With various COVID restrictions and protocols in place because of the pandemic, halftime activities and gatherings for local high-school football teams are different during these times.
First, most breaks have been cut from 15 to 10 minutes. Also, the teams don’t leave the field area to assemble inside of a locker room or the school building as they often have in the past.
Instead, the teams remain on the field, meeting in separate end zones or in a far corner of the venue. Some even stay around the bench area, meeting and chatting there.
Keeping the players on the field and out of buildings and rooms is all about proper social distancing. Since the teams and players have a shorter distance to walk for their halftime meetings, the time for the break has been reduced.
Maybe that change can be permanent, as we have found a 10-minute break is plenty long enough.
We’ll see what happens.
– Dave Facinoli
dfacinoli@sungazette.net
