OLDS — Junior lacrosse in Olds is basically in limbo, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mountain View Junior Lacrosse Association president Gary Gaudette says due to current pandemic restrictions, only 10 players under 18 can be allowed on the floor, so players are just practising.
He says the Rocky Mountain Lacrosse League is expected to make a final decision by May 24 on whether it will have a season at all this year.
“We’re just getting our young guys out – the guys that we drafted, like 16 year-olds, 18-year-olds – out there on the floor and they’re just practising. That’s about it," Gaudette said during an interview.
Recently, some members of Olds town council expressed a desire to see if ice could be pulled out to make room in the Sportsplex for non-ice sports such as lacrosse.
Gaudette appreciates that effort but says it wouldn’t make much difference this year.
“If it was a normal period, then for sure, yeah. Getting the ice out as soon as possible is ideal for us, for lacrosse. But like I said, right now, it doesn’t help,” he said.
Gaudette said he feels especially badly for all the lacrosse players who’ve lost two years of playing, due to COVID restrictions.
“This is the second year that it’s been cancelled (for) tykes all the way up to juniors,” he said. “For instance, a guy that was bantam before, he’s going to miss two years of midget and so forth.
“Peewee’s going to miss their two years of bantam and they jump right into midget if we get going in 2022. And it’s the same thing with the juniors, right? There’s a lot of kids who are missing their last two years.
“It’s just frustrating for the kids. Like, I really, really feel for them. It’s horrible right now. But we’ve got to do what we’ve got to do, right?
"It’s unfortunate, but let’s hope things get better and get everybody vaccinated, I guess. It’s just a matter of waiting ‘till it blows over and hopefully we can get back at it next year, 2022.”
