*UPDATED* COVID-19 & Student-Athletes in the Coming School Year

Update – 7/21/2020: The NSAA has announced that they plan to begin the 2020 fall sports season as currently scheduled and will not postpone any events at this time and have recommended that all NSAA teams take steps to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Original post:

Every year, student athletes in Nebraska are required to have completed a Preparticipation Physical Evaluation (PPE) to be eligible for team sports in the coming year. For Nebraska School Activities Association (NSAA) member schools, the requirements will be different for the coming 2020-2021 seasons due to COVID-19 precautions.

The NSAA voted unanimously that any PPEs completed for the 2019-2020 will carry-over for the 2020-2021 seasons. This exemption will not apply to incoming freshmen who wish to participate in team sports. Freshmen and anyone who did not have a PPE completed for the 2019-2020 season, will still need to submit eligible PPE forms that were completed after May 1st, 2020.

As of June 1st, the NSAA has allowed voluntary strength and conditioning sessions to resume while also taking social distancing guidelines into consideration. A list of the NSAA’s summer training requirements can be viewed here.

Why do I need a sports physical?
Sports physicals are required for team sports because they ensure that an athlete can perform in the sport while limiting risk of injury. This includes identifying any problem areas that could cause an injury if not addressed like previous injuries, vision, hearing, etc.

Benefits of a Wellness Exam
At our family care clinic in Seward we can do a wellness exam which covers everything in a sports physical plus address vaccines, mental health, and dive deeper into wellness. Why is this beneficial? Wellness exams are fully covered by most major insurance plans meaning that they come with no cost to you and it can count as your sports physical. A wellness exam also covers areas a sports physical may not such as vaccines and behavior.

Wellness exams also creates strong, trustworthy relationship between the provider, parent and child. A team approach helps develop optimal physical, mental, and social health of your child beyond the scope of sports.