2021
Whalley Little League is moving through a second season pursuing our goal to play baseball while keeping our families safe. We continue our efforts to stay up to date with current knowledge relating to the pandemic and the recommendations from our Chief Provincial Health Officer and how they best apply within our sport. We also follow the guidelines required by Viasport, Baseball BC and the City of Surrey who ultimately approved our permits based on our submitted safety plans.
We want to thank our families for their patience and support as we navigate these challenging times. We are not back to normal and will not be for some time. Things are moving in a positive direction, but we need to stay diligent in our focus and continue with our resolve to stay safe.
Our Safety plan has been approved by the City of Surrey under these conditions. Our plan was based on the Return to Sport Plan (available at the Baseball.bc.ca website) and the Via Sport Guidelines, to ensure:
- health and safety of all individuals is a priority
- activities are in alignment with provincial health recommendations
- modifications to activities are in place to reduce the risks to each sport organization and its participants who commit to following the modifications.
- our sport is united and aligned on a plan to reopen throughout the province
While we hope things will return to normal soon, currently this Return to Sport Plan is our new normal and these remain the conditions upon which we were approved for play.
If you choose to participate, you must follow the procedures and protocols set out in the Safety plan developed by the league and available here on the website.
We would also like to remind everyone of our moto that “we are all the league”. The league exists only of its players, parents, and volunteers (with some facility and field assistance from the city of Surrey). As this relates to the Covid 19 hurdles, we will need everyone, despite what our own personal views might be, to respect the requirements that make it possible for us to participate. We will also need everyone to physically help and to do our part to keep everyone safe.
Our Return to Sport Plan is based on our understanding of the current public health guidance. While we are all doing our best to minimize the risk of exposure to COVID-19, the virus continues to circulate in our communities, and it is impossible to eliminate the risk. Each participant must make their own decision as to whether it is in their best interest to participate at this time. You must consider your own circumstances and make the decision that is right for you. Should you choose to join us, we require your full cooperation with our Return to Sport Plan.
Sincerely, Mark Deshane, Vice President
on behalf of the Board of Directors: Gavin Burke, Jon Treit, Melissa Lipkowski, Ryan Harmer, Tiffany Blakemore-Thompson, Jeff Douglas, Mike Foulds, Robin Thompson, Steve Young, Curtis Dean, Jason Klatt, Eric Kluth, Mark Bilesky