NRHSAA sports set to return
There is light at the end of the tunnel in regard to the resumption of Niagara Region High School Athletic Association sports.
Practices for all the winter term sports are allowed to resume Jan. 31 but high contact sports such as basketball and hockey must try and minimize contact and instead emphasize skills and drills. Rina Rode, the NRHSAA’s convenor of athletics, said there has yet to be a date set for when actual games can be played, but she expects to get an update on that by the end of the week.
Low- or no-contact sports such as curling and volleyball will be allowed to resume league play starting on Monday, Feb. 7.
The District School Board of Niagara makes its athletic decisions based on guidance from public health and in consultation with the other high schools associations across Ontario.
The NRHSAA and other associations are taking it as a positive sign that the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Associations has yet to cancel any of its winter championships. Saint Francis is scheduled to host the boys AA basketball championships and Denis Morris is scheduled host the boys AAA hockey championships. There will be no OFSAA swimming and wrestling championships in 2022 because the host organizing committees for both events withdrew and no replacements stepped forward.
The Niagara Catholic District School Board hasn’t made a decision yet when it will resume its high school sports but Niagara Catholic Athletic Association convenor Chris McLean is hoping a decision will come down by the end of the week.
Getting high schools sports back in action is important for all concerned.
“It is for the mental health of the kids,” Rode said. “We are trying to get things back to normal as much as we possibly can and as quickly as we possibly can.”
It was impossible not to notice how thrilled students were when fall sports returned in 2021.
“They had ear-to-ear grins and the kids were so excited to be back,” she said. “Our spring sports we haven’t had in two years so those kids are champing at the bit to be able to compete.”
The fall season of school sports was able to be completed without any COVID-19 cancellations of problems.
“We got through everything, we finished every sport, we determined champions for sport, we had representative at SOSSA (Southern Ontario Secondary Schools Association) and OFSAA and we had a very successful OFSAA this year in the NRHSAA,” Rode said. “Hopefully we will be able to do the same with our winter and spring sports.”
Athletes competing in NRHSAA athletics aren’t required to be double-vaccinated for sports that occur at high school facilities but must be double-jabbed to participate at outside venues such as arenas and curling clubs. Outside coaches are required to be double-vaxxed and teacher coaches must follow the applicable Ministry of Education guidelines.
No spectators will be allowed as of now.
