Sports organizations nervous of return-to-play date as May long weekend approaches

It’s not the chilly weather keeping kids off ball diamonds across the province this weekend.

With restrictions for youth and adult organized sports not expected to be lifted until Step 2 of the province’s Re-Opening Roadmap in late June, teams are limited to practice with eight participants and up to two coaches.

Baseball Saskatchewan’s high performance director, Greg Brons, has heard complaints from players, which mimic the “Put me in coach, I’m ready to play” lyrics from John Fogerty’s 1985 song Centerfield.

“When I talk to kids in the seventh and eighth grade, they say they’re at school in gym class with 27 kids indoors,” Brons said. “They’re playing basketball, they’re playing volleyball. Why can’t we just play baseball outside?”

Normally, the May long weekend would be Brons’ first opportunity to scout top-level talent in Saskatchewan.

Instead, Brons is left lamenting the province’s recent decision to allow outdoor graduations with up to 150 people when the reopening plan begins on May 30.

“We can definitely play baseball safely — we proved it last year,” he said.

“So 150 people outdoors attending a graduation ceremony. I just don’t see why we can’t have 30 kids on a diamond playing baseball.”

Currently, outdoor graduations are limited to 30 people.

“I think the government is in a situation where they don’t want to push it too far,” Brons said, commending the province on its efforts to reduce transmission and increase vaccinations.

“I think we’re going to see cases go down further. Let’s give our kids this opportunity,” he added.

Baseball Saskatchewan’s membership numbers are back to pre-pandemic levels after a 41 per cent decline last season.

Brons is hoping the province can revise its plan and allow sports to resume in Step 1.

There is roughly a month until any restrictions will be lifted under the current timeline, leaving little room for competitive games for leagues ending or taking a break after June.

“We’re losing a good portion of kids. They’re going to have another season of no baseball,” Brons said.

“They’re itching to play. They’re just doing drill after drill after drill.”

Football Saskatchewan high performance director Cody Halseth finds himself in the same position as Brons with the flag football season set to wrap up around the same time the province will allow competition.

“Losing two seasons would be difficult for a lot of athletes,” Halseth said.

“After you get past a certain point, there’s going to have to be refunds and things like that because you can’t offer competitive game play or the same experience.”

Halseth understands it’s tough to compare any sport or activity against one another, but standing by as the warm spring and summer months pass them by is difficult to accept.

“Everyone is kind of seeing the light at the end of the tunnel, and they’re ready to go,” he said of minor football organizations across the province.

“It’s frustrating.”