this page’s sidebar or email jon.solomon@aspeninstitute.org.
Are there any strict guidelines regarding how kids and families may return to basketball practice and games? Should families be allowed to watch the kids play?
Cordell Nwokeji
Basketball is one of the more challenging sports to return because of the physical closeness of the players and since the sport is typically played indoors. Many of the largest super-spreader events have taken place inside, including at high school basketball games in Indiana last March. Nike cancelled its 2020 Elite Youth Basketball League season because of the pandemic, including the prestigious Peach Jam AAU tournament.
For a sport such as basketball, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggests modifying play to safely increase the distance between players. For example, players and coaches can:
Focus on individual skill building instead of competition. Put players in small groups (cohorts) that remain together and work through stations, rather than switching groups or mixing groups.
Limit the time players spend close to others by playing full contact only in game-time situations.
Decrease the number of competitions during a season.
The International Basketball Federation (FIBA) has restart guidelines for a phased approach for national federations. The Jr. NBA doesn’t have specific guidelines and says it has handled each of its events on a case-by-case basis in accordance with local public health experts and government authorities. The Jr. NBA has also been directing youth basketball organizations to CDC and Aspen Institute return to play resources, such as our risk assessment tool.
Worth keeping in mind: The NBA – with all of its resources and access to medical experts – hasn’t even returned yet to playing, with plans to do so in late July in a bubble environment. Bringing youth basketball events back is tricky, but it’s starting to happen. Tournament organizer Zero Gravity Basketball hosted events in Maine last weekend and has tournaments scheduled for June and July in New Hampshire, Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania and Delaware.
In Maine, 72 girls basketball travel teams played last weekend at a tournament ($175 per team for two games, $7 per spectator), according to the Portland Press Herald. Among some of the rules that were imposed:
Referees are asked to try to maintain a proper distance from the players – follow the play instead of being right on top of it – and limit their touches of the ball. “Several times, a referee stopped the ball out of bounds with his body, then nudged it toward a player with his foot,” the newspaper wrote.
Coaches and spectators must wear masks at all times. Referees and players do not wear a mask during game play but must when they enter and exit the court.
Before entering, everyone has a temperature scan. (Important to note: People can be carrying the virus while asymptomatic, meaning a temperature check can only tell you so much.) Teams are limited to 22 people in their group, including players, coaches and fans. Wrist bands are provided to each team to keep count. The basketball facility where the event occurred is allowed to have 100 people; it topped out at 88 during the games.
Teams are asked to arrive 30 minutes before their scheduled game and wait in the parking lot after checking. Only teams that are playing are allowed in the building.
Spectators are asked to bring their own chairs, sit on the far sidelines and be at least six feet away from the court and other fans. “They must wear face masks at all times, which resulted in a much quieter game, most of the sound coming from the scuffing of sneakers on the floor, the dribble of the ball, the clangs off the rim, or an official’s whistle,” the newspaper wrote.
Can we allow our kids to swim in this situation?
Domar Ybardolaza
CDC says there is no evidence that COVID-19 can spread to people through the water used in pools, hot tubs or water playgrounds. “Proper operation and disinfection of pools, hot tubs, and water playgrounds should kill the virus that causes COVID-19,” the CDC wrote while publishing guidelines for pools. “Limit close contact with people outside your home in public spaces, both in and out of the water.”
If you do go to the pool this summer, it could be a much different experience, depending on where you live. For instance, some pools in Maryland require registration for two-hour time slots to attend the pool in order to maintain physical distancing within the pool and the deck. A person may RSVP for one slot every other day. The first and last slots daily are for lap swimming only and vulnerable populations.
At some pools, slides and lazy rivers have been closed, and toys in the water or on the deck are banned. People who swim too close to others will be asked to leave. Household members must stay together and remain at least six feet apart from other households.
CDC encourages the use of cloth masks when feasible, especially when physical distancing is difficult. Of course, do not wear masks in the water. They can be difficult to breathe through when they’re wet.
I’m a coach and parent in Kentucky. The guidelines that have been put out are a little confusing. With the easing of restrictions, can a coach work in person only with individuals or are group settings allowed?
Jessica Ritchie
On June 15, Kentucky began allowing youth sports teams to begin practicing again. Only 10 players are allowed to practice in a group, with one adult coach at a time, under strict physical distancing guidelines. You can read all of Kentucky’s guidelines here.
The state guidelines advise that teams should initially emphasize cardiovascular fitness and individual skill-building activities while limiting group/team activities. If possible, keep the small groups together and separated from other groups during practices to the greatest extent practicable. “League officials, coaches, and other responsible adults should consider that older youth might be better to follow directions for social distancing and take other protective actions,” the state wrote.
In Kentucky, competitions will be allowed again on June 29 with up to 50 spectators – but only for low-touch outdoor and indoor sports. The state defines some of those sports as baseball, softball, tennis, track and field, biking, cross country, gymnastics and swimming. For sports deemed as high touch – such as basketball, football, ice hockey, wrestling, soccer, field hockey, volleyball and martial arts – competition is still not allowed on June 29. Those sports may resume team/group practices that are subdivided into small groups of 10 or less, with no more than one adult coach per group. The practices are limited to 50 youth or less.
We will periodically answer youth sports parents’ questions in this Project Play Parent Mailbag. Got a question? Submit it in the form in this page’s sidebar or email jon.solomon@aspeninstitute.org.
