What are we doing right now?

This one was a head scratcher for me...

I had just gotten off a call from a coach where I was informed of the probability of the current "dead period" being extended until June or even July, not necessarily information I was looking forward to hearing. Then, just quickly scrolling through instagram I noticed that a club hear in Texas was hosting a College Coach Camp for 6th - 8th graders at their facility hosted by D1 college coaches...my brain exploded.

I get it:

D1 college are allowed to attend and run camps for athletes that are not technically a "potential student athlete" or PSA; an 8th grade athlete is not considered a PSA.

College coaches could probably use some extra cash.

It's always good for clubs to give younger athletes exposure to college coaches and it certainly helps the club to have D1 coaches in their gym.

But here is what I don't get...

In a situation where we are concerned about the athletes in our program and even the other people surrounding our program and we are doing everything to NOT have to forfeit matches because coaches or athletes come down with COVID, how does this figure in?

How are administrators okay with this happening when at the same time we are talking about extending the dead period to keep our athletes and campuses safe from COVID well into April and May?

We can't have athletes on campus making official and unofficial visits because it's too great a risk to the student-athletes and staffs there at the college? But a coach can be in a gym with dozens of junior high kids, running a camp? Even if you're taking all the precautions necessary, it still seems like a bigger risk to me right?

I've talked to college coaches that have been in the gym for only 2 weeks while other programs are playing half a season right now. I've talked to college coaches that have to socially distance on 2 courts in their gym with only 1 coach and 4 athletes (all masked) while other programs are using their 20 hours a week right now.

We are not all at the same place, that's obvious and perfectly okay. But at the same time, the fact that administrators and the NCAA seems perfectly okay with coaches working junior high camps outside of their own facility, while simultaneously talking about extending the "dead period" again, has to stand out as big huge question-mark, right? Maybe I'm crazy, but I can't be the only person who sees the discontinuity in this right now.

It shouldn't be that hard for the compliance people, administrators (including ADs and Sport Supervisors) and the NCAA to say "Hey, these are some things we shouldn't be doing right now, so that we can get back to normal." To me this feels like one of those things. After all, D2 made up some rules during the pandemic for their coaches to follow, it should be in the power of the D1 schools to do something similar.

Let me know if you agree or disagree! Certainly a topic that might need some more discussion.

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