Home Local Sports Mandatory mask mandate issued days ahead of competitive play

Mandatory mask mandate issued days ahead of competitive play

Ashleigh Larsen wears a mask during practice this week, which is now an NCHSAA requirement.
Kyle Pillar — Sports Editor.

ROCKINGHAM — The Lady Raider volleyball program played Richmond Senior High School’s first competitive match against another school for the first time since March 12 on Thursday.

Although it was just a pre-season scrimmage, head coach Ashleigh Larsen said the match against Uwharrie Charter Academy was one more step in the right direction as high school sports slowly move closer to normalcy.

Closed to spectators, the scrimmage played at Richmond allowed the junior varsity and varsity teams to get some live action ahead of the season opener next Tuesday.

Playing with a time limit, the JV match played two sets and the varsity teams completed two and a half sets. No official score or statistics were kept.

“Both teams saw a lot of change in lineups,” Larsen said. “Uwharrie Charter was very aggressive and came out rolling. It was definitely a good opener to start with because of how well-rounded they are.

“This definitely helped us open up and show some areas we need to work on before playing real games next week.”

Also on Thursday, the NCHSAA announced it was implementing a mandatory mask mandate for all indoor sports programs. Effective immediately, all student-athletes, coaches and team personnel must wear a protective mask when practicing and playing in games.

Prior to the announcement, masks were not required during voluntary workouts or practices. The new mask mandate applies to all programs, in season or not.

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The latest change in the NCHSAA’s COVID-19 guidelines comes just days before the start of the high school volleyball season. Richmond’s players, along with all other volleyball players in the state, will be required to wear a mask during competitive play against Purnell Swett High School on Tuesday.

It’s been recommended that disposable masks may be better for helping student-athletes breath more effectively during competition. Larsen said Richmond’s players were given both disposable and cloth masks.

Larsen also shared photos on the team’s Instagram account Friday of herself and assistant coaches Madelyn Chappell and Melissa Dennis wearing masks, reminding her players to do the same.

“With the recent and continuing rise in COVID-19 numbers across the state, and upon advisement from the Governor’s health advisors, DHHS and the Sports Medicine Advisory Committee (SMAC), the NCHSAA Board of Directors implemented a mask mandate for all individuals involved in indoor skill development activities as well as volleyball practice and contests,” commissioner Que Tucker said in a statement.

“We believe that this is a necessary and safe step to control the spread of COVID-19 in our programs.”

The statement added that only volleyball and cross country are “currently in-season.” All other sports are in off-season periods and can only participate in skill development sessions. Tucker reiterated that skill development sessions “are not practice” and that no decision has been made to require masks during basketball practice, which begins on Dec. 7. 

“After two weeks of practice, several volleyball teams across the state are in quarantine and will not start their competitive seasons on time due to COVID-19 exposure,” Tucker said. “With approximately 400 volleyball teams and nearly that number of cross country teams actively participating across the state at this time, we believe it is our responsibility to do all we can to keep this number as low as possible. 

“The mask mandate for all indoor skill development activities is the most effective way we currently have to mitigate the risk of infection, while allowing opportunities for athletic participation to continue.”



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Kyle Pillar is a 22-time North Carolina Press Association award-winning sports editor with The Richmond Observer. Follow the sports department on X @ROSports_ for the best in-depth coverage of Richmond County sports.