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I have resided in Orillia since birth. I studied at Georgian College in Barrie and have completed my two-year Sports Administration program.
I have been supporting and participating in Orillia Legion Minor Baseball my entire life. I have also competed in track and field, basketball, volleyball, chess, and wrestling throughout elementary and high school just to name a few other sports that I've been apart of over the years.
I beg for the people to understand how “essential” sports and recreation is. I am not a health expert, but I do know a thing or two about my mental health.
Our own government deems fast food as “essential” and not recreational sports; that is dumbfounding. In phases 1 and 2 of the provincial government's re-opening plan, restrictions have been loosened on public parks, pools, tennis courts, and day camps, which is a step in the right direction.
The people working for parks and recreation, the camp counsellors, and grounds crew workers are “essential” in my opinion because of the services they provide. Those individuals getting back to work shows there is some progress being made. These amenities are so important to communities and the people who pay their hard-earned dollars into government tax.
If business owners want to re-open and local athletes want to resume play, they should have the right to do so. At what point do we as human beings decide enough is enough? It is our right to make these decisions at our own risk.
The closing of local clubs like Black Lotus Kickboxing and the terrible reality for high school senior athletes who are not able to make a push toward future scholarships and continue playing the sports they love is a tragedy and it can't go on any longer.
The fact of the matter is this: most Canadians deem organized sports “essential” according to an article published by Canadian Press and posted by OrilliaMatters last month.
What is the difference between a church at 30% capacity and a baseball game? We are supposed to be looking out for our communities’ best interests, and I cannot speak for the hundreds of kids not playing baseball this summer, I cannot speak for the hundreds of health-care workers and the continued effort against the COVID-19 virus, but as a community, we need to be strengthening ourselves.
Quebec is running its recreational sports and they have more confirmed cases and deaths than Ontario! How does any of that make sense?
To add perspective, I play slo-pitch on a B-Division team out of Orillia. A maximum of 30-40 people attend the games including all participating players. As long as people aren’t getting deathly sick in our community, what is there to lose in having a baseball season?
It is already bad enough that what I went to school for has been deemed “non-essential”, and with no sports happening, I cannot be involved in the sports I so desperately need for my future.
I am slowly but surely losing my mind being stuck inside and I guarantee I’m not the only one suffering from not being able to partake in recreational sports and activities.
Sports and physical activity needs to be looked at as “essential.” The mental health of our communities must be looked at as “essential.”
If daycare and camps are safe and able to open, baseball and all low-contact recreational sports should be able to move forward as well; it’s just as safe.
Organized sports and group physical activity will be important in helping society rebuild and recover from the pandemic, not only regarding physical health but, more importantly, mental health.
Mitchell Hurtubise
Orillia
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