Time to consider alternative ideas to replace summer sports

April 16, 2020 · 0 Comments

Written By BRIAN LOCKHART

It may be time to start considering some alternative activities for your children this summer.

If your kids usually sign up for summer league sports, there is now a good chance that many leagues are going to write off the season.

We are now moving into the months where pre-season tryouts normally start for rep teams in baseball, soccer and lacrosse.

The tryouts for rep have all been put on hold, with no real estimate of when they could resume.

Even regular house league activities are at a stand still.

While league executives would normally be putting teams together and working on a schedule, they have not been allowed to meet to hash things outs.

Some leagues may attempt to start up during the summer with a shortened season however leagues that are dependent on arenas to play their sport will have to wait until municipalities decide it is safe to once again open the facilities to the public.

The Centre Dufferin Recreation Complex is currently closed with no estimate of a date that it may re-open as of yet.

That includes the pool at the Recreation Complex.

The Complex Facebook page states “the CDRC is gong to delay swimming lesson / program registration to a later date. More information will be posted over the coming weeks as to when registration will be open on-line.”

With so much uncertainty, some summer programs have already been cancelled as organizers can’t plan ahead.

“We were going to hold a summer camp for two weeks in July,” said Greg Verner, president of the Orangeville Hawks Basketball Club. “Ontario Basketball has cancelled all of their summer programs. I feel sorry for the kids – we had three or four teams that were going to do well at the provincials.”

Basketball was put on hold before the end of their season. At first it was hoped they could resume play after a break, but now that won’t happen.

“From a basketball standpoint, the Orangeville Hawks are done for the season,” Mr. Verner said. “We had to stop when they closed the schools, so since before March break. Our oldest group of boys would have still been playing o the end of May and the beginning of June.”

Many leagues and sports groups have not made decisions on summer camps at this point and are waiting to see how things shake out before deciding whether they can produce a viable program during the summer.

However, if your plan was to enroll a child in a summer sports camp, it may be wise to look for alternatives just case those programs don’t take place this year.