Pending HEALTH EMERGENCY GUIDELINES AT THAT TIME
On snow sessions to start Sunday Nov. 29, expecting snow! and a lot to talk about here. Please understand that the discussion points below are for keeping the skiers safe.
I know that ski parents have been asking for more details as to what may happen this winter but there are many scenarios to play out here, as I’m sure you will understand. Everything depends on our health emergency status and how many we can put together at one time.
Registration won’t open until the end of October when some higher up discussions have taken place.
Track Attack size skiers: no immediate or catastrophic changes, as everyone is mobile, gets the distancing thing and they don’t need assistance getting up and pointed in the right direction, and I am willing to get them going as soon as we can.
Bunny/Jackrabbit and not-so-mobile is a different situation. As well, we have sadly lost a few coaches due to aging out and changing family commitments. To go forward, we will need to recruit some parents to jump in help lead the sessions. What this means is that we will need parents on snow to herd cats, er… skiers and make sure that they get up off the snow and get pointed in the right direction. To go forward with this there will be a need to take some coaching training, beginning with online work- not arduous, but still a time commitment.
In terms of protection from infection, parents will be expected to pick up only their skiers. The planned games and training used in the past will be heavily changed and will be pretty much a real drag: no more shark attack, hot chocolate or close together fire pits. One option is not games but simply going for ski tours.
Other things: (almost done!)
We cannot depend on access to the Duck Pond Shelter due to crowding. This will need some input from the “landlord”. Other clubs are having the same issue.
We may also need to reschedule/suspend several Sunday sessions as skiers and coaches will be at race events if they go ahead. The events schedule is yet to be determined and is dependent on Health Emergency guidelines at that time.
So there are still a lot of balls being juggled and believe me this has been going for a few months now. Please understand that we are all volunteers at this, and would like to not get the bug as we have family and work obligations and it could turn into a true health emergency for some of us. I would consider it a personal and shameful failure if any skiers in our club got sick due to skiing.
Please stand by! I know it’s a big ask,
Coach Ihor
Assiniboine Park Jackrabbits 