One week of practice before starting the prep football and volleyball seasons in Minnesota may not be enough for students to avoid serious injuries.
Dr. Marc Tompkins of Tria Orthopedics says everyone, the kids, their parents, and coaches, shouldn’t be concerned with moving forward at full speed when the games finally start in early October.
“Be patient, and also, be careful in terms of ramping up,” Dr. Tompkins told WCCO’s Cory Hepola. “Don’t expect to go from zero-to-60 right away.”
An early indicator in how the lack of drills could lead to problems is the number of serious injuries suffered by NFL players in the first two weeks of the season… a season that did not include full training camp or exhibition games.
That includes Vikings linebacker Anthony Barr, a player not considered injury-prone who’ll miss the rest of the season with a torn pectoral muscle.
“People aren’t getting enough reps and exposure to the speed of the game or the force of the game, especially in a contact sport like football,” said Dr. Tompkins. “It’s hard to prepare for those things if you don’t get the reps.”
Minnesota high school student-athletes already are in the middle of heightened concerns because of the coronavirus pandemic.
A shorter than usual run-up to regular-season competition adds to the anxiety.
Instead of several weeks of practice, football and volleyball players can't start official drills until Monday.
As outlined by the Minnesota State High School League when they voted to stage the two sports in the fall instead of moving to the spring because of COVID-19, the games start the following week on Oct. 8 for volleyball, with football openers on either Oct. 9 or 10.
“Performance on the field may not be quite the same,” Dr. Tompkins said. “The coaches may want to be careful with how they’re playing, the duration and the load that the players are carrying.”
Dr. Thompkins said the more everyone can be patient with the process of 2020 fall sports, the more likely they can avoid injury.