Safe return to play: Novice hockey during COVID-19

Odette Auger/ Cortes Currents - The following article is an excerpt from a program that was originally aired on Cortes Radio. This program was funded by a grant from the Community Radio Fund of Canada and the Government of Canada’s Local Journalism Initiative.This is Odette Auger with Cortes Currents.

In the parking lot at Strathcona Gardens Recreation Complex, COVID-1919 Ambassadors take in screening checklists, supervise hand sanitizing, as the novice hockey kids arrive at the arena.

The ambassadors are basically replacing the parents- without dressing rooms, the kids show up in all their gear, walking through the parking lot with skate guards. They ensure kids hand sanitize before putting on their gloves, and the masked ambassadors take the guards off and space them out 6 feet apart along the hallway in the arena. 

CRMHA sends out regular emails outlining COVID-1919 protocols, updates to how this translates to the arena. Assessing how measures were working, making adjustments to trouble shoot.

Jeanine Sumner and Jodi Check Broer are two of the covdi19 ambassadors trained to support the novice age group. They share their thoughts and explain how things are different this year. 

“Upon the kids returning to play,” says Sumner,  “Parent volunteers, such as ourselves, also known as COVID-19 ambassadors were identified and trained and that included new entry and exit points, no use of the change rooms. The kids were not allowed inside the building due to the capacity COVID-19-19 restrictions in 19 restrictions yet. So wearing masks, hand, sanitization health check screening for all the kids, ambassadors and coaches minimal contact with any inside the facility and arena, thorough disinfection protocols, tracking number of players, coaches, and volunteers.”