Bulldog athletes return to sports practices

After more than eleven weeks of no play due to the COVID-19 pandemic, student athletes in the New Albany School District have returned to school campuses to begin preparing for the 2020-2021 athletic seasons. Following an announcement from the Mississippi High School Athletics Association (MHSAA) that MHSAA sponsored activities could resume with restrictions on June 1, high school sports reopened the week of June 1 and middle school athletes returned the week of June 8.

The schools are following the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines and have used the first two weeks of practice as an acclimation period to help athletes safely return to sports and adjust to the conditions of practices.

“School nurses are checking the temperatures of coaching staff and students prior to each practice along with screening them with the CDC recommended questions,” said Jill Robbins, RN, the nurse at New Albany High School (NAHS). “Following written procedure coaches contact parents if a student has an elevated temperature or answers yes to any screening questions. We are cleaning all areas according to MHSAA recommendations,” Robbins added.

John Ferrell, principal at NAHS said that the school staff is taking a safety-first approach to getting Bulldog student athletes acclimated to physical conditions and taking all precautions in social distancing and following the CDC guidelines.

New Albany High School summer athletics information

Each high school sport has its own designated time to practice. The athletic schedule for June 2020 for high school sports is as follows:

Monday, Wednesday, & Friday

• am Softball

8-10 am                     Football

10 am – 12 noon     9th grade football

10 am – 12 noon     Volleyball

10-11:30 am             Girls Basketball

Tuesday & Thursday

10 am – 12 noon     Boys Basketball

9:30-11 am               Boys Soccer

5:30-7 pm                 Girls Soccer

5:30-7 pm                 Cheer

Tuesday, Wednesday, & Thursday

9-10 am                     Cross Country

New Albany Middle School summer athletics information

New Albany Middle School will have tryouts on the following dates and tryouts are voluntary.

NAMS Girls Basketball       June 24         8-9 am                                  Memorial Gym

NAMS Boys Basketball       June 24         9-10:00 am   AND

June 25         1-2:30 pm                             Memorial Gym

NAMS Volleyball                   June 25         3-5:30pm                              Memorial Gym

NAMS Baseball                    June 29         8-10 am                                 BNA Bank Fields

NAMS Softball                      June 26         12 noon-2 pm                     BNA Bank Fields

NAMS students who wish to participate in Tennis & Soccer will have tryouts with the high school teams.

New Albany Middle School will follow the below NAMS Summer Practice Schedule:

• NAMS Basketball summer practices will began for basketball the week of July 6. Basketball will practice Mondays and Wednesdays from 8-10 am at Memorial Gym. Boys and girls will rotate days with girls starting on Monday first.
• NAMS Football practices will begin June 22 on the NAMS Football Practice Field. Football will practice Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8-10 am. There will be NO practice from June 29-July 3 (Week of July 4). Practice will resume July 7.
• NAMS Volleyball will practice Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8-10 am in Memorial Gym
• NAMS Softball Practice will be Mondays, Wednesday, and Fridays from 6:30-8 am in the Bullpen
• NAMS Cheer will continue have practices virtually.
• NAMS Baseball will begin practices when school starts.

“Our coaches have done an excellent job putting their summer practice schedules together, following the health guidelines and continue to be committed to putting students’ health and safety first,” said Dr. Lance Evans, Superintendent of New Albany Schools. Evans explained that administrators, coaches, and nurses are re-evaluating sports practices procedures weekly and making adjustments as needed to ensure safety of all our student athletes and to continue to practice guidance as outlined by the CDC, MHSAA, the Mississippi Department Education, and local medical experts.