Athletics Team Practices Signal New COVID Protocol Phase

After months of waiting and wondering during the pandemic, Dominican's NCAA Division II intercollegiate athletic teams emerged from isolation in late September and were permitted to resume practices on campus. “I haven’t coached in six months,” said Penguins women’s basketball coach Tim LaKose, cracking a smile beneath his protective mask. “I couldn’t sleep last night thinking about it.” The team’s first practice began with a borrowed portable basketball hoop in an empty parking lot next to Kennelly Field in the John F. Allen Athletics Complex. The players simply shot around in socially distanced pods of four players practicing in intervals.

Practice arrangements have since adjusted for the better. In late October, the women’s and men’s basketball teams and volleyball teams were allowed to move their outdoor practices indoors, back into the Conlan Center, where the weight room was reopened. By November, the hope was that all teams could safely and gradually upgrade into limited team scrimmages. If all goes well, the Penguins will move toward competing in games and matches with other colleges and universities for the first time since the COVID-19 crisis shut down athletics in mid-March. Dominican has been following NCAA guidelines by conducting baseline and surveillance COVID testing for all studentathletes on campus and in the local area. The Penguins’ athletics training staff also staged drive-by physicals outside Conlan Center, and the team physician, Dr. David Goltz, volunteered his time to assist. Earlier in September, Penguins student- athletes voluntarily met on campus in outdoor facilities from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. For each informal meeting, they were required to check in with an attendant at the main gate leading to the Allen Athletics Complex, submit to a temperature check, and record their names and entrance times in the event that contact tracing was needed. Those requirements remain in place as athletics moves into the subsequent phases. Additional procedures have been added, such as coaches submitting practice plans to meet COVID policies and acclimate to sport requirements. Each student-athlete submits an attestation form before each practice. In addition, coaches administer pre-practice temperature checks and organize sanitation stations. A field monitor walks around the athletics complex to ensure that the new rules are being followed. “They were starting out at 50 percent of what they typically would do because students had been off for so long,” Henkelman explained. “These student-athletes are used to structure. Getting back into routines is always a positive thing, but I understand there is some hesitation and nervousness around the pandemic. We will not require any student-athlete to participate. They do have the option of opting out.” Henkelman is keenly aware of the challenges athletics faces with the pandemic. She is one of 29 members of the NCAA Division II Management Council, which reports and makes recommendations to the NCAA Division II Presidents Council. “I am so appreciative and thankful to all of our coaches, administrators, and athletic trainers who have been phenomenal in helping with this process,” Henkelman said. “The University has been so supportive with testing thanks to (Vice President for Advancement & Public Affairs; Campus COVID-19 Response Lead) Marly Norris, nursing faculty members Noreen Kimelman and Barbara McCamish, and the nursing students. That was huge.” And then there was the $1 million gift from an anonymous donor in June. “Without that,” Henkelman said, “we wouldn’t be able to do the extensive testing we are doing, or have been able to add the additional training room or the outdoor weight room space.”

This is super exciting, it’s like, ‘Finally!’ We are trying to find a good balance, and taking all the precautions that we need.

— Amy Henkelman, Director of Athletics