By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Staff Writer
Sitka Youth Soccer has postponed the summer season indefinitely out of concern for the local transmission of COVID-19.
The coronavirus has canceled sporting events from the Olympics to Major League Baseball.
“Even with the return to play protocols as set forth by Alaska Youth Soccer, we’re concerned about contributing to any community spread of the virus, especially amidst the rising cases in Sitka,” SYS organizer Randy Hitchcock wrote in an email to soccer parents.
In a meeting earlier this month, Hitchcock said, parents in youth soccer discussed the possibility of returning to play.
“We would have a season, and we would start it somewhere early July. We met as a group last week and talked about what the Phase 4 protocol is. But after that meeting though, there were a lot of good points brought up, and it raised more uncertainty in our minds,” he said in an interview this week.
Hitchcock highlighted the difficulty of these choices.
“Are we doing the right thing? It’s scary to be responsible for some of these decisions,” he said.
In this 2018 photo, then-high school senior Ethan Pike passes the ball during a game against Ketchikan at Lower Moller Field. 2018 was the last year for a full soccer season at Sitka High School. Local soccer now consists of Sitka Youth Soccer, which focuses on young Sitkans not yet in high school. (Sentinel file photo by James Poulson)
After consulting with others – from his wife and SYS co-organizer Bridget Hitchcock, to director of the Fine Arts Camp and Hames Center, Roger Schmidt – Randy Hitchcock wrote, “the three of us agreed that, unfortunately, it would probably be best to postpone our season due to the continued uncertainties surrounding the current COVID-19 pandemic.”
Support of the Hames Center is vital for SYS, as it provides insurance and infrastructure needed for youth soccer to function.
In recent years, the Hitchcocks, along with about a half-dozen other involved parents have kept Sitka Youth Soccer alive.
“We didn’t want to see the program die, so we kind of took it over,” R. Hitchcock said. The soccer program was formerly included under the Community Schools umbrella.
He added that his son Connor, 13, and his daughter Lola, 9, enjoy soccer, which keeps him and his wife involved with SYS.
Previous soccer seasons, with 60 to 70 kids of various ages signed up, would involve small scrimmages of three- or four-person teams instead of the usual soccer squad of 11.
But this year, Hitchcock said, soccer was set for a big increase in participation.
“Spring soccer was in registration when the whole COVID thing hit. And it was a big bummer because all signs were showing it was going to be a record turnout,” he said.
Anticipated registration was set to be between 80 and 90 kids.
Hitchcock noted that there will be some informal soccer this summer, but with some modifications to ensure safety.
“The goal is no contact, and to keep your distance as much as possible. It’s not a perfect thing, but you can see everyone is making a strong effort,” he said.
He added that he feels an obligation to keep local soccer fans safe.
“If we get something going and a member of our group tests positive, kid or parent, the exposure that we provided to a big group of people, we feel some sense of responsibility. On another level, we still are parents of kids who love the sport. And as that we’re still going out, not as Sitka Youth Soccer, but there is a group of us getting together a couple times a week, and we are playing.”
The status of Sitka Youth Soccer this summer remains undecided for the moment.
“All signs right now are showing we don’t think it is worth the risk ... and the numbers are rising around the country. And in Sitka, every day, we get a few more,” Hitchcock said.
The final fate of local soccer this summer is “undetermined, but most likely no summer season,” Hitchcock said. “Attention is now towards a fall season.”
This would involve soccer beginning in October.
