Basketball Plans for 2020 October 20, 2020
Dear OLV Parents,
The school and parish administration has been meeting with the Dad’s Club and the Athletic Committee regarding the potential start of CYO basketball. We have also included the School Advisory Committee to join the conversation and to give their input as they represent our school families.
Throughout several meetings, we tried to work through all of the possible concerns and questions surrounding sports in the OLV gym. We have concluded that we will open registration with the stipulation that we will take things at two-week intervals. We will begin with tryouts by grade level and then move forward with practices. After two weeks we will assess the situation and if all is well, we will move forward with the next two weeks. Our goal is to be able to begin with practices and see how it goes from there. The idea of hosting games will come at a later date once we determine all protocols are being followed and we have had no negative impact. The possibility of spectators will be reevaluated at a later date as well.
Dad’s Club and the Athletic Department are taking full responsibility for the execution and implementation of health checks/screening of athletes and response actions, ensuring safety behaviors (e.g. face masks and handwashing) and gym/equipment cleaning/disinfecting protocols. There will be select parents involved but it will be overseen by the Athletic Department. We will have documentation completed and sent to the Parish and School Administration each time the gym is used and cleaned. The Dad’s Club will have a member of the Athletic Committee at every practice to ensure that all protocols are followed.
The number of teams will be trimmed to one male and female team per grade, 5-8. Team size will also be limited to 12-15 players. While this is not the best situation it is a great compromise to be able to at least have some semblance of a basketball season. With all the cleaning we have to be able to allow time between practices for this to happen. It then limits gym time as well as having to be finished each evening by 8:30 pm so that the school janitorial team can do a final cleaning in the gym, hallways, and bathrooms before the students arrive the next day.
We want to thank our community for their feedback, time, and thoughtful consideration of this decision. We do not take these decisions lightly, especially in the midst of a pandemic. The physical and mental health of our entire community will continue to be the driving force behind everything we do moving forward. We will keep the community informed as the season progresses.
Sincerely,
Kate Szuba, Principal
Emily Wesley, Assistant Principal
