State meet to be extended to two days

ALBUQUERQUE — The New Mexico prep cross country season, under normal circumstances, would have begun by now.

But this is far from a normal season thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the season will be marked by a delayed start and meets specifically designed to limit gatherings.

New Mexico Activities Executive Director Sally Marquez, via an interview released by the association on Monday, said the state cross country meet would be extended to two days and four races, double the normal amount.

Marquez said that change, and others in regular season meets, are intended to limit the amount of students gathered in a race. A normal cross country state meet features 120-150 athletes on the starting line.

“We cannot have the massive amounts on the starting line; we cannot congregate all of those kids,” Marquez said. “(We) are going to have a lot of meets that have staggered times, so kids run and they leave the course and somebody else runs.”

The NMAA plans to start volleyball, cross country and fall golf on Oct. 5. Cross country championships are Nov. 13-14, volleyball championships are Dec. 7-12 and the fall golf season is a run-up to the spring championships June 21-22.

When the cross country championship does take place, other measures will ensure a smaller field. A team will be limited to five runners, compared to seven in years past. Also, each district is only allowed to send two teams instead of three.

Other matters addressed by Marquez included:

• A reminder that 14-day quarantines are still required for athletes and families that travel out of state, and noted many student-athletes are in club sports that feature travel across state lines.

• A mental health awareness campaign with wellness Wednesdays starting this week. Marquez said the NMAA had begun thinking about mental health awareness before the pandemic and began training with the New Mexico Department of Health. During the summer, Marquez noted an uptick in depression without the normal offseason sports schedules.

The effort would include crisis lines and attempts to eliminate the stigma of mental health.

“It’s a great time” Marquez said, “to say, ‘You matter, and we are going to play sports again.’”

• A clarification on the most recent state public health order, which increased the definition of a mass gathering from five people to 10. Marquez said the order did not change workout guidelines for the NMAA, which falls under youth recreation. Until further notice, a maximum 5:1 student-to-coach ratio still remains for workouts.