The Chinook's Edge School Division has banned regional lacrosse teams from practising in its facilities.
Gary Gaudette, past-president of the Olds Lacrosse Association, said when the association made its usual request to the school division in February to use the Olds High School and Deer Meadow School gyms for practices, the request was denied.
The reason, he said, was concerns about damage from lacrosse equipment and activities.
The association has been in existence for 10 years, Gaudette said, and this is the first time the school district has not allowed the association to use its facilities.
As a result, the association had to scramble and find other spaces to practise.
Olds College offered up one of its gymnasiums and teams were also able to practise at the Bowden arena.
But the association's practice schedule was delayed, Gaudette said, and teams were only able to begin practising a few days before the regular season began on the weekend of April 13 and 14.
Other lacrosse organizations in the region faced the same issues, he added.
Allan Tarnoczi, associate supervisor of corporate services for the school division, confirmed the division denied requests from lacrosse teams to practise in its facilities due to concerns about damage.
“We want to make sure we're good fiscal stewards of the facilities that we have. We keep them in good shape, we maintain them for that primary purpose of making them available to educate children,” he said. “In cases where we believe there is a risk of damage to the facilities, or with organizations that don't fit the school vision, we do not allow them to rent the facilities.”
The decision to keep lacrosse organizations out of the school division's gymnasiums was “formalized just this year,” he added.
Tarnoczi said the school division considers requests for use of its facilities from community organizations and sports teams on a case-by-case basis to make sure such groups won't damage or disrespect such facilities.
When the division reviewed the association's request, “We felt there was too high a risk of damage to allow those activities to continue,” Tarnoczi said. “When we assessed lacrosse as an activity, the equipment that's used in lacrosse and the activities that go on with lacrosse, we believe that there's a higher risk of damage to our facilities, a risk that's higher than we're willing to accept.”
He added other groups and teams have also been denied use of facilities.
“It's on an application by application basis so I'd just as soon not make any generalizations.”
When asked if a particular incident sparked the ban on lacrosse teams, Tarnoczi would not comment.
“I don't want to get into particulars.”
Gaudette said he believes it's the use of a hard ball that concerns the school division but he can't see how it could cause any more damage than equipment used in other sports.
“I could see it for the older kids,” he said. “But for the tykes and novices, not so much.”
If the ball is a problem, he added, the association could use softer balls for practices as a solution.
The association's junior team plays its home opener against the Brooks Drillers at the Olds Sports Complex at 3:30 p.m. on April 27.
