CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Student-athletes in the Carolinas are facing lots of changes in 2020.
On Thursday, the North Carolina High School Athletic Association announced the start of fall sports will be delayed again.
After a summer spent benched in quarantine, many student-athletes are ready to get back to sports.
“I know this pandemic is something to take seriously but I think we deserve the chance to play," Myers Park High School quarterback Drake Maye said at a CMS student-athlete rally this week.
But COVID isn’t playing ball.
Practices in North Carolina were set to begin September 1st, but that was pushed back indefinitely as Governor Cooper announced yet another extension of phase 2 Wednesday.
In a survey submitted to the state athletic association that same week, CMS reported being in favor of no sports at all during the district's remote learning plan.
South Carolina teams can resume practice on September 8th.
As kids get back to the field, they can expect new daily safety protocols to be in place.
“Every athlete when they come to practice daily receives a temp screen as well as a symptom screen," Fort Mill Schools spokesperson Joe Burke said. "Our coaches are wearing masks full time, our players are asked to wear masks when not participating in drills.”
"I think that there is a real feeling that we want to try to get this right," said Dr. Kevin Burroughs, co-chief of primary care sports medicine for Atrium Health.
Dr. Burroughs says they anticipate a spike in injuries as students get back to sports after months off.
“Get out, do some exercises, work on your stretches, start gradually ramping your way up so that you're really ready as you get back out to that athletic field," he said.
North Carolina student-athletes have been granted a one-year extension on their 2019 pre-participation physicals, meaning they won’t be required to get a new one this season.
"We were concerned as to whether or not people would be able to access getting that and we didn't want it to be a barrier for them being able to move forward," Dr. Burroughs explained.
Still, he said he recommends students get checked out anyway if possible, especially those previously exposed to coronavirus.
“We are starting to see a lot of heart and lung issues that are secondary to the COVID infection," he said, "so if anyone has either tested positive or if they were held into quarantine because they were assumed to be positive, all of those individuals should see a health care provider before returning to the field.”
South Carolina students have not been granted an extension for those annual sports physicals, so student-athletes in the Palmetto state will still need to get that done before returning to practice this year.