Kosciusko High School began on-campus workouts for athletes this week in accordance with Mississippi High School Activities Association guidelines.
“We're going to follow the guidelines as strictly as we can,” said athletic director Macy Wilbanks. “There are a lot of restrictions on what we can and can't do.”
McAdams and Ethel will wait until next week. McAdams will begin Monday and Ethel Tuesday,
French Camp Academy began this week. “We’re going to pretty much ease into it,” said FCA athletic director Rusty McKnight. “It’s just outside conditioning. No weights, no equipment, no balls. Just reacclimation. That’s what MHSAA said to do.”
Kosciusko head football coach Casey Orr said plans will be put in place to make sure the kids are safe. “The biggest thing the first week is to do some conditioning to try to get the kids back in shape. Getting the kids acclimated to being back in the weight room and on the practice field and getting their legs back under them. Basically, everybody has been off for two months.”
The MHSAA executive committee approved on-campus workouts beginning this past Monday, with guidelines. A notice on the MHSAA website stated that school athletics and fine arts activity programs can begin summer practices, workouts, skill development, weightlifting, conditioning and rehearsals for student-athletes and fine arts participants on June 1.
Activities must be conducted on a voluntary basis.
Orr has been in contact with his players. None have indicated that they do not want to participate, but he said “I'm sure there will be some. It's to be expected. You can't blame a parent for wanting to protect their child. It's a parent's prerogative to decide what they want their child to be involved in at this time.”
The guidelines prohibit use of athletic equipment, including footballs. Instead, the workouts will entail weight work and drills.
The guidelines also restrict gatherings to no more than 10 indoors and no more than 20 outside. Orr said workouts will be in shifts to abide by the limit.
Athletes from other sports will be involved in the summer training.
“We will revisit it as time goes by in the next few weeks and see if we can expand what we are allowed to do,” Wilbanks said.
McAdams football coach Kenneth Nelson said his team will have basic workouts, with weights and conditioning. Nelson has been in contact with most of his players and none have expressed a reluctance to participate.
“They have been out for so long. They are ready to get back in the weight room. Get back to doing something.”
First-year Ethel coach Adam Smith said “We will be doing small group stuff in the weight room, keeping each guy to his own rack. But most of the stuff will be outside with the guidelines we have been given by MHSAA.”
The first couple of weeks will be an acclimation period because the kids have been at home for two months, Smith said. “Some of the kids did work out on their own, but some didn't. So there will be a period of acclimation to the heat and working their bodies again, probably harder than they have since Spring Break.”
Players will use the weight room in groups of eight. “When those guys leave, we will sanitize the weight racks, clean the bars and benches, whatever we used to get them clean for the next group of guys coming in.”
Outside will be a lot of individual work while abiding by separation guidelines.
Smith said he would like all of his players to participate, but he understands if some decline. “They have been kind of isolated and separated. I think most of them would want to come and participate.”
