Plan: School athletes may return to practice

High school student athletes may get to shake off some rust and get back into the rhythm of their sports soon.

On Monday, the Grand Coulee Dam School District board approved a plan presented by Athletic Director Tim Rasmussen, who will ask Okanogan County Public Health to approve it.

The plan, which won’t include games against other schools, describes a practice schedule beginning with spring sports practices from Oct. 19 through Nov. 7, then fall sports practices from Nov. 9 through Nov. 28, and finally winter sports practices from Nov. 30 to Dec. 19, which will warm up the basketball players for the winter sports season, which begins Dec. 28.

Athletes and coaches will have to pass the standard COVID-19 protocol the same as anyone else entering the school. 

Students will need to wear masks to the practices, but with a COVID-19 incidence rate lower than 75 cases per 100,000 population in Okanogan County, practices will go on as normal, and athletes won’t have to wear the masks while competing. 

They will also need to bring their own water bottles, with the water fountains and shared water bottles being off limits. 

Coaches Teri Sue Reed (high school volleyball), Jeremy Crollard (high school boys’ basketball), and Wallace Pleasants (high school girls’ basketball) attended the meeting and expressed their support for the plan. 

“I think this is a great plan and if we want to stay competitive, we’ve got to get it moving forward,” Crollard said.