Athletic Directors Eager to Start Back to Practice June 1

By Luke Little
Hottytoddy.com intern
lblittle@go.olemiss.edu

As what would have been the spring sports’ semester begins to wind down, high school athletic departments are beginning to look towards the future with hopes of starting practices back up as soon as possible.

According to the Mississippi High School Activities Association, practices or tryouts for sports and activities are not allowed while schools are closed. This leaves June 1 as the earliest date in which schools can begin offseason and summer sports activities, until further notice.

During this tough time, local coaches and athletes have been staying hopeful by maintaining themselves both physically and mentally as best they can from home.

“We are definitely disappointed by the circumstances but are still holding out hope,” said Oxford High School Athletic Director Mike Martin. “The athletes are still working from home and staying in contact with each other and the coaches.”

Martin says the teams are getting used to the concept of ‘social distancing’ and continue to stay positive without their usual group meetings.

Coaches are sending workout routines to their players through GroupMe and social media, said Lafayette High School Athletic Director Greg Lewis.

“This semester has been exceptionally devastating for the athletes who had been working all year to play in the spring, especially the seniors who won’t get another year of high school sports,” he said.

Lewis confirmed the Mississippi High School Athletics Association has released a tentative date of June 1 for athletes to start practice.

That’s a date area schools are aiming to hit, he said.

“I think we will know more in the next week. But only time will tell.”

Last week, football coaches used Zoom meetings to start virtual workouts with players. 

“Players have three different times they can log in with a coach. The workouts are three days a week. Each workout lasts about 40 mins,” Lewis said.

Sports Editor Adam Brown contributed to this article