By Tracy R. MeslerTwo-a-days for local high

school students may start ontimeafter last week’s an-nouncement by the Univer-sity Interscholastic League,but there will be majorchanges on the high schoolsports landscape this yearunder Covid-19 guidelines.

“I’m trying to get a DC(District Committee) meetingtogether for Tuesday aswe’ve got a lot of questionsto answer,” said Athletic Di-rector Rick Weaver Saturdayafter digesting the numerouschanges UIL has decreed forfootball, volleyball andcross-country – NHS’s pri-mary fall sports.

Fans will see the most im-mediate impact, but playersand coaches will as well.

Besides the fact thateveryone, except the players,will be required to wear facemasks or full face shields, fanattendance will be limited.Cut in half, in fact.

“There won’t any walk-upticket sales. They’ll have tobe all pre-sales,” Weaver saidnoting UIL is requiring mem-ber schools in ensure thatnone of the facilities will ex-ceed 50 percent capacity.

“For us, we’ve got to de-cide what capacity is in thevisitor’s bleachers and then,say it’s City View, tell themthey have X number of tick-ets they can sell, and that’sit,” Weaver said.

The same applies for thehome stands. And the ques-tion of what to do with thefence walkers – those fanswho rarely, if ever, sit in thebleachers but line the fence –needs answering.

“That’s why I’m trying toget a meeting of the athleticdirectors and superintendentstogether so we can figure outsome of this stuff, how we’regoing to do it, get tickets toeach other,” he said.

For volleyball, the No-cona Lady Indians face amajor change. They areswitching gymnasiums. Allvarsity games will now beplayed in the high schoolgym rather than the middleschool gym to enable con-trolling the number of fans inattendance, and separatingvisitor and home crowds.

“We’re going to move thevarsity into the other gym sowe can separate the visitorsfrom the home stands,”Weaver explained.

“The freshmen and JVgames will take place in themiddle school gym. Thosecrowds never exceed 50 per-cent,” he commented.

An even more dramaticimpact is there will be NOvolleyball or basketball tour-naments this year. For volley-ball teams, tournamentscould account for as much as

40 percent of their totalgames and the critical gametime needed for player andteam development.

UIL did compensate, cut-ting the maximum number ofgames down to 29 and in-creasing the number of dualmatches – situations wherethree teams meet at one loca-tion and play each other –from one per week to twowith a two exception whereschools can play three dualsin a week, if two occur afterschool on Friday.

UIL has placed the burdenof pre-screening all fans forCovid-19, another issueWeaver noted he hopes theDistrict Committee can cometo a consensus on.

When UIL released itsguidelines for conducting fallcontests, it broke the stateinto two categories – thelarge schools, found almostexclusively in urban areas,Classifications 5A and 6A,and then the smaller schools,Classes 4A through 1A.

“I’m not sure how that’sgoing to work with some ofthese counties shuttingdown,” Weaver said, voicinga concerned that local Covid-19 restrictions might elimi-nate some school’s ability tohost games.

He noted that last weektwo medium sized countieshome to over 25 Class 1Athrough 4A schools, wereforced into tighter restrictionsbecause of outbreaks ofCovid-19.

“I’m not certain we’regoing to get to start on time,”Weaver admitted.

For the state’s volleyballand basketball programs, themajor change was there willbe no tournaments this year.

“That’s the big thing forher,” he said of NISD’s newhead volleyball coach TanyaSamples.

Another major impact ismonetary, specifically to theNocona Indian Booster Club.

“That Buckle Up (volley-ball) tournament was a bigfund raiser for the boosterclub and their scholarships,”Weaver warned. “I don’tknow how they’re going tomake that up.”

“Our booster club is goingto take a big hit this year,” henoted.

Then once Covid-19 hits aschool, or a team, the impactcould be significant, Weaversaid noting the coach orplayer must be symptom-freefor at least 72 hours at least10 days after testing positive.

“They could possibly missthe entire district (season) it,”he warned.

“We’re just going to haveto find the best way to dealwith it and deal with it,” hesummarized.

The only immediate im-

pact on the football schedulewas UIL’s dictates eliminatedthe first of the two scrim-mages set for the season, theAug. 14 meeting withWindthorst.

“The rest of our scheduleis the same,” Weaver com-mented.

For cross-country, thoserunners making it to regionaland state may be running inwinter weather as the date ofthe state meet was shifted tothe first weekend in Decem-ber with the regional meetmoved back to the weekendbefore Thanksgiving.

There will still be issuesof how to start cross-countrymeets as the “mob at theline” format where as manyas 200 runners are congre-gated at the starting line.“Cross country meets shouldconsider using staggaered,wave or interval starts,” UILstated.

A major change is a limiton the divisions running at ameet site at one time. Nocomingling of varsity, juniorvarsity and junior high divi-sions at a site. One groupingmust leave the site before theother can come on site tocompete. In other words, ifthe varsity boys and girls arerunning, the junior varsityteams cannot come onto thesite until the varsities havedeparted.

All of NHS’s coaches an-ticipate there will be addi-tions and modifications to theUIL guidelines and require-ments. But, like their players,Weaver noted they were justglad to have a start date andcould begin addressing theupcoming season.

The Nocona News, July 30, 2020, Page 5

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INVITATION FOR BIDS

INVITATION FOR BIDS

The Housing Authority of the City of Nocona, Texas will receive Bids for the Window Re-

placement Project Phase 2, Hobson St. site until 11:00 a.m. on August 21, 2020 at the Hous-

ing Authority Office at 400 Hobson Street in Nocona, Texas 76255, at which time and place

all bids will be publicly opened and read aloud.

Proposal forms of the Contract Documents, including Plans and Specifications, are on file at

the Office of the Housing Authority of the City of Nocona; and at the AGC of West Texas

Chapter, 3100 Seymour Hwy., Suite 214, Wichita Falls, TX 76301; Phone 940-322-0100.

Complete Bidding Documents prepared by James W. Dean Architect, LLC; may be obtained

from ARC Printing Services; 2220 W. Peter Smith St.; Suite 100; Fort Worth, Texas 76102;

Phone: 817-332-9704; upon receipt of $50.00 for each set of documents. Such deposit will

be refunded to each Bidder who submits a Bid and returns the Plans, Specifications in

GOOD CONDITION within ten (10) days shall receive their Plan Deposit. Contract Docu-

ments are available to Subcontractors, including Material Suppliers, etc. on a “cost-of-print-

ing” basis (which will not be refundable). Questions regarding this procurement shall be

directed to the Architect: James W. Dean Architect, LLC; Email:

jwd.architect.tx@gmail.com.

A Certified Check payable to The Housing Authority of the City of Nocona; US. Govern-

ment Bonds; or a satisfactory Bid Bond in an amount equal to five percent (5%) of the Bid

shall be submitted with each Bid.

The successful Bidder will be required to furnish and pay for satisfactory Performance and

Payment Bonds and provide Certificates of Insurance for Workers’ Comp, Commercial Lia-

bility, Insurance on Owned and Non-Owned Vehicles used on site, and Builders Risk as out-

lined in the specs. (See Instructions to Bidders for Contracts, form HUD-5369, page 3 of 4).

Attention is called to the provisions for Equal Employment Opportunity, and payment of not

less than the minimum salaries and wages as set forth in the Specifications (Davis-Bacon

Wage Determination) must be paid on the Project.

A PRE-BID CONFERENCE will be held on Friday, August 7, 2020 at 11:00 AM; at the No-

cona Housing Authority Office at 400 Hobson Street in Nocona, Texas. Attendance at the

pre-bid conference is encouraged in order to assist the Bidders in preparing the Bid.

The Housing Authority of the City of Nocona reserves the right to reject any or all Bids or to

waive any informalities in the Bidding.

No Bid Shall be withdrawn for a period of sixty (60) days subsequent to the opening of Bids

without the consent of The Housing Authority of the City of Nocona.

THE HOUSING AUTHORITY OF THE

CITY OF NOCONA

By Ms. Samantha Barger

Executive Director

Dated: July 22, 2020 8-3tc

—Photo by Tracy MeslerTanya Samples, the Lady Indians’ new head volleyball coach, watches as senior Averee Kleinhans attacks the ball during

conditioning drills Thursday as they prepare for the start of fall practice on Aug. 3. Pictured, from left, seniors Jessica

Dingler and Laci Stone, junior libero Makenna Nobile, freshman setter Skyler Smith, junior, and senior Sydni Messer.

Summer drills . . .Major impacts

UIL issuesCovid rulesfor fall sports