By Mary Parker Draper, Extension Agent – Smith County
For many students, back to school also means back to practice! According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there are a number of actions youth sports organizations, as well as parents or guardians, can take to help lower the risk of COVID-19 exposure and reduce the spread during competition and practice.
The risk of COVID-19 spread can be different, depending on the type of activity. The risk of COVID-19 spread increases in youth sports settings as follows:
- Lowest Risk. Performing skill-building drills or conditioning at home, alone or with immediate family members.
- Increasing Risk. Team-based practice.
- More Risk. Competition within the team.
- Even More Risk. Full competition between teams from the same local geographic area.
- Highest Risk. Full competition between teams from different geographic areas.
It is imperative that both the youth sports organization, as well as the child’s parents or guardians, promote behaviors that reduce the spread of COVID-19, such as:
- Staying Home When Appropriate. Any individual (including coaches, players, and family members) should stay home if they have tested positive for or are showing COVID-19 symptoms. Also, any individual who has recently had close contact with a person with COVID-19 should stay home and monitor their health.
- Hand Hygiene and Respiratory Etiquette. Teach and reinforce handwashing with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not readily available, hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol can be used. Do not allow spitting, and encourage everyone to cover their coughs and sneezes with a tissue or use the inside of their elbow.
- Masks. Teach and reinforce the use of masks. Masks are not intended to protect the wearer, but rather to reduce the risk of spreading COVID-19 from the person wearing the mask (who may not have any symptoms of disease). Masks may be challenging for players to wear while playing sports. Masks should be worn by coaches, youth sports staff, officials, parents, and spectators as much as possible, especially when physical distancing is difficult.
For more information on Youth Sports Safety during COVID-19, visit https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/schools-childcare/youth-sports.html or contact Mary Parker Draper at the extension office at 615-735-2900.
Chicken Tortilla Soup
2 medium chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
1 can tomato juice
1 can Rotel
1 can shoepeg corn
1 can black beans
1 can kidney beans
Chicken broth (I use about 1 cup the chicken is boiled in.)
1 package ranch dressing
1 package taco seasoning
Salt and pepper to taste
Mix together and cook until flavors are blended well. Delicious served with Fritos, Doritos, etc. Submitted by Pat Wooten, Gordonsville FCE Club.
