There is Still Hope for School Sports in the Spring

By Satish Patel | March 10 2021 |

Last fall, for the first time ever, high schools did not have extra curricular sports. The COVID 19 pandemic forced the Limestone board to cancel all extracurricular activities.

This was seriously disappointing to anyone hoping to participate in a school sport as school teams are social and physical opportunities that many students enjoy.

But what about 2021 spring sports? Many students have been hoping for a change in recent regulations to allow outdoor sports like track and soccer.

Due to the low COVID 19 infection rate numbers in Kingston, and increasing vaccination rates, parents and teachers are also hoping for a return to activity for their students and children. Recently, in an op-ed in the Toronto Star, Peter Stelter and Christopher Booth, both parents and coaches at Kingston schools, delivered a convincing case for the restart of outdoor school sports in Kingston.

Longtime KSS teacher and coach Mark Carriere also spoke on the importance of school activity for students: “we definitely need physical activity again, we need the team sports, we need the socialisation aspect, and teenagers are just missing it so much”.

In national news, Olympic mogul ski champion and Quebec native Mikael Kingsbury has been urging the Quebec government to restart organised sports in school. He believes that the health of students is at risk: "I am worried that young people are lost. That they are abandoning sport in favour of screens,".

Meanwhile, club sports in Kingston have not canceled their activities. Sports like soccer, basketball, volleyball and hockey have all resumed with close to normal routines.

Despite this, there has been no action on the resumption of school sports at any schools in Kingston. Carriere is concerned that there may not be any school sports at all. He suspects that even the fall of next year may not see a regular routine.

But the KFL&A Medical Officer of Health, Kieran Moore responded positively to an email question on the issue: “we should plan on making these outdoor sports available to students to balance mental, social and physical wellbeing.” He also stated “The sports that would have the lowest risk would be outdoor, non-contact sports, such as all the track and running events. I would think a non-contact outdoor team sport like soccer could also be considered.”

However, the final say rests with the Limestone Board of Education. In his email response to the same question, Krishna Burra, Director of Education, said “We will certainly work with public health and further discuss options that would potentially offer some form of activity, even if it has to be modified.” This is a hopeful message for students looking for some organized sporting activity at their school.

Burra continued: “I think it is fair to say that the inability to provide extracurricular activities, including athletics, has been very challenging during this pandemic. These types of activities are extremely beneficial for students.”

The resumption of school sporting activities would be an important event in the Kingston school community and would benefit students as well as teachers and parents. KSS students are certainly hoping for a return to these activities, and recent statements by Public Health and the Limestone Board are encouraging. We remain hopeful for a spring with students donning their uniforms to represent KSS.