INNISFAIL – Aspiring local ball players have been forced to take a break from spring training.
With the latest provincial announcement this month to elevate restrictions due to rising COVID-19 numbers and its variants, the Innisfail Minor Ball Association has decided to suspend pre-season training at the arena.
The latest provincial COVID restrictions announced on April 6 for youth and collegiate sport and recreation call for a maximum of 10 total individuals, including all coaches, trainers, and participants, on indoor and outdoor playing surfaces.
Three-metre physical distancing for indoor activities must be maintained between participants at all times.
Murray Reay, president of the Innisfail Minor Ball Association (IMBA), said pre-season, which began on March 13 with baseball and softball tryouts, is effectively suspended in town for at least a few weeks. He said the entire association membership was notified.
“It slowed us down a bit. We have made the decision to not use the arena for training,” said Reay of the latest provincial announcement. The association put a notice on its Facebook page that the town has agreed to allow members access to green space and diamonds “as soon as possible.”
“We’re going to wait until we can get outdoors, hopefully in the next couple of weeks,” said Reay, whose association was looking at a May 3 start up date for its regular season. “We’re going to carry on and hope things open up and we can get these kids playing some baseball and softball.”
However, he said the association’s competitive AA girls softball and AA boys baseball teams can carry on their pre-season training by using the Dome in Red Deer.
“If they have the option to. It’s up to the teams,” said Reay. “But everybody else is on hold until we can get outside.”
In the meantime, Reay said the combined registrations for softball and baseball for both boys and girls, which the association has accepted since January, is now between 250 to 300, not far from the typical 350.
He said once the season is finally ready to go the association’s baseball side will feature the Rally Cap level for kids age five to seven, and then levels U9, U11, U13, U15 and U18. Softball will have levels U10, U12, U14, U16 and U19.
For more information on the Innisfail Minor Ball Association and the planned 2021 season contact Reay at 403-391-6142 or go to the IMBA website at www.innisfailminorball.com
