Local sports groups are confident they'll be able to get out on local diamonds and fields this year once it’s deemed safe to do so.
Marcia Russell, Manager of Recreation Services for the City of Orillia, says staff have finished their annual spring/summer user group meetings in which each group submits their field and floor bookings.
City staff have made user groups aware that, similar to last year, the city will be working through permitting logistics based on the ever-changing landscape of the COVID -19 pandemic.
Last summer, Orillia Legion Minor Baseball (OLMB) was unable to rent any diamond time from the city to host sanctioned practices and games, even when recreational sports were permitted by the Ontario government. The city decided to open amenities only on a first-come, first-serve basis.
OLMB has been told things will be different this year, says president Wes Winkel.
“They agreed that this year will be a lot better for everyone involved. They will have more structure and run things like we usually do,” he said.
Winkel is confident local baseball players will return to the diamond this spring, but it depends on what restrictions might be in place.
“As long as we aren’t in the grey or red zone, then baseball should happen in its entirety. If we are in red, there is going to have to be a modified platform that is similar to what hockey did this year with a limited amount of users, contact tracing, waivers, and things like that,” Winkel said.
OLMB is preparing as though there will be a full baseball season. It already has rep teams selected and teams have been registered through the Ontario Baseball Association. To date, 200 players have registered to play through the OLMB website.
While OLMB is not taking payments from registered players until it knows what the prorated prices will be based on what the season may look like, Winkel encourages players to register as soon as possible.
“It gives the league an indication of how many players we are going to need, how many teams we will need to register,” he said. “It also puts them on the list to receive information and to be brought into the fold as to all the ... moving parts once they become available.”
OLMB is expecting to see a slight drop-off in players this season compared to a normal year.
“We have already seen a few users who would usually be registered by now that have not yet, and the reason given is they have come up with other activities. They’ve found something else that they were allowed to do last year and they enjoyed it,” he said.
Winkel expects the season could be delayed by about a month, but he remains optimistic.
“It’s looking positive. The key now is to get the provincial government to lift restrictions,” he said.
The Orillia Slo-Pitch League is also optimistic about hitting the diamonds this spring.
“The city wants this to happen. They can’t absorb another summer like the last one,” said president Mike Borrelli.
“We are preparing to have a league, and we think we will be starting during the first week of May, providing the weather is good and the diamonds are in good shape.”
Borrelli said teams have already contacted him to inquire about joining the league, but not nearly as many as normal, leaving him wondering if there could be a decline in players this year.
“The pandemic will scare some people off from participating, and the other issue may be financing,” he said.
Most teams rely heavily on local sponsors to cover their expenses, which could be a challenge this year because of the pandemic financially strapping local businesses.
“Sponsors have had a heck of a year, and a lot of sponsors are restaurants. They may not be able to give a team $2,000 to play when they are possibly facing having to close their doors. That’s one of my concerns,” Borrelli said.
The league will soon check with its teams to see who is planning on returning and who is unable to field a team. The league is hoping to be underway no later than June 1.
When it comes to keeping players safe while operating in the pandemic, Borrelli doesn’t expect the league to have any issues.
“We might have to change a few things to keep everyone safe. Instead of shaking hands after the game, maybe players should wave instead and say, 'Thanks for the game.' Maybe we will take a look at things like tagging, but for the most part we will rely on our players to use common sense to keep everyone in our league safe,” he said.
He said it's important for players to return to the diamond after sitting out the entire 2020 season.
“To get out for an hour and a half, twice a week, with close friends and family to play ball may eventually save some people from heavy-duty depression,” he said.
“A lot of people are off work right now. It’s a difficult time, and this may provide a release for people.”
Orillia Minor Lacrosse (OML) is also hoping to bring players back into the fold this season. Normally, at this point in the year, it would be mid-way through the winter skills programming and beginning to prepare for tryouts.
“Right now, OML is caught in a waiting game. We need to wait for numbers (of positive COVID-19 cases) to go down and for direction from the government and the Ontario Lacrosse Association before we can consider opening registration for the 2021 season,” said president Nicole Gardy.
“In the meantime, we’re working on planning several return-to-play strategies so that we can be prepared when we get the OK to begin our season.”
An upcoming challenge for OML will be finding rink time. Typically, the box lacrosse season begins at Brian Orser Arena at the end of March, and then programs are moved to Rotary Place once the hockey season has been completed and ice is removed.
This year, the city will be extending the ice availability period at Rotary Place and won’t be ready for lacrosse until June.
“If we are able to get programs running in the spring, using just Brian Orser will present some issues,” Gardy said.
“But we will do our best to work with what we have.”
