AAU GULF DISTRICT 2021 MEET GUIDELINES Required COVID-19 guidelines to implement for 2021 Track & Field Season: 1. Athlete Pre-Registration Required i. All participating and competing Athletes, Coaches, and Officials must be registered AAU members. ii. All teams must pre-register athletes using CoachO or other meet Management system with AAU membership verification capability iii. No “Walk Up” or non-registered Athlete participation will be allowed. 2. Mask & Face Covering Requirements i. All Athletes, Coaches, and spectators must wear masks upon arrival to the facility. ii. All spectators and athletes in attendance MUST wear masks during the course of the event when physical distancing of 6 feet or more is not possible iii. ALL meet Administrators, Officials, and Meet management staff must wear face coverings at all times during the management of the meet when Social Distancing is not possible. It is recommended that host teams have available disposable masks on site if requested by attendees. iv. If health conditions prevent anyone from wearing a mask, they should be encouraged to remain in the parking lot and away from the event. This will help protect the safety and well-being of all others in attendance 3. On-Site Athlete Check-in Process: i. Teams may only check-in one (1) age group/division at a time. All other athletes may not be in check-in area until they are called by meet administrator. ii. Athletes MUST proceed directly to the staging area after check-in. iii. Athletes check-in and staging process must be completed before teams will begin checking in the next Division/Age Group iv. Teams are required to provide/supply medically recommended hand sanitizer at all check-in, staging, timing, and administrative stations v. Athletes and coaches in designated Warm-up areas are required to wear face coverings or mask whenever 6-foot social distancing is not possible. 4. Meet Staging Areas i. Teams will utilize a separate staging area large enough to allow social distancing of a minimum of 6 feet for all competing athletes. ii. Only competing athletes should be allowed in the “staging area.” iii. Athletes 10 years and up in the staging area must wear face covering/mask iv. The maximum number of athletes permitted into a staging area will be determined by its size and number of athletes competing in each event. (See Starting Line Requirements Below). v. Meet Administrators will need to escort each group or individual to the starting line from the staging area in order to avoid athlete incidental contact. 5. Starting Line, Finish Line Requirements/Limitations i. Meet management will ensure that only 1 (one) heat of athletes is brought to the finish line at a time. ii. There will be a maximum of 8 athletes at the starting line in lane assigned events. There will be a maximum of 15 athletes at the start of “waterfall” or open lane events. iii. It is recommended that the Finish Line be completely cleared before the next heat of athletes are staged at the Start line. iv. Meet Management, Officials, and Volunteers should have no direct physical interaction with incoming runners unless it is determined to be a medical or confrontational emergency or the runner appears to be incapacitated v. Hydration provided by the host team at the Finish Line must be in individually sealed containers and accessible by incoming athletes without Administrator assistance 6. Athlete Post-Competition i. Only one age group/Division will be allowed in the competition area at a time. ii. After their event, athletes must leave the competition area entirely before the next heat is called iii. Athletes are asked to immediately leave the competition area after they have completed their event. If athlete escort is necessary, it should be done by meet medical staff, team member, or guardian of the athlete only 7. No Group Medal or Award Ceremony May be Held in Competition Area i. Coaches or athlete parent/guardian will need to pick up athlete medals after their event or at the conclusion of the meet. Other arrangements may be made with the meet host to arrange medal pick-up. 8. Parent/Spectators Access Guidelines i. Teams are requested to minimize the number of parents or spectators for each athlete who are allowed to attend. (Recommendation of 2 per athlete.) ii. Parents, Coaches, or Spectators will not be allowed on the field or in any of the Track & Field competition areas. iii. All attendees cheering from the outer perimeter of the Track or field event area, are required to wear Face covering and Social Distance at all times. This is the safest way for cheering spectators/parents to be allowed at meets. iv. Parents or spectators for any athlete may be asked to leave the competitive area after their athlete has completed his/her event v. Teams, Coaches, and Spectators are discouraged from setting up “Team Tent Camps. If tents are set up, there must be a minimum 10-foot distance between each “unassociated” team tent or camp area. 9. Host Team Event Concession Guidelines i. Host teams will not be allowed to internally sell, distribute, or provide any perishable or “prepared food” concessions to meet attendees. ii. Any host team provided concessions must be hermetically or factory sealed and distributed by individuals wearing all appropriate mitigation PPE. Including, face covering/mask and gloves. Carry in and Carry out will be allowed as it applies to attendees food and drinks. iii. Athletes, coaches, spectators, and volunteers are encouraged to bring their own water bottles/sports drink. iv. Meet Host should consider using food trucks or licensed 3rd party vendors that will adhere to CDC, State, and local guideline for food service as an alternate option. Food truck vendors must be fully licensed and permitted by local jurisdictions…ie, City, County, or State permit. 10. Sanitation Requirements i. Teams will supply Hand Sanitizer at all operational Stations within the facility including but not limited to Check-In area, Staging Area, Starting Line, Finish Line, hydration area, Medals area, Vendor/Concession area and Restrooms ii. Restrooms shall be made available only if Facility or Host team has dedicated personnel to maintain and disinfect restrooms during intermittent periods not to exceed periods greater than once per hour. 11. Reporting Requirements i. If anyone in attendance of the event experiences symptoms or falls ill after the conclusion of the meet, Coaches, parents or athlete representatives will notify the meet Director making them aware of a potential positive COVID-19 diagnosis. Those individuals who would have been in contact with the COVID-19 athlete will be notified in the case of a positive test result. It is important that all AAU Gulf District teams/members who wish to host or attend an AAU Gulf District licensed Track & Field event adhere to these guidelines as written. The safety and wellbeing of our athletes, coaches, parents, all meet attendees is our utmost priority. It is extremely important that all teams and meet host make every effort to comply with these guidelines. AAU Gulf District Track & Field Meet hosts or licensed events that are unable or refuse to comply with these guidelines will be suspended, postponed, or cancelled. Thank you very much for your cooperation, support, and participation with AAU Sports.