Posted on Friday, December 18, 2020
Panther athletes may have gotten an early Christmas present from the USA South when the conference announced tentative plans to resume sports in the spring.
But that gift could come with a price tag because most teams will require extensive testing throughout the season to ensure student-athlete safety.
The NCAA has placed all sports into categories based upon risk of transmission. Each of these levels (low, intermediate and high) has different surveillance testing requirements. “Surveillance” testing applies to asymptomatic students, coaches, athletic trainers and contest officials.
President Susanna Baxter said the situation still remains very fluid.
“Of course, our main concern is the health and safety of our students,” she said. “Please know these plans with college sports and COVID-19 change daily – sometimes hourly. We will be in constant contact with our student-athletes and their families as athletic decisions are made.”
Updates will be posted on the Panthers’ website http://www.lagrangepanthers.com/landing/index
and USA South’s site. http://www.usasouth.net/landing/index
This information is based on current NCAA guidelines for sports, USA South Conference rules and information from the CDC and local health department, she said.
According to the current proposal, low-contact/low-risk sports will be permitted to compete in spring 2021 without surveillance testing. The sports in this category include beach volleyball, cross country, golf, swimming and tennis.
Intermediate-risk sports include baseball, lacrosse, soccer, softball and indoor volleyball. Indoor volleyball players will be required to wear masks. Surveillance testing is required every couple of weeks for intermediate sports.
High-transmission sports include basketball and football and have the most strenuous testing requirements. Surveillance testing is required that includes 1 PCR test or 3 antigen (rapid) tests per week. PCR examinations detect RNA (genetic material) that is specific to the virus and can detect its presence within days of infection, even in those who have no symptoms.
Dr. Baxter said the college has been undergoing a testing pilot program for basketball players during the month of December.
“We are utilizing rapid antigen tests with an 88.4% accuracy rate administered through our Nursing faculty and senior Nursing students under the training and supervision of the WeCare Clinic,” she said.
But finding funds for that testing is a challenge.
“Some institutions have been able to work with state and local agencies to help offset the high cost of testing,” she said. “In the State of Georgia, colleges and universities have to work with the private sector for testing. Our staff is working tirelessly to find affordable testing in the area.”
Some institutions are passing along the price of testing to students by filing the costs through the student’s health insurance, while others have canceled seasons.
“If LaGrange College were to pass the testing costs along to the students, it would mean submitting approximately $130 per antigen test to their health insurance plan,” Dr. Baxter said. “For the high transmission sports, this is nearly $400 a week. The college has no plans to charge students for testing, even if that means we have to cancel a season for a team.”
But that funding has to come from somewhere.
“We are working diligently to raise money to help offset the costs of testing as we evaluate the efficacy of our pilot testing program,” Dr. Baxter said.
Donations to the Panther Club will help the Athletics Department with needed resources.
“I’m really proud of the great strides our department and our student-athletes have made to adhere to all the policies and procedures designed to keep everybody safe,” said Athletic Director Jennifer Claybrook.
“We have all come together and are working hard to continue prioritizing everyone’s health,” she said. “I ask you to join us in this team effort to get our Panthers back in action.”
Visit http://l0jb.kongtiao11.com/giving/panther-club/join.html to make a donation today.
To read the current plan from USA South, visit here.
http://www.lagrangepanthers.com/general/2020-21/releases/20201204ikc5hu
Best-selling author and LC alum Terry Kay ’59, H ’99 passed away Dec. 12 after a brief battle with cancer. He was 82. Kay graduated from LaGrange in 1959 with a degree in social science. He was a passionate supporter of the college, returning to campus several times as a speaker. In 1996, he was named to the Wall of Outstanding Alumni and was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters. His commencement address in 2003, “Do It Right,” was so powerful that it was published. A copy of the speech is available in Suber Archives in Lewis Library. Read more here.
Still need a stocking stuffer? Don’t forget our LC masks are still available. Visit to order one for someone special. They are even John Wesley-approved!
This is the final @lagrange for 2020. We will resume publication on Jan. 8.
Epic Games: Women’s Basketball outlasts previously undefeated Ferrum, 69-66, in overtime.
http://www.lagrangepanthers.com/sports/wbkb/2020-21/releases/20201215kw178l
Songwriting instructor and multiple Dove Award-winner Babbie Mason performs during this year’s Service of Nine Lessons and Carols.
The complete performance is available on the college’s YouTube channel through December.
State Court judge celebrates retirement – LaGrange Daily News, Dec. 11,2020
http://www.lagrangenews.com/2020/12/11/state-court-judge-celebrates-retirement/
'He will live on in those books': Georgia author Terry Kay remembered by colleagues, friends – Athens Banner-Herald, Dec. 16, 2020
Terry Kay, author of ‘To Dance With the White Dog,’ dies – Federal News Network, Dec. 13, 2020
Terry Kay, Georgia’s prizewinning accidental author, dies at 82 – Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Dec. 13, 2020
Category: Community, Students, College
Keywords: athletics sports spring COVID
