Listen HereUF athletics implementing various ways to keep athletes safe
By Collin Frazier
@Collin_53
Even with low-contact sports being allowed, the presence of COVID-19 is still looming and active. With this in mind, there may still be some concern for the safety of athletics and the University of Findlay as a whole. UF Athletic Director Brandi Laurita clarified any possible concerns on the health and safety of Oiler Athletics.
“We are following strict guidelines for interactions, including no large team huddles without masks, no high fives or handshakes, and practicing social distancing whenever possible,” said Laurita. “We are also stressing hygiene and limiting congregations that can be done virtually.”
It is very well-known that the G-MAC has postponed all contact sports, which consists of football, volleyball, and soccer. However, a common concern that people may have is what are the sports going on doing to prevent COVID-19 exposure. Laurita provided some ways the teams are preventing exposure.
“We are currently only competing in Men’s and Women’s Golf, Men’s and Women’s Tennis and Men’s and Women’s Cross Country,” Laurita stated. “Each of these sports is defined by the NCAA as Low Contact Risk so social distancing can be followed naturally. We are also requiring masks when physical activity is not occurring for low contact sports.”
In some colleges, it is normal for athletic teams to live communally. However, Laurita said that Findlay Athletics does not require this, which can help prevent the chances of students contacting COVID-19.
“We do not mandate or regulate living selections for any student-athletes,” said Laurita. “[But] we are requiring that when traveling that roommates are paired together.”
Above all, Laurita emphasized that the most important aspect of the guidelines is to protect the athletes, the coaches, and all of OilerNation.
“We continue to update and change guidelines as needed to keep our student-athletes safe,” Laurita commented. “Our three pillars for decision making are the safety of our student-athletes, safety of our coaching staff, and providing the most complete athletic experience possible within the guidelines. We are cautiously optimistic about the current status of athletics and the student-athletes compliance with guidelines and will continue to increase athletics activity.”
The athletic department also has a color coded system in place for teams to know how restricted their activities may be.
