CYO Basketball Update

Good afternoon SCB Families.
 
As of today, the 2021 CYO Basketball season will not start on time per communication from the Director of CYO in Seattle. The state considers basketball a “high-risk sport” because it takes place indoors and athletes are in close contact. Due to this there are much more stringent rules compared to other sports. The Washington State Department of Health requires testing all unvaccinated athletes in high-risk sports twice a week.
 
I have been waiting each week since my original basketball email to send out updates and I finally received the information today. Right now, schools are working through all the vaccination mandates for teachers, staff and volunteers. They are just starting to roll out a new Learn to Return testing program and are not in a position to roll this out to student athletes yet. Additionally, parish programs have paused large indoor events, and since CYO is a parish program, this restriction must also be considered. I have also heard from a few Athletic Directors that their School/Parish will not play Basketball this year due to COVID.
 
Due to these, the CYO 4-8th Basketball program start date has been pushed back to January.  All Basketball games (CYO, Parish, School, Rec league) will not be allowed on Parish/School property within the Archdiocese of Seattle until January, when the proper protocols and processes are set up.  (This is also an insurance matter since all sports must follow the same rules when on parish/school property.) The Archdiocese of Seattle will re-examine this in the coming weeks and provide an update for you.
 
So for now, we will look to January to hopefully bring basketball to everyone. Meanwhile, for any of you who want to review the current guidance, here are the links:
 
Sports and Fitness during COVID-19: COVID-19 Sporting Activities, Fitness, and Training Guidance (wa.gov)
Spectator Events: COVID19 Spectator Event Guidance.pdf (wa.gov)
COVID requirements for 2021-2022 School Year (updated Oct 4) K-12 Schools Requirements 2021-2022 (wa.gov)
 
Our basketball season is such a huge part of our CYO program so I know this will be frustrating for many people.  However, our goal is to keep kids healthy and give our community the safest environment to play sports. Please let me know if you have any questions. In the meantime, let’s all pray for an end to this pandemic.
 
All the best.
 
Mark Nino