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, in what continues to be a very difficult period of time.

As we all work through the evolving COVID-19, we do continue to prepare for the 2021 baseball season.

That said, as a league, all in person league activities as it relates to games, team workouts and practices continue to be suspended until there is a change in the “stay-at-home” and “lockdown” orders.

While some of the lockdown  restrictions may be eased in the coming days, we will not resume in-person activities until such time as the various levels of government (provincial and municipal) have provided approval to move forward.  When permitted, we will continue to adhere to all government and governing body directives.

While realistic of the current state of the health crisis, the emergence of variants and the rollout of vaccinations, we remain hopeful that we will be able to offer some form of a ball season at all levels of play.

Hence, why we continue to prepare for the season.

HOUSE LEAGUE REGISTRATION

While many have already registered for the 2021 season, we wish to advise those have not yet done so that House League Registration is open. Please visit our website in order to secure a spot for the 2021 season.

It is especially important that you register ASAP and secure a spot as we may be limited in the numbers we can accommodate in 2021 if we are able to have a season.

For umpires who are returning 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, L2 and L3 the 2021 season will continue and be conducted online and umpires need to register via the Baseball Ontario site ASAP.

SOFTBALL UMPIRE CERTIFICATION

Please visit the Softball Ontario and PWSA websites for updates and direction as they are announced with regard to certification for the 2021 season.

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 online delivery of clinics for certification for the 2021 season has begun.

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

Please visit the Softball Ontario and PWSA websites for updates and direction as they are announced with regard to certification for the 2021 season.

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 and will provide an update on league activities as time passes and we get closer to the summer.

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.

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