South is moving into the digital age, and with it, a major shift is happening in the way student-athletes prove their eligibility to play in our athletic program. The long-standing system of physical gold cards, a paper that confirms a student’s completed medical physical and emergency contact information/insurance, is being switched out in favor of an online system set to launch in the fall.
Since before 2006, coaches at South have carried gold cards to practices and games as a way to ensure that every athlete is eligible to participate according to their physical and has emergency information available at all times. The transition to a digital format aims to quicken this process while addressing concerns about lost or misplaced cards. Athletic Director Andy Rishmawi explained that while the current system isn’t necessarily flawed, it is outdated, and moving to a digital platform could help improve efficiency for both athletes and staff.
“The idea is good, it still works,” Rishmawi said. “But can we streamline it? Can we make it a little more efficient? Yes, we’re looking into that.”
The shift comes after a recent conference where school officials decided that South would adopt a new online portal, ‘Big Teams Student Central’. This system will allow students and parents to create linked accounts, upload required physical forms and track eligibility. The transition will shift responsibility onto students and parents, rather than the school’s athletic department manually processing physical copies. Secretary of the Athletic Director, Kristen Stovall, said that she has not seen the gold cards flawed but that the new online system doesn’t have to be an insane change.
“Coaches could just download a PDF, that way in the event there isn’t Wi-Fi, they still can look at a picture on their phone,” Stovall said. “It could also be printed off for people that still like paper.”
For some coaches, however, the move to digital has triggered uncertainty upon some. Shaun Hampton, who coaches girls golf and lacrosse, believes the gold card process has worked well over the years and isn’t sure that a digital platform will be as effective.
“Where am I going to find the file? Who’s going to be in charge of storing the digitalization? How am I supposed to know if it’s on file or not?” Hampton said. “Yeah, it’s a little inconvenient that I have to carry a folder of the hard guard bulge parts, but at least I know where they are. I know how to access them in the event of an emergency.”
One of the biggest concerns with the traditional gold card system has been the occasional issue of cards not being turned in or being lost. Coaches are required to keep the cards with them at all times during games and practices in the case of an emergency.
“In emergency situations, you want to make sure that you can access who you need as quickly as you can,” Rishmawi said. “The new system will allow coaches to pull up information quickly and reduce the risk of lost cards.”
