IMPORTANT INFORMATION REGUARDING GR. 6/7 VOLLEYBALL ... PRESSING PAUSE AT THIS TIME...

 

To all our Shuswap Middle School Gr. 6 and Gr. 7 girls’ and boys’ volleyball and/or basketball players … Please be advised that there will be no volleyball practices or games, and there will be no basketball workouts taking place at SMS this week - beginning Tuesday, October 26, to Friday October 29, 2021.

We will resume our volleyball practices, games, and open gym times during next week (Nov. 1^st – 5^th).

At this time, Mr. Henderson and Mr. Smith are going to “press pause”, take a step back, and “hit the reset button” going into the week of October 25 to October 29. We also want to remind everyone – players, parents, and others, that we and all other coaches in our schools are volunteers. We do not get paid for coaching, attending athletic meetings, organizing – planning – scheduling league games/tournaments, nor do we get paid to run and plan practices, or provide open gym opportunities. Coaching is not part of our job. We coach because coaching our young student/athletes is our passion. We love working with our students outside the classroom and we want to provide opportunities for them in sport. These volunteer, unpaid positions that we choose to dedicate ourselves to, help to create culture within our schools and pride within our communities.

Both Mr. Henderson and Mr. Smith are extremely proud of our grade 6 and 7 girls and boys who have chosen to play volleyball this year. Those who have chosen to attend and commit themselves on a regular basis have shown themselves to be coachable, hard workers, and enthusiastic young people, and because of their efforts and desire to get better, they have all improved tremendously. Great job everyone.   

Please know, that both Mr. Henderson and Mr. Smith are extremely grateful for the support they receive from other SMS staff members – Mr. Gecse, Miss Furrer, and Miss Kinley. Whether it’s helping to coach at lunch, or during Monday morning practices, or working the door to greet our spectators and check vaccine passports, the help we receive is appreciated, required, and needed.

Please also know, that without the Health and Safety Guidelines imposed by the Province and Interior Health, we as coaches at SMS would not be doing what we do. At this point, the Health and Safety Guidelines that we are following represent the minimum requirement for us as coaches to volunteer our time in the Program we’ve created. We understand that some are not happy with checking of vaccine passports during game days at SMS; however, we are following the Guidelines sent out and imposed by Interior Health on September 15, 2021. Again, because of the mandatory Fully Vaccinated Passport requirement imposed on Spectators entering gyms to watch school sports, we as coaches, felt comfortable hosting games at our school. Therefore, moving forward and as an added mitigation strategy to fight against the spread of COVID-19, we are going to continue to require all spectators, who enter our gym, provide proof of full vaccination status.

Our volunteers who work the door and check vaccine passports, our coaches who do all they do during the games, and any other staff members who help us do what we do to host volleyball games at Shuswap Middle School, should not be exposed and/or experience any anger, frustration, or abuse from spectators wanting to enter our facility. Although it has been from a select few, SMS staff, who again, volunteer their time, have experienced some extremely uncomfortable and difficult situations during our volleyball games at SMS from parents wanting to watch their child play volleyball. Again, please understand… if it were not for the Health and Safety Guidelines imposed by both the Province and Interior Health, and the added mitigations imposed by our school, the Volleyball Program our SMS students are experiencing this year would not exist.

Currently, we are “pressing pause.” We hope that both parents and players will be reminded who our coaches and staff are in relation to school sports, and what we do, and why we do it. Also, we hope that all involved will be reminded of the importance of why we are following the Health and Safety Guidelines imposed by the Province and Interior Health. We expect our athletes to follow all Health and Safety protocols in practice, at games, and throughout the school day in our classrooms, in our halls, and in our gym during practices and games.

Mr. Henderson and Mr. Smith will “press the reset button” next Monday, November 1, 2021, to resume our Volleyball Program at SMS. At that time, we will look forward to seeing our athletes in the gym, at practices and games. We expect that all players and parents who choose to resume their participation in our Volleyball Program will be in full compliance with our school’s Health and Safety Guidelines and Protocols that have been set by the Province and Interior Health.