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Youth sports resume with precautions

Elizabeth Earl
/
KDLL

It’s a conflicting feeling, to see a huge group of kids laughing and hanging out at a sports practice. On the one hand, the state guidelines to prevent the transmission of coronavirus say to keep six feet apart and wear a mask when you’re in a public facility. On the other hand, hearing people have a good time doing what they love with their friends is a welcome relief after months of isolation and pandemic restrictions.

At the Soldotna Whalers wrestling club practice this week, kids of all ages were busy practicing techniques in advance of a tournament scheduled for Friday and Saturday. Club president Sarah Michael said they’re taking precautions to keep the members safe.

"It’s different," she said. "We’re taking a lot more precautions. We’re doing temperature checks, we have daily sign-ins, we’re washing the mats, we’re requiring a lot more hand washing in between wrestling, doing a lot more bleachers, sanitization, sanitizing the door handles … it’s definitely four times the work."

The state guidelines under the reopening plan allow for youth sports, so long as the organizations screen for symptoms and that anyone showing signs of the disease not participate. Michael said the Whalers have more than 150 members, with around 25 or 30 showing up at a time for the practices in advance of this weekend’s tournament.

The club also recently got a new home. The All-American Training Center, which stands across from the Mattress Ranch building in Soldotna on the Kenai Spur Highway, is a membership-style gym with full cardio facilities, but the heart of it is the wrestling facility.

"We’re pretty lucky with our community and the families that we have," she said. "We have a lot of help, coaching, a lot of parents that are willing to help. We’ve been mopping floors and cleaning up spills and sanitizing the bleachers nonstop, so we always have parents that are willing to help."

Youth sports are usually a big feature of the Kenai Peninsula. This summer, they’ve gotten off to a bumpy start, with spring practices off the table for April and May, but June saw kids returning to fields and gyms. In Kenai, soccer players are making their way to the fields north of town most nights in preparation for a summer game season.

At the Boys and Girls Club, outdoor soccer season kicked off on Monday. All sports for the club are outside this summer and limited to 50 people total, including spectators. Only 20 athletes will be included at a time, and the club is asking only one person per athlete come. All participants will be asked to complete a health survey before playing.

Players are also not allowed to hug each other, and social distancing will be required. People who aren’t following the plan or who meet criteria that cause concern for spreading the disease will be asked to leave, according to the club’s mitigation plan.

Reach Elizabeth Earl at eearl@kdll.org.

Soldotna Whalers tournament schedule
Friday, June 19: Freestyle and girls brackets (pre-bantam/6U-Bantam/8U)
8-9 a.m. Weigh-ins
10:30 a.m. Wrestling begins: freestyle: U6 and U8
12-1 p.m. Weigh ins (Greco participants)
2:30 p.m. Wrestling begins: Greco: Intermediate/10U, Novice 12U, Schoolboy/girl/14U, Cadet/16U, Junior & Open.
Saturday, June 20
8-9 a.m. Weigh-ins
10:30 a.m. Wrestling begins: Intermediate/10U, Novice/12U, Schoolboy/girl/14U, Cadet/16U, Junior & Open.
 

Elizabeth Earl is the news reporter/evening host for summer 2021 at KDLL. She is a high school teacher, with a background writing for the Peninsula Clarion and has been a freelance contributor to several publications in Alaska.
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