“Celebrate good times, come on” – Outdoor sports get go ahead in Saskatchewan

Ethan Campbell fires in a pitch for the Sask Five Giants in 2020.

Outdoor door sporting groups in Saskatchewan got to pop the champagne corks, because they found out they are going to play.

On Tuesday, the Government of Saskatchewan announced public health orders around outdoor sporting events will be eased as part of Step One of the province’s Re-Opening Roadmap, which is set to commence this coming Sunday.

Originally, outdoor sports were part of Step Two of the Re-Opening Roadmap. The easing of measures for indoor sports remains in Step Two of the Re-Opening Roadmap.

The current public health orders were brought in to combat the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that has gripped the world.

A Government of Saskatchewan release that was issued on Tuesday stated the change was made with regards to outdoor sports due to the lower risk of transmission of COVID-19 in outdoor settings along with how well the vaccination effort for COVID-19 has progressed in the province.

Starting on Sunday, the Government of Saskatchewan said competition and game play for outdoor sports can proceed as long as competition meets a number of requirements. The requirements are similar to when outdoor sporting events were conducted in Saskatchewan from July through to November of 2020.

Participants may not compete if they are feeling unwell.

Players and coaches are encouraged to screen for COVID-19 symptoms prior to arriving to practice or play. The Government of Saskatchewan encourages the use of its self-assessment tool for COVID-19, which can be found by clicking right here.

Jordan Kulbida fires a pitch for the Saskatoon G Force in 2020.

League play is allowed, but tournaments are not permitted.

There is no interprovincial travel. Teams that compete in interprovincial leagues need to contact the Government of Saskatchewan’s Business Response Team before beginning play.

Capacity must comply with public health orders for public outdoor gatherings for each playing surface or game area. Public outdoor gatherings are set to expand to a limit of 150 people on May 30.

Common areas, such as those where there are multiple playing surfaces, must be in compliance with gathering limits in public health orders.

Individual and protective equipment should not be shared. When equipment is shared like helmets or bats, cleaning and disinfecting must occur between each use.

Commonly touched equipment used for game play like game balls in football must be routinely replaced or disinfected during the course of practice or play.

Coaches, officials and players who are not on the field are not required to wear masks outdoors under the public health orders.

There is to be no hand shaking or high-fives.

Spectators are not required to wear masks outdoors. Spectators must remain in designated areas, and spectators not from the same household should maintain two metres of physical distancing.

Hand sanitizer approved by Health Canada or soap and hand washing water stations should be available to participants and spectators.

Action from the Saskatchewan Premier Baseball League in 2020.

There is to be no sharing of water bottles.

Public washrooms, when available, are to be cleaned and disinfected regularly.

Contact information of coaches, officials, and player should be recorded by the home team and maintained in order to assist with contact tracing for 30 days in the case of a confirmed COVID-19 case.

As an overall observation over the last 15 months, outdoor sports were able to be held in Saskatchewan with a lot less disruptions compared to indoor sports.

Even when it came to contact sports like tackle football, outdoor sports for the most part played out according to schedule.

Indoor sports seemed to have a bigger problem when it came to dealing with COVID-19 outbreaks. That likely had a lot to do with the fact most minor hockey rinks in Saskatchewan have ventilation that is similar to the decommissioned ancient Rutherford Rink, which is on the University of Saskatchewan campus.

The glass system that rings on top of the board system in hockey rinks helps trap air molecules on the ice surface.

A number of gymnasiums and indoor sports facilities are old and have poor ventilation too.

Most indoor sports facilities that have been built in Saskatchewan in the past 15 years actually do have much better ventilation, which helps prevent the spread of COVID-19.

When indoor sports get going, they might provide the true test of how well the vaccination effort for COVID-19 has worked.

Action from the Kinsmen Football League in 2020.

Due to how well the outdoor sports seasons went in Saskatchewan in 2020, it makes sense to get them going first. In golf, Saskatchewan was able to crown provincial champions in 2020.

The Sask Five Giants were able to take the Under-18 AAA Saskatchewan Premier Baseball League championship last year too.

Pretty much everyone involved with outdoor sports in Saskatchewan has to be over the moon happy about Tuesday’s announcement.

Here is hoping the upcoming season that will hit outdoor surfaces across Saskatchewan goes well for all.

Racist comments directed to Bear just sad, other notes

"I'm here to stand up to this behaviour... I'm proud of where I come from. I'm proud to be from Ochapowace First Nation. I'm not just doing this for myself. I'm doing this for all people of colour & for the next generation."

Ethan Bear's statement in response to racist comments. pic.twitter.com/3CK6DENnHC

— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) May 26, 2021

The aftermath of the Edmonton Oilers elimination from the NHL playoffs shows how much work needs to be done to counter the idiots in society.

On Monday night or Tuesday morning depending on where you live in Canada, the Oilers dropped a 4-3 triple overtime heartbreaker to the Jets in Winnipeg in Game 4 of a first round NHL playoff series. Kyle Connor netted the winner in marathon match for the Jets.

With the loss, the Oilers were swept in the best-of-seven series 4-0 and eliminated from the NHL playoffs.

Following that loss, some moronic supposed supporters of the Oilers sent racist comments and messages over social media to Oilers defenceman Ethan Bear. Bear, who is of Cree decent, is from the Ochapowace First Nation in Saskatchewan.

Bear’s girlfriend, Lenasia Ned, brought the comments to light with a social media post of her own on Tuesday. The post erupted into an outpouring of support for Bear.

During a press conference Wednesday afternoon, Oilers general manager Ken Holland condemned the behaviour of those who sent the racist comments to Bear.

On Wednesday evening, Bear and Ned put out a message on Oilers social media lines speaking out against the racism they encountered, while also thanking the overflowing messages of support they’ve received.

Ethan Bear raises the Ed Chynoweth Cup as a WHL champ in 2017.

It is sad and unfortunate that this still happens in society. It shows there is still a long way to go in the journey to combat racism.

Bear has played two full seasons and one partial campaign with the Oilers. The 23-year-old has been a great ambassador for the game and role model.

Before joining the Oilers, Bear played one game as a 15-year-old call up and four full seasons with the WHL’s Seattle Thunderbirds. In his storied career with the Thunderbirds, Bear appeared in 264 regular season games posting 66 goals, 126 assists and plus-50 rating in the plus-minus department.

He played a key part in helping the Thunderbirds win the WHL championship in his final season in the major junior ranks in 2016-17, while also being named the WHL’s top defenceman.

During his time in the WHL, it was common for a huge contingent of people from the Ochapowace First Nation follow Bear around the WHL circuit. You could easily spot Bear’s supporters wearing Thunderbirds jerseys with Bear’s name and #25 adorned on the sweater.

While the racism Bear and Ned encountered over the past couple of days was disappointing, it was uplifting to see the support they’ve received. People from all walks of life have rallied around the rearguard and his girlfriend.

With that noted, racism is still a problem in society. Here is hoping we all strive to try and be more responsible on that front.

• On Tuesday, the Kamloops Blazers announced general manager Matt Bardsley has resigned from the hockey club for personal reasons. Bardsley, who grew up in San Jose, Calif., said in the release that he and his wife and their children have been unable to see their family, who live in the United States, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The decision to leave the Blazers is a family move. Bardsley, who is 50-years-old, became the Blazers general manager on June 1, 2018. The Blazers have posted an 87-54-9-3 regular season record in three seasons with Bardsley as general manager. The Blazers finished in the B.C. Division in each of the past two seasons. Bardsley was the executive of the year for the Western Conference in 2019-20.
• On Tuesday in his Taking Note blog, Gregg Drinnan reported Brandon Wheat Kings director of business operations and sales and sponsorship Rick Dillabough has retired. Dillabough has been with the Wheat Kings since 1989 and served in various capacities with the team over the years handling the bulk of the communications and media relations duties. He was one of the hardest working office staffers on the circuit and arguably the most respected and well-liked. Dillabough will be missed a tonne on the WHL circuit, and all those who know him hope he enjoys the next stage of his life.
• On Wednesday, the Calgary Hitmen announced Dallas Thompson would not be returning as the team’s director of player personnel next season. Thompson had been with the Hitmen for six years.
• Tickets are on sale for the May jackpot for the Saskatchewan Amateur Football Mega 50/50 lottery. The funds from this 50/50 lottery will go to support the CJFL’s Saskatoon Hilltops and Regina Thunder and the WWCFL’s Saskatoon Valkyries and Regina Riot. The draw date will be May 31. Tickets can be purchased by clicking right here, and purchasers must be in Saskatchewan in order to buy tickets.
• Recently, Donna Spencer of The Canadian Press typed out a story that officials from the National Women’s Hockey League and the Professional Women’s Hockey Players’ Association have kept the lines of communication open with each other. With that said, there didn’t seem to be any new enlightenments with regards to professional women’s hockey. The NWHL’s six teams attempted to play a season in a bubble environment in Lake Placid, New York, from Jan. 23 to Feb. 5, but the loose bubble failed as COVID-19 infiltrated teams. The NWHL completed a playoff round March 26 and 27 in Boston, Massachusetts, where the Boston Pride downed the Minnesota Whitecaps 4-3 in the Isobel Cup championship game. The PWHPA is holding a Secret Dream Gap Tour tournament at the moment in Calgary, which started Monday and runs through to this coming Sunday. Spencer’s story about the NWHL interacting with the PWHPA can be found by clicking right here.
• On Wednesday, Hockey Canada announced its provincial and territorial BFL Female Coach of the Year award winner. In Saskatchewan, Brandy West-McMaster of Regina was the high performance award winner, and Stephanie Ferguson of Saskatoon was the community coach winner.

If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

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