Return of Sports Q&A with MACES Athletic Director Mr.Gomez

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Melissa Ponce

THE RETURN OF SPORTS- CIF and LAUSD have approved the return of high school sports. Mr.Gomez, MACES Athletic Director, explains how sports practices will be conducted and gives insight to some frequently asked questions.

Melissa Ponce, Editor in Chief of Design

Q: What sports will be allowed to return for practice this semester?

A: “All teams are eligible to practice on Monday [March 8]. You[students] need to speak to the coach or email the coach for questions about individual sports.”

 

 Q: Will students be required to get Covid testing in order to practice and if so, how often?

A: “[Students] need to get tested 72 hours in advance before participating in practice. You can get tested at Maywood Academy or Legacy, or if there is a school with a testing site near to where you live, you can sign up there too. Use your LAUSD account so you can send the information to us and we will have it automatically. You will need to show your results when you come onto campus. You will also be given a temperature check when you come on campus.”

 

Q: Do students have to get tested at an LAUSD site?

A: “If it’s through LAUSD it will work much quicker. If it from an outside provider it will need to be submitted to LAUSD, and then it will be transferred into our portal for us [admin] to see the results. If you get tested by an outside provider you will need to bring the results to the school and the school will make a record of it. The easiest and best thing to do is to go to an LAUSD site.” 

 

Q: Do students still get tested if they had Covid-19?

A: “If a student had coronavirus, they would do the 14 day quarantine period. After the 14 days, students will not have to be tested for about 30-90 days. Please report to the school if you have had the coronavirus because if you had Covid-19 and you test it may come back positive. Your doctor will provide us the information we need in order for students to participate in sports. ” 

 

Q: What grades do students need to be eligible for sports?

A: “The December grades are going to be the ones that we use to determine eligibility to play. That being said, the next report card is in two weeks, if students are eligible now but not eligible in two weeks, they will not be able to participate in sports. If their grades from December are not eligible, but the ones in March are, then they will be able to join the team.”
Note: A minimum 2.0 GPA is required

 

Q: What paperwork do athletes need to submit?

A: “We use athleticclearance.com. You sign almost everything through athleticclearance.com. What you need to provide to your coach is a copy of your insurance card and a copy of the covid compact which can be found through Schoology. Also, once you complete athleticclearance.com, at the very end, you will print and sign the page. This tells us that you have filled out all the forms needed to participate. If you are missing something, you will not be able to print out that form. Lastly, everyone will need to turn in their physical.”

 

Q: Do students send all the documents described previously to Mr. Gomez?

A: “No, Mr.Gomez only gets your physical.”
Note: Make sure your doctor stamps the physical form.

 

Q: How long does it take to get the physical cleared?

A:  “It takes the nurse at least two to three days to clear it.”

 

Q: If students submitted their physical last semester do they have to resubmit?

A: “Physicals are valid for one whole year. Your physical must be good for the whole season, if your physical is not good for the whole season you will not be able to participate.”

 

Q: Will students just be conditioning or is this considered practice?

A: “It’s official practice now, conditioning was just running, sit-ups going up the stairs, and stuff like that. These are full practices now, this is why all paperwork must be complete.”

 

Q: Are teams accepting new players?

A: “We are still accepting players for all teams. If you are new to the school or have not previously joined a team, you can still join.”

 

Q: How will try-outs be conducted?

A: “Try-outs will be up to the coaches. The coaches set the try-out dates and they set the procedures. But in order to try out, you must have all your paperwork completed. If you have not played for the team before, you contact the coach through email and they will let you know when try-outs are.”

 

Q: Can students play more than one sport right now?

A: “CIF is discouraging students from playing on two teams because it will be difficult to attend the two practices. I would recommend you speak to your coaches and see if they can work out a schedule for you to practice on the two teams.

 

Q: Will cheer be practicing?

A: “Sideline cheer, which is where the girls and boys cheer at the games is approved. They have not completely approved competitive cheer.”

 

Q: Will there be JV teams?

A: “Coaches will decide if they will have a JV team. We are willing to have JV for all the teams that have had JV teams before, but it is also dependent on the other schools. If we are the only school that has a JV team then there may not be any JV games. This is all a work in progress, we are trying to make it work.”

 

Q:  Do students have to sign up for the Daily Pass? 

A: “Yes. Once your Covid results are submitted, the Daily Pass is where it will show up. You will need to show your Daily Pass every time you show up to campus.