2020-21 Athletics Updates

Head of Athletics Dan Gill sent out the following update regarding upper school strength and conditioning on Monday, December 7:

There will be strength and conditioning sessions offered for off-season athletes available throughout the winter break. The dates and times of those sessions will be sent out to the students by Phil Mosley, Director of Sports Performance.

PAST STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING UPDATES (WINTER)

Building on the success of the fall sports sessions, voluntary strength and conditioning sessions for winter sport athletes will start Monday, November 2. There will be one session offered Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 4:15-5:15 p.m. Students can sign up for sessions by clicking here. In the case of inclement weather, sessions will be canceled.

• Sessions will take place on the ESD Baseball Field.
• Athletes will need to wear a mask to the training session. Masks will not be required during physical activity.
• Athletes should bring their own reusable water bottle.
• Participants must print, fill out, and sign the COVID-19 Release Form linked here, and bring it to the first session. If this release form is not signed, the student will not be allowed to participate. Please note, this form only needs to be filled out once prior to the first session.

PAST STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING UPDATES (FALL)

Our voluntary strength and conditioning workouts continue, however starting on Monday, September 14, we will transition to sport-specific groupings. Workouts will continue to run from 4:00-5:00 p.m.

Teams will meet at the following locations:

• Jones Family Stadium: Football
• Founders' Field: Volleyball and Field Hockey
• Baseball Field: Cross Country, Crew, and Cheer

Students should continue to sign up for sessions using our sign up genius link, as sessions will be capped based on spaces available on each field. In the case of inclement weather, sessions will be canceled.

All other protocols and processes remain in place. Please click here to review and remember, all students must have an up-to-date physical on file with the school and all first-time participants must turn in these forms: COVID-19 Release  and Student Requirements Form.

Update as of January 29: 

As we conclude our condensed winter season, spring middle school sports for grades 7 and 8 will begin on Monday, February 8 and finish on Friday, May 14.

We will not play outside competition, competing only in-house. Your students will be coached by the traditional middle school coaches with a background in that sport. The coaches will teach fundamentals and techniques of each sport in a progressive sequence, which will be a foundation preparing them for high school athletics. While we will not be playing games, our coaches will hold intra-squad scrimmages to get them game experience.

If you have reservations about your child playing a team sport, they can be placed into our ESD Fit program. This will be a socially-distant strength and conditioning program.

Frequently Asked Questions:

• Where and how do athletes change each day?
  • Students will continue as they have done for PE. They will have access to change in the bathrooms if needed.  
• What should students do with equipment during the day?
  • We will have designated spaces for each team.
• How will teams be selected?
  • Teams will be divided by grade level for contact tracing purposes.
• Will athletes have to wear masks during practice?
  • Yes, all athletes and coaches should have masks on at all times, as is the current policy for PE.
• What happens if a middle school athlete tests positive for COVID?
  • The health and safety committee will be notified, and they will begin contact tracing. The training staff will communicate the next steps in the process to those involved.

PAST UPDATES:

Update as of December 17: Seventh and eighth grade athletics will start upon our return from winter break. A condensed winter season will run from January 5 - February 5.

• Teams will take part in practices and intersquad games only. There will be no games with outside schools during the winter season.
• Team practices and intersquad games will take place from 2:45-3:45 p.m. every day, excluding Days 4 and 6.
• Students will be picked up at 4:00 p.m. on the Merrell side of campus after MS Athletics (every day excluding Days 4 and 6).

In addition to team sports, a general PE option will still be offered during this time and will most likely be more socially distant than the team sport options.

More information to come.
 

October 30: Our middle school students will continue with the current PE model until the Christmas break, with hopes of beginning middle school sport-specific instruction after we return to campus in January.

The current schedule allows all middle school students to have a 30-minute organized physical activity each day, however, it is not conducive to having middle school athletics, as students are kept in their same small groups for all of their classes and PE periods are currently held in the middle of the school day. Middle school administrators are currently in the process of developing a schedule that would allow for middle school athletics at the end of the day, as was the case previously. Please contact Middle School Athletic Coordinator Jay Sothoron with any questions.

Update as of October 30: Our middle school students will continue with the current PE model until the Christmas break. The current schedule allows all middle school students to have a 30-minute organized physical activity each day.

UPPER SCHOOL ATHLETICS

On August 21, the Southwestern Preparatory Conference (SPC) canceled the fall athletic season. Disappointing news to all of us, ESD and several SPC schools are working together in hopes of scheduling games. Although much will depend on the health conditions in and around Dallas, we are optimistic that our fall teams will have the opportunity to compete in the coming weeks and months.

Update as of October 2: Fall athletic competition schedules have been decided upon and released to upper school families. Varsity and JV team members of fall sports may now visit their Team Page for schedules and more information.

Update as of September 12: This week, athletic administrators from our North Zone SPC peer schools have agreed upon dates which, should health conditions continue to improve, give our athletes an opportunity for competition. The schedule allows for a phased-in return to practice and competition that will only occur if our community maintains health protocols and a low infection rate. Your cooperation with our processes is mandatory if we wish to be part of this effort.

Here is the timeline:

• Week of September 14: Continued Strength and Conditioning grouped by teams (click here for details)
• Week of September 21: Small group skill instruction by sport 
• Week of September 28: Small group skill instruction continues (with the introduction of helmets in football)
• Week of October 5: Full team practices
• Week of October 12: Competitions begin

We are entering this process cautiously. Our ability to follow this phased-in return relies on good decision making. We draw your attention particularly to the daily decisions we make about going to work or school. By erring on the side of staying home when we are feeling any COVID-19 symptom, each of us will be safeguarding our community's overall health and increasing the chances of our return to the extra-curricular activities we all enjoy either as participants or fans.

Thank you for your patience as we navigate these challenging circumstances.

MIDDLE SCHOOL P.E. AND ATHLETICS

When we return to campus, the COVID-adjusted schedule allows all middle school students to have a 30-minute organized physical activity each day. Since locker rooms or gym lockers will be unavailable for use during this time, middle school has adjusted its uniform policy. Please check the Middle School Getting Ready page for details.

School-sponsored sports begin at ESD in seventh grade. Due to the pandemic, middle school athletics at ESD, and at the majority of our peer schools, are postponed until further notice. Our hope is athletics will be able to begin should health conditions improve and opportunities to compete with our peer schools become available. Additional questions regarding seventh and eighth-grade sports should be directed towards each sport's program director.

Our strong recommendation is that students do not participate in outside (non-ESD sanctioned) athletic programs at this time.  However, this is a family choice and it is not within the school’s purview to dictate these decisions for ESD families. Please know that the more our community limits or eliminates activities outside of our school community, the better chance we have of achieving our shared goal of keeping students on campus.