Hi Everyone, I hope all of you are well. I wanted to provide another COVID-19 update to you as to what is happening behind the scenes. Unlike my last address to you, I can actually confirm something in this message and we are starting to see progression which is fantastic!
Last week, Ringette Ontario (RO) announced that we are all currently in Stage 2. This is a turnaround from their previous stance when they said no sanctioned events until September 1, 2020. With the Province opening quicker than expected, RO also modified their return to ice policies. Looking ahead, moving to stage 3 will be different for every association, based on things like ice availability, local health authorities, and of course facility protocols. But before we get ahead of ourselves, we are a long way off from progressing to Stage 3.
Stage 2 however, is a huge push forward! In Stage 2 activities such as dryland training and other sanctioned events can begin. There are many stipulations put in place around any sanctioned gathering and as an association we still need to develop our procedures before this can happen. Positive side of this though, we have no teams selected at this point, so official team training is kind of a mute point.
Also moving forward, our Vice President, Kim Garniss will be our COVID-19 Safety Officer (CSO). She will be taking the lead in all discussion with all our association partners. Kim will also be responsible for developing our Return to Ringette Association Plan, which is a series of checklists, protocols, and risk assessments as mandated by RO. However, even if all these protocols are in place, our Local Health Authority and the Pyramid Recreation Centre policies will still dictate what we do moving forward. Then, once we and our partners policies and procedures match, RO still needs to approve our plans.
If you have not registered yet, every player is being asked to register with your "Local" association, not necessarily your "Home" association. This applies even to third, fourth or fifth year players on a Provincial level team with another association, you are being asked to register with your local team, This is being done to allow players to still play, in the event of the worst case scenario happening, in which the Health Authorities limit players to geographical boundaries. The hope is this will not happen, but RO is planning for any event.
RO is also revising their Return to Ringette Guidelines. This document was released on July 8 and the revised version of the document is scheduled to be released by Friday, August 7, 2020.
Looking ahead, we have a meeting scheduled with the PRC next week and our Executive meeting is in two weeks. I am very hopeful, my next message to you will have concrete dates and procedures as we move ahead to the 2020/2021 season.
Thank you all again for your patience and understanding as we navigate these unchartered waters. As always, please continue to follow the website for updates and if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me directly at presidentsnipersringette@gmail.com
Michael Lynch, President
St Marys Ringette Association