RUSSELLVILLE - When the Missouri State High School Activities Association announced it was relaxing its limit on contact days for student-athletes this summer, Russellville track and field coach Sean Lovelace had an idea.
Since there were no high school track and field meets this spring because of the coronavirus pandemic, he wanted to give athletes an opportunity to compete against each other this summer.
"As the COVID hit and MSHSAA relaxed some of the rules for the spring sports to have some events throughout the summer, we were wanting to go to some AAU-type meets," Lovelace said. "However, we just decided that we were going to host our own."
Russellville will host the first of three track and field meets tonight in the Russellville High School Summer Series. Signups will be held from 4:30-5:30 p.m., field events will start at 5:30 p.m. and running events will start at 6:15 p.m.
"I've had questions from people down south in Springfield, all the way over to St. Louis," Lovelace said. "I just got off the phone with a coach in Illinois, and I've heard from schools up north.
"It has made its way around the state. We'll definitely have a good group of kids."
The entry fee for athletes to compete is $5, and like a typical high school track and field meet, each athlete can enter in up to four events. However, one exception to the entry fee is it will be waived for seniors from the class of 2020.
"We'll have a MSHSAA official as a starter," Lovelace said. "Those entry fees are to cover our costs, because we have to pay our timers and things like that. This isn't a moneymaker, it's an opportunity to let the kids get out and compete."
Lovelace was especially pleased to see MSHSAA give seniors a waiver to compete in high school events this summer.
"You coach these kids from seventh grade on up, and you want to see them compete," Lovelace said. "Their best year is usually their senior year, and you want to have that available to them. By doing this, it allows those kids that really want to compete and have one last time in the uniform."
Speaking of athletes wearing their uniforms
"Most of the teams already have their uniforms stocked away, so they can wear whatever they want," Lovelace said. "Some of the rules are going to be a little more relaxed in regard to uniforms."
Lovelace said times and distances will be recorded like it's a typical high school track and field meet. However, team scores will not be recorded.
"With relays, if kids from different schools want to compete in a relay, we're more than happy to let them do so," Lovelace said. "If they want to do mixed gender, they can. It's just going to be a fun way to get out there and get some kids to compete together.
"I know there's a school in Cape Girardeau that's trying to break a school record, so he's bringing his kids up the last two meets to compete for the record."
Lovelace resumed practice for his Russellville track and field athletes the second week of June, nearly three months after spring practices were halted by coronavirus. He said his athletes have been practicing three times a week this summer to prepare for the Summer Series.
"Getting at least 10 practices in would be enough to get everything back to semi-normal," Lovelace said. "It's a little bit better now in the summer, as the weather is much warmer and dealing with injuries in cold weather is a foregone memory."
Track and field is just one of several high school sports that compete during the summer, which has kept Russellville from getting its entire track and field team together.
"We're at about 40-45 kids normally (during the high school season)," Lovelace said. "We're going to have 10-15 kids competing, hopefully more, and as the meets progress, we'll hopefully get more."
Track and field is a sport that will allow for social distancing, aside from instances such as baton handoffs in relays or the starting line for the 100-meter dash.
"It's spread out here, so you can go all the way around the track," Lovelace said. "We're going to try to practice social distancing as best we can. Athletes have to bring their own water bottles, things like that.
"Track is more of a sport that's spread out, there isn't a lot of contact. Maybe in some of the races you'll have incidental contact, but it's a good sport that, in this time, can be done."
Lovelace said he would "love to see over 100 kids" competing in tonight's meet, but if an athlete can't attend, other meets in the Summer Series will be held July 17 and July 24.
Tonight won't be like a typical first track meet of the season, when athletes tend to battle against cold and windy weather in late March. If anything, the weather will feel more like they're competing at the state track and field championships in late May.
"Everybody is going to be competing for good times and good distances," Lovelace said. "We're going to have a good time and let them compete."