Game on: High School sports returning in November
After sitting on the sidelines for nearly two years, high school sports are set to return in Windsor-Essex.
The Windsor Essex County Secondary Schools Athletic Association cleared the final hurdle Monday night.
“You can kind of feel it at this time that our student athletes are getting ready for this,” says Jim Kittl, WECSSAA president.
“Getting kids back actively involved in things is something that’s good for them.”
League play will not begin before Nov. 22, but practices can begin immediately as long as all athletes have followed the vaccination requirements.
“Our first focus in November is really on girls’ basketball and boys’ volleyball,” says Kittl.
“Then the traditional winter sports such as boys and girls hockey, wrestling and we’re still not sure about swimming. I'm not sure about the protocols with the pools around town. Those are the ones that can also go at this time.”
Golf, cross country and tennis can be tabled until the Spring.
“I have a feeling cross country’s going to find a way to partner up with track so that those athletes can find an experience for themselves there,” Kittl says.
Schools have posted sign-up sheets for student athletes and are responsible for making their own teams based on the amount of interest.
“After it got shut down in grade 10, I was pretty disappointed. Like, I got my track season cut short but after the announcement that it’s coming back it’s been pretty exciting,” says Johnathan Lariviere, a Grade 12 student athlete at St. Joseph’s Catholic High School.
Fans will not be allowed to attend games and coaches will have to wear masks.
Convenor meetings will take place the week of Nov. 8 and game schedules will be released shortly after.
“By having sports coming back it’s giving us a chance to make connections with all of our new students that have come in, giving us a chance to support our teams and really exuberant that school spirit,” says Jada Malott, a student athlete at St. Joseph’s Catholic High School.
The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit suspended extra-curricular activities at the start of the school year to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
“Virtual is still an option for some clubs but if they wanna meet in person they have to follow the same protocols as everybody else,” Kittl tells CTV News.
Students, staff and officials who are fully vaccinated can resume participation.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
2 military horses that broke free and ran loose across London are in serious condition
Two military horses that bolted and ran miles through the streets of London after being spooked by construction noise and tossing their riders were in a serious condition and required operations, a British government official said Thursday.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.
He replaced Mickey Mantle. Now baseball's oldest living major leaguer is turning 100
The oldest living former major leaguer, Art Schallock turns 100 on Thursday and is being celebrated in the Bay Area and beyond as the milestone approaches.
What a urologist wants you to know about male infertility
When opposite sex couples are trying and failing to get pregnant, the attention often focuses on the woman. That’s not always the case.
Made-in-Newfoundland vodka claims top prize at worldwide competition
A Newfoundland-made vodka has been named one of the world’s best by judges at this year’s World Vodka Awards.