SPRING SPORTS START UP AT MHCC

Due to COVID-19, intercollegiate spring sports at Mt. Hood are scheduled to start and take place far differently this year than from any previous season.

“We are scheduled to start practice outside on campus under the guidance of the Oregon Health Authority and CDC,” said Kim Hyatt, MHCC athletic director and dean of health, physical education, aquatics and recreation.

Coaches, staff and athletes are required to wear masks and wash hands when they arrive to campus and whenever equipment is shared.

Most important, though, is physical distancing, part of the protocols put in place by the Northwest Athletic Conference (NWAC) in which Saints teams compete.

“During the early phases of our return to practice, our teams are separated into smaller groups for practice and maintain at least six feet of distance,” said Hyatt. “The NWAC has a Sports Medicine Advisory Committee that our athletic trainer Amanda Shelton is a member of, (which has) developed a progressive return to competition schedule that will rely heavily on the various OHA metrics as to when we can advance to each phase.

“Those metrics and guidelines will really direct us as to what steps we can take at each phase,” said Hyatt.

Athletes are also working with their coaches virtually during this time as they prepare for their season.

Since the beginning of the Winter Term, all athletic teams at MHCC have been working with coaching staff remotely. Starting Jan. 22, the Saints Cross Country and Track teams began practicing outside campus. The baseball and softball teams will begin practicing in mid-February, while fall and winter sports (volleyball and basketball) participants will continue to work with their coaches virtually.

“As we know, COVID-19 controls the schedule, but we are preparing for some form of season for all of our sports in hope that conditions will improve enough to move forward,” Hyatt said.

These sports seasons won’t offer the chance for the ultimate successful ending, however.

“All competitions will be limited in accordance with OHA and CDC guidelines so there will not be any tournaments this year and all NWAC Championships have been cancelled,” said Hyatt.