Spring athletics update
Skidmore College Athletics is prioritizing health and safety as it works toward allowing teams to return to practice and competition during the spring semester.
“The Athletic Department is fully committed to providing the best possible experience for our student-athletes and teams,” said Gail Cummings-Danson, Skidmore assistant vice president for student affairs and director of Athletics.
Student-athletes will be tested weekly for COVID-19 throughout the semester, as all students on campus are, and athletes who participate in sports classified by the NCAA as high-risk (basketball and ice hockey) will complete additional testing.
For the first week of the spring semester, Skidmore will operate in “safe shelter” mode, meaning students are asked to only leave their residences to attend in-person classes or for medical appointments or emergencies. For the first two weeks of the semester, students will be tested twice weekly.
“After Skidmore has successfully moved through the “safe shelter” mode, we anticipate that our campus climate will be safe to have teams resume their practice and tentative competition schedules,” Cummings-Danson said.
Winter teams are scheduled to resume practice on Feb. 15. Spring teams are scheduled to start practice on March 1, and fall teams are scheduled to begin practice on March 17.
The department continues to work to identify ways in which each program can resume competitive opportunities.
“The student-athlete experience is a crucial part of Skidmore College,” said Skidmore President Marc Conner. “Our student-athletes comprise 20 percent of our student body and we are committed to doing all we can to support them as we support all of our students.”
Skidmore will continue to monitor developments and health guidelines and make any necessary adjustments to the plan.
“We’ve worked so hard this fall and winter to enable teams to still practice and train together and to have that team experience,” added Conner. “And we continue to hold out hope that our spring sports can hold competitions, and that even this winter some of our teams can hold a few games if health and safety will allow.”
Competition schedules will be posted on team webpages on the Skidmore Athletics website as they become available.