Shelburne Vets in limbo while current situation is assessed

Written By BRIAN LOCKHART

The Centre Dufferin Recreation Complex would normally be gearing up for the start of lacrosse season.

However, with all sports and recreation venues now closed tight, the Shelburne Vets minor lacrosse club may see their entire season evaporate as there is currently no predicted date as to when the arena, or any other public venue, may once again be open to the public.

“We would normally be on the floor now for a season start at the end of April,” said Barry Trood, president of Shelburne Vets Minor Lacrosse. “We usually have two or three weeks of just getting going and having practices and having the players getting their hockey bugs out. We usually start at the end of March. That's all been put on hold until May 15, and frankly, I think even that's a stretch. We're waiting to get more direction from the OLA (Ontario Lacrosse Association). We obviously just can't start ourselves. The OLA has a board of directors that is giving out information.”

The season normally finishes the first week of August.

“All we can do is wait,” Trood said. “We have to have a rink to play out of and that's closed, so we can't do anything in that regard. With the season, in terms of minor lacrosse, finishing in the first week of August, we're looking at a really short season even if it goes.”

There is a possibility of starting late and having a shorter season but that all depends on what happens in the next few weeks.

“It's a possibility,” Trood said of organizing a shorter summer schedule. “But we can't do that unless it comes down from the OLA.

The short schedule would mean a hasty tryout period for potential players.

This year the Vets were planning on having six divisions on the floor ranging from the little ones in the Paperweight division right up to the Midget level.

Extending the season to run later during the summer also presents a problem as many municipalities put the ice back into their arenas to accommodate the start of pre-season hockey training and tryouts which would put and end to any lacrosse activities.

Lacrosse isn't the only sport on hold right now.

Currently they are no sanctioned sports across the province with all public, and most if not all private, sports venues currently closed.