Coronavirus Resources & 2020 - 2021 Competition Season

Wednesday, December 2, 2020

Please continue to stay up to date on the coronavirus resources made available to you from USA Gymnastics. I know states are starting to put mandates back down, some specifically regarding face coverings. Please note that our recommendations for face coverings come almost directly from those of the American Academy of Pediatrics, specifically:

When should cloth face coverings be worn?

Cloth face coverings should be worn by coaches, officials, spectators, and volunteers. All individuals should wear a cloth face covering when arriving to or departing from an athletic facility, because physical distancing is often difficult. All athletes should wear a cloth face mask when on the sidelines, and physical distancing should be followed even in this setting. In some cases, cloth face coverings may cause safety concerns, and adaptations or alternatives should be considered. The World Health Organization does not recommend use of a cloth face covering during vigorous exercise, and the CDC cautions that some people who are engaged in high-intensity activity may not be able to wear a cloth face covering. When nonvigorous exercise is being performed and physical distancing is not possible, a cloth face mask should be worn. Cloth face coverings should not be worn in water activities (eg, swimming, diving) or in activities where they could pose an injury risk as a result of catching on equipment or accidently impairing vision during performance of sport (eg, gymnastics, cheer). Special considerations may be appropriate when there is an increased risk of heat-related illness. Individuals younger than 2 years old should not wear a cloth face covering.

Limiting spectators at competitions

• Last week membership sent out their newsletter. Please see below:

Maintaining Safe Sport Standards Amid Public Health Restrictions

Due to the pandemic, we understand that meet directors may need to limit spectator viewing for social distancing and when required by state or local regulations. When hosting a sanctioned event where spectator viewing is limited, USAG’s Safe Sport Policy requires that all athletes remain in an open and interruptible environment and that they be supervised by their coaching staff. Meet directors are expected to communicate all restrictions clearly to all parents and are encouraged to seek creative solutions for parental viewing, such as: 

• Allowing one person from each club to live stream their athletes on a private club page 
• Live streaming the entire event using a third-party vendor

Season

• At this time, USA Gymnastics is planning on moving forward with the original calendar for 2020-2021, up to and including Nationals.
• We are aware that there are rumors circulating throughout the community and on social media stating otherwise. I will always communicate items as important as the possibility of moving the season directly to you, so if you have not heard it from me, it most likely does not carry much truth.

Nastia Liukin Cup series invitationals

• We now had 3 invitationals that have had to withdrawal from the 2021 Nastia Liukin Cup Series due to COVID restrictions placed upon them by their venue or state. The qualifiers from those lost invitationals have been awarded to a qualifier from their same region. The attached document has been updated to reflect how many qualifiers will be awarded from each invitational.

Virtual resources

• Please continue to check the virtual sanctions page, where resources will be added as they come in. Please also note that USAG is working with individuals to help put together a series of tutorials of what to expect when deciding to host a virtual competition.
• As more restrictions are starting to be placed in areas, it would be very helpful to at least have some knowledge of how these competitions work. Our goal is that by providing these tutorials and resources, we can help facilitate that knowledge.