To the Vaughan Vikings Community:

I trust that everyone is continuing to stay safe and heed the advice of public officials and especially the medical community.

As we all work through a very fluid situation with COVID-19, we do continue to prepare for the 2020 baseball season.

That said, Baseball Ontario made the decision Tuesday night to cancel all in-person baseball activities until May 1^st.

Softball Ontario on Wednesday also suspended all activities until May 1^st.

As a league, all in person league activities as it relates to games, team workouts, practices are also suspended until May 1^st.

As well, the City of Vaughan advised us today that all field permits will be cancelled until the end of May.

 

With the cancellation of field permits until the end of May, all Rep and Select tournaments scheduled for May will be cancelled.

We remain hopeful that we will still have a ball season at all levels of play.

Hence, why we continue to prepare for the season.

For umpires who are returning who did not attend our training in February, and those who are new and wish to get certified for this season please note the following:

BASEBALL UMPIRE CERTIFICATION

Baseball Ontario certification for L1 and L2 the 2020 season will continue and be conducted online and umpires need to register via the Baseball Ontario site ASAP.

L3 umpires can access the exam and complete it online at the Baseball Ontario website.

SOFTBALL UMPIRE CERTIFICATION

For 2020 only, Softball Ontario will allow all those Junior/Intermediate umpires registered in 2019 to re-register for the 2020 season without the requirement of having to do so through clinic attendance.

Rep and Select coaches please note the following with regard to obtaining your coach certification in order to coach this season:

BASEBALL REP  SELECT COACH CERTIFICATION

Baseball Ontario canceled all in-person NCCP Coaching Clinics for the remainder of this season, and introduced online delivery of clinics so that certification can be achieved for 2020.

Online clinics start next week, so please visit the NCCP site and register asap to secure your spot in order to complete any modules that you require to be placed on a roster and coach this season.

SOFTBALL REP  SELECT COACH CERTIFICATION

Softball  Ontario cancelled all activities until May 1^st as noted above.  Once we get further direction from them with regard to how they plan to proceed  for the 2020 season we will advise you.

I continue to be extremely impressed by the training that continues by players from all our rep and select teams in both baseball and softball.  The commitment, engagement, creativity and dedication of our coaches and players to continue to put in the time and effort into development is to commended.

With the continued closure of community centres, our office will not be open for drop in visits until such time that the city reopens all facilities.

The office continues to access emails and voicemails on a regular basis, so please feel free to reach out to us via phone, email or social media.

Our hearts and prayers go out to those who have been affected by the virus, especially families in Vaughan.

Likewise, we acknowledge and express our sincere appreciation and gratitude to the healthcare workers, law enforcement agencies, essential services, governments and frontline workers who continue to work diligently in our best interests through this .

The safety and wellbeing of our membership continues to be our top priority.  We remain proactive in our approach given the frequency of new developments by the minute and will provide an update on league activities as time passes and we get closer to May 1^st.

We will follow the advice of public health agencies in making decisions and only undertake actions when it is appropriate and safe to do so.

I urge everyone to listen to those in the medical community and do as has been recommended and/or mandated.  It  is how we can do our part to help contain and mitigate the spread of this deadly virus.

Using a combination of advice from the World Health Organization (WHO), Health Canada and the Center for Disease Control (CDC), please do the following to take care of your health and protect others:

Ø  Wash your hands frequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after being in a public place or after blowing your nose, cough or sneezing.

Ø  If soap and water are not readily available, use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol

Ø  Maintain social distancing (1-2 metres) between yourself and anyone who is coughing or sneezing

Ø  Avoid touching eyes, nose and mouth

Ø  Cover your mouth and nose with bent elbow or tissue when you cough or sneeze

Ø  Throw used tissues in the trash

Ø  If you have a fever, cough and difficulty breathing, seek medical care early

Ø  Stay at home and avoid others, except to get medical care, if you begin to feel unwell, even with mild symptoms such as a headache and slight runny nose

Ø  Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces daily

Ø  Stay informed and follow advice given by your healthcare provider

Ø  Avoid others who are sick

Ø  Avoid shaking hands

We remain committed to keeping you informed and you will find new information posted on our website, social media and communicate with you via email.

We are committed to working together on precautionary measures to protect our membership and prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Thanks,

Dirk Drieberg

President