Hello ALA Members,
As COVID encroaches further into the box lacrosse calendar (field, we still have high hopes for you), it is prudent to have discussions around potential drop-dead dates for an outright cancellation of box lacrosse activities.
Our situation this year is somewhat different than what we found ourselves in during the 2020 cancellations as last year we were already in total lockdown and hoping for a lockdown lift that never came. This year we are in a state of restricted activity and hoping for a progression to gameplay at best, or at worst, programming based on the current 20-participant restrictions.
We want to communicate that ultimately the decision as to when cancellations may occur resides in the hands of the LGB’s, Clubs, and Teams, and the ALA will not cancel programming unless mandated to do so by Alberta Health / UCP Government.
We have encouraged all LGB Presidents, Club Presidents, and Team Presidents to reach out to their counterparts for ideas and best practices for implementing meaningful player development programs no matter what type of COVID restrictions we are forced to operate under. Be that mini tactical camps, drills and skills programming, player development initiatives, or, fingers crossed, gameplay. We have some of the best volunteers in sport and so if we work together as a lacrosse family to idea-share, we will be successful for our athletes and our sport regardless of the circumstance!
To reiterate, while it likely goes without saying, our LGB’s, Club’s, and Teams will make every effort to implement some sort of programming, keeping the mental and physical well-being of our athlete’s the priority, as well as the overall health and stability of lacrosse in Alberta, all while working within Alberta Health Services COVID guidelines.
We know that all our amazing volunteers across the province understand the devastating impacting the loss of a second season will have on the mental and physical health of our athletes, and the sport of lacrosse in general, and will therefore move mountains to implement quality programming under virtually any circumstance.
The ALA Board of Directors is grateful for our volunteers and their tireless work, dedication, creativity, and commitment to our athletes, and we are extremely grateful for our Members for their patients and flexibility as we all work together to achieve on-floor programming.
Alberta Lacrosse Association: AGM
Delta Hotel: Edmonton