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Return to Play 2021
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Dec 21, 2020 - Provincial Lockdown
OCMHA Members
I’m sure everyone is aware of the lockdown announced by the Premier today.
All arenas will be closed from Boxing day to Jan 23rd inclusive. In addition, team sports are not allowed on the outdoor rinks. Therefore, OCMHA will suspend activity until arenas reopen and/or outdoor rinks allow team sports to return.
I wanted to take a moment to thank all of the volunteers who have continued to find ways to make the year fun for all. Everyone deserves a pat on the back for being diligent with respect to our return to play guidelines. Respecting those guidelines has allowed OCMHA to operate with no COVID outbreaks.
We will continue to monitor Provincial, OPH and City of Ottawa restrictions while we plan to start up again.
David Loehr
President, OCMHA
The provincial announcement: https://files.ontario.ca/moh-provincewide-shutdown-en-2020-12-21.pdf
Dec 10, 2020 Season Update
Hi OCMHA Parents and Players
I want to thank you for your patience and understanding while adapting to all of the changes we've had in the season so far. Things have been running smoothly for the last 4 weeks thanks in no small part to your adherence to our safety protocols.
Feedback has been great, smaller groups on the ice for the younger ages has allowed for some very focused development, and the kids scrimmaging at the older levels are having a blast.
Our plan at the start of the season was to run a fall session for 10 weeks. Most divisions will have run for ~7 weeks by dec 20th. Rather than ending the session in december, we will extend the fall session to approximatley the middle of Jan to bring it to 10 or 11 weeks. We will open up registration for a shorter winter session to run from mid jan to march 14th in the next week or so.
We are confirming available ice from Jan - March in the next few days and hope to publish a schedule by the end of the weekend.
Holidays: Christmas break, Family Day weekend.
In a normal season, we would not book ice on Christmas break or Family Day weekend, but given travel restrictions, we anticipate most families will be around over the holidays and will be looking for some activites.
We have at least 1 hour of ice for the U7 to U18 divisions between Dec 27th and Dec 30th inclusive, some pods that are short hours may have a 2nd hour, or an hour on Jan 3rd. I will publish a schedule up to Jan 3rd in the next few days. We will keep our regular ice allocation on Family Day weekend as well.
Our regular schedule will start up again the week of Jan 4-10th and continute to Mar 14th.
U21 will have ice on Dec 20th and then start up again on Jan 3rd.
Lastly, more city programs have started up (public skating, City run skating lessons, as well as other users). That has put further constraints on ice. We are finalizing our ice allocation this week and will publish a new schedule by the end of the weekend.
If you are NOT on the ice in the current fall session and were hoping to sign up in Jan 1st (the original winter session start date), please contact your convener. Any other questions, please don't hesitate to contact me.
I want to thank you for your patience and understanding while adapting to all of the changes we've had in the season so far. Things have been running smoothly for the last 4 weeks thanks in no small part to your adherence to our safety protocols.
Feedback has been great, smaller groups on the ice for the younger ages has allowed for some very focused development, and the kids scrimmaging at the older levels are having a blast.
Our plan at the start of the season was to run a fall session for 10 weeks. Most divisions will have run for ~7 weeks by dec 20th. Rather than ending the session in december, we will extend the fall session to approximatley the middle of Jan to bring it to 10 or 11 weeks. We will open up registration for a shorter winter session to run from mid jan to march 14th in the next week or so.
We are confirming available ice from Jan - March in the next few days and hope to publish a schedule by the end of the weekend.
Holidays: Christmas break, Family Day weekend.
In a normal season, we would not book ice on Christmas break or Family Day weekend, but given travel restrictions, we anticipate most families will be around over the holidays and will be looking for some activites.
We have at least 1 hour of ice for the U7 to U18 divisions between Dec 27th and Dec 30th inclusive, some pods that are short hours may have a 2nd hour, or an hour on Jan 3rd. I will publish a schedule up to Jan 3rd in the next few days. We will keep our regular ice allocation on Family Day weekend as well.
Our regular schedule will start up again the week of Jan 4-10th and continute to Mar 14th.
U21 will have ice on Dec 20th and then start up again on Jan 3rd.
Lastly, more city programs have started up (public skating, City run skating lessons, as well as other users). That has put further constraints on ice. We are finalizing our ice allocation this week and will publish a new schedule by the end of the weekend.
If you are NOT on the ice in the current fall session and were hoping to sign up in Jan 1st (the original winter session start date), please contact your convener. Any other questions, please don't hesitate to contact me.
Thanks everyone, Stay Safe.
David Loehr
President, OCMHA
President, OCMHA
Nov 22, 2020 - Important Reminder: COVID-19 Protocols
Hi OCMHA parents and guardians,First, a big thank you to everyone for doing their part to help our program run safely, and for your flexibility during a time when rules and ice times are sometimes changing by the day. To date we’ve had excellent compliance with our COVID protocols, and we are very grateful for your efforts in that regard.
As we now have a few weeks of hockey under our belts, and everyone should be a bit more familiar with the lay of the land, we felt that it was a good time to quickly reiterate some of the most important elements of our COVID protocols:
- As strongly recommended by Ottawa Public Health, we ask that our players not take part in multiple sports or play on multiple teams.
- Please make sure that you are screening your player before every ice time using the screening form found at https://forms.gle/yPVyZsVdzWxZ2doo7.
- Avoid carpooling to the arena. If carpooling is absolutely necessary, all vehicle occupants must wear masks.
- All spectators and volunteers must wear masks while inside the arena – no exceptions, anywhere, ever.
- Please avoid congregating in the arena.
- Minimize the number of volunteers on benches. Trainers should not be on the bench with players.
- Time spent in dressing rooms should be kept to a minimum. Players wear masks until they put their helmets on, and head out to the arena as soon as they are ready.
- After the ice time, players put their masks back on as soon as they take their helmets off, untie their skates off as quickly as possible, and leave the dressing room and arena.
- And of course, please stay home if you are feeling sick or displaying symptoms.
If you have any questions about any of the protocols, or need to report an illness or contact with an ill person, send an email to riskandsafety@ocmha.ca.
Looking forward to seeing you back at the rink!
Dave and Matt
Nov 6, 2020 - Further guidance to limit the spread of COVID-19
Happy to be returning to the ice tomorrow. Along with the updated provincial colour coded COVID-19 restrictions, OPH has given new guidance for sports organizations.
We’ve updated our COVID Safety Guidelines (v5) to reflect those recommendations, please read before you head to the rink.
Some of the new recommendations include the following. It may seem like alot, but all are intended to keep us safe and on the ice.
Transmission of COVID-19 is possible before, during and after training. Precautions are required to reduce the risk of transmission while enabling training to occur.
- Minimize social gatherings of participants and spectators both before and after the activity. This includes spectators in the stands, in the change rooms and the areas outside of recreational facilities.
- Limit carpooling.
- Limit gatherings inside and outside the facilities. Ensure a two-metre physical distance and wear masks in the facility parking lots.
- Do not coach or play for more than one team
- Maintain physical distance of at least two metres from other people before, during and after the activity
- Clean and disinfect equipment between uses
- Do not share your sports gear with other people
- Practice frequent hand hygiene by using an alcohol-based hand rub or washing your hands with soap and water
- Wear masks at all times if possible and safe, even during physical activities
- Players and coaches are encouraged to wear masks.
- Arrive at the rink dressed in all gear except skates, helmet and gloves.
- Many players are coming to the rink with their skates tied by using walkable (or rolling) skate guards.
- Use a small bag for helmet and gloves instead of a normal sized large hockey bag.
- In addition, the following rules regarding facilities have been modified for Orange restrictions:
- Change rooms are open for use, but we encourage you to use the chairs in the open areas to avoid overcrowding the change rooms.
- Leave space in the change room for the goalies to change
- Change rooms are open for use, but we encourage you to use the chairs in the open areas to avoid overcrowding the change rooms.
- 1 parent or guardian will be allowed in the arena to supervise their children. No siblings.
- If you plan to leave the arena, especially for younger players, please inform the safety coordinator for your team and remain close by in case your player requires assistance during the practice. This will help players, coaches and trainers continue to maintain proper physical distancing.
Always remember to complete the Ottawa Public Health screening tool prior to going to the arena and stay home if you or your player are sick, even when symptoms are mild. Staying home helps prevent transmitting illness to others.
As always, if you have concerns or questions, don't hesitate to contact me.
Be safe.
Have fun this weekend.
Have fun this weekend.
Dave Loehr
Nov 5, 2020 - Returning to Ice this Weekend
See Master Schedule:
http://ocmha.ca/master_sched_league.php?from_month_year=2020-11-01&to_month_year=2020-11-01
Hi OCMHA Parents,
I'm sure you are aware of the new provincial colour coded COVID-19 restrictions. Ottawa will be in level Orange on Saturday Nov 7th. The city has not confirmed all of the details as they wait for final regulations from the province. In the meantime, they have indicated that we will be able to have 25 people on the ice and parents/guardians will be allowed in the rink to assist younger participants. There are also going to be additional protocols in place to help reduce the spread of COVID-19 within OCMHA and the community in general. More details to follow tomorrow.
The city has also given us more ice, enough that everyone will be on the ice at least once this weekend. We are putting together a new schedule for the weekend and hope to publish that this evening. Early morning for the younger players, later in the day and evening for the older players.
Thanks are definitely in order for some dedicated volunteers to get us this far:
The conveners Brad Carew, Shawn Barber, Cynthia Colapinto, Glen MacEachern, Katerina Daniel, and Sean Lynch spent countless hours over the last 3 weeks re-working our practice pods to fit within the modified stage 2 restrictions, and are now doing it again to work with the Orange level.
Our Risk and Safety Director, Matt Meagher, this year is less about hockey and all about risk and safety, thanks Matt and the team, Katerina, Cynthia and Elspeth Tory for all the work keeping up with the ever changing protocols and procedures.
Our Risk and Safety Director, Matt Meagher, this year is less about hockey and all about risk and safety, thanks Matt and the team, Katerina, Cynthia and Elspeth Tory for all the work keeping up with the ever changing protocols and procedures.
Lastly, I want to thank the parents who have volunteered to help out this year, we are a volunteer organization that doesn’t run without you.
David Loehr
President, OCMHA
David Loehr
President, OCMHA
Oct 31,2020 - Update on Restarting Nov 7th
Hi OCMHA parents,I wanted to update you on a few items as we plan for a safe return to the ice on Nov 7th.
The first item is volunteers, we still need volunteers at most levels, On ice help, Trainers, and Safety Coordinators/Managers. There is no experience necessary for any role. A sufficient number of volunteers is criticial to meeting new guidelines recommended by public health. For every pod of 8 players, we need a Head Coach, an Assistant Coach, a Trainer and a Safety Coordinator. 50% of parents need to volunteer, if you can help, please reach out to your convener. If a division does not have enough volunteers, we may not be able to offer a program for that division.
The second item is ice and scheduling. The city notified us this week that more arenas are being repurposed to support activities related to COVID-19. Tom Brown, Brewer and McNabb will not be used as Arena’s for the foreseeable future. More closures may be coming, Bernard Grandmaitre is closed at the moment and the city has not confirmed it will open on the 7th. McNabb and BGM represent a significant portion of our ice allotment. This week the city is re-allocating ice across the city to give all associations affected by the closures ice in return. There is a chance we will end up with ice at arenas farther from the core, Fred Barret and Dulude for instance.
There is an immediate issue with the loss of ice for the Nov 7/8 weekend. At the moment, we have ~30% of the ice needed to have all of our participants on the ice that weekend. We are looking at options for replacement ice and will update you next week. There is a strong possibility that not everyone will get on the ice that weekend. Priority will be given to those groups who have not been on the ice this year.
Longer term, starting the week of Nov 9th, we will be rescheduling ice times when the city is finished re-allocating. Hopefully late next week. With further closures of rinks coming, I expect this may happen again. Predicting ice times beyond 4 weeks is probably overly optimistic. Although there is uncertainty, we will still follow the general rule of younger kids in the morning, older in the afternoon and evening. If you have any concerns about continuing, please don’t hesitate to contact me.
David Loehr, President, OCMHA
Oct 22, 2020 - OCMHA Restarting Nov 4 - Survey Response Required * Important - Please respond by Oct 25 *
The OCMHA Executive has developed a plan to move forward with hockey in an environment that may move between the current Stage 2 restrictions and the more permissive Stage 3 framework at any time.We understand that this is an uncertain time for our families, therefore we have developed options so you can decide what best suits your needs. The foremost concern is the health and safety of participants and volunteers, we continue to follow Public health guidelines in all of our programs and enhance those protocols where we can.
The plan is based on a return to the ice as early as Nov 4th even if we remain in Stage 2. Please note that due to the smaller pod sizes, more volunteers are needed to run our programs safely under the Stage 2 restrictions.
To indicate if you want to participate under the current modified Stage 2 restrictions, please fill out this survey <SURVEY> no later than Oct 25th, 2020. You can read more below to learn more about the restrictions and how we are addressing them.
If you do not fill out the survey, your player’s registration will not be affected and they will be included in the Stage 2 return to play plan.
If you choose not to participate in stage 2, we will follow up with you with options that will allow you to participate when we return to stage 3 or request a credit (or refund). All participants will receive a credit (or refund) for sessions that are cancelled by the City.
If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact your convenor or me.
OCMHA Program Requirements
In the current Stage 2 requirements, a total of 11 people are permitted in the arena at a time. The plan is contingent upon us getting enough volunteers to safely run a program that:
- Focuses on fun and development
- Maintains a “two-deep” rule - one adult is never alone with players - to ensure players and volunteers are protected at all times
- Has a trainer in the arena, in case of emergency
- Has a safety coordinator posted outside the rink to check-in participants
As of Oct. 15, 2020, hockey in City of Ottawa arenas is restricted as follows:
- No scrimmages or games are permitted
- A maximum of 10 people are allowed on the ice (players + coaches)
- One trainer is allowed off-ice
- No spectators are allowed in the arena
- Dressing rooms are locked
- Players must arrive dressed
Under Stage 2, the program will include:
- Players will participate in physically distanced practices only, with no battle drills or scrimmages
- Pods will include:
- A maximum of eight players on the ice (7 for U7)
- One head coach
- One assistant coach/on-ice help
- One trainer (off-ice)
- Safety coordinator (not allowed in the arena) to manage check in at the door, specifically verify that the OPH screener is completed, contact tracing information is collected and hands are sanitized.
- Each pod will be assigned 1 ice time per week.
Please note that this approach may be modified during the session if necessary to respond to changes to the public health restrictions.
Questions and Answers:
With the reduced number of players on the ice, will we have to pay more for the fall session?
No additional registration fees will be required to continue under the modified Stage 2 restrictions. Although you will pay more per hour of ice, the overall cost for 7 remaining weeks is less because ice frequency is reduced 1 hour per week and our hourly rate for ice from the city was reduced. Any unused funds will either be refunded or applied as a credit to the winter session.
Pods had 3 weeks of practices cancelled, will we receive a refund?
Yes, a refund or credit. At the end of the fall session, any unused funds - after we have covered all of our financial obligations and overhead costs - will be returned as a credit in the form of refund or can be used as a credit towards the next session.
If we choose not to play now for any reason, and the province and city return us to the Stage 3 restrictions, will we be able to return at that time?
Yes, you will have the option to stay registered and participate when we are back in Stage 3, or to withdraw for the session. We will be following up in the next week with details.
What happens if we return to Stage 3 in mid November?
Whenever we return to Stage 3, we will return to the pod/bubble, 2/week format that we had prior to the modified Stage 2 restrictions coming into effect, while taking into account any new or modified restrictions that are introduced at that time.
I want to volunteer to help as a coach, trainer or safety coordinator, what courses do I need to take?
Thank you for offering to help the programs run. You must have a valid, police record check (PRC) to work with vulnerable populations, and we recommend that you apply for this as soon as possible because it can take some time to process. OCMHA does not reimburse the cost of the PRC.
The required training courses (most are now on-line) are outlined on the HEO website at this link. Please note, a new required on-line course "Planning a Safe Return to Hockey" has been added this year. The OCMHA will reimburse course fees with proof of completion. NOTE Some of the courses are only offered in the next few weeks. It is important that you sign up as soon as possible. They will not be offered again.
Oct 16, 2020 - Update on Stage 2 restrictions
- Our executive board met last night to review the new modified Stage 2 restrictions put in place on October 9th and further clarified on Oct 14th. We support the Province and Ottawa Public Health's return to the modified stage 2 restrictions to try to curb the rapid rise in new COVID-19 cases in Ottawa and will continue to work within their guidelines.
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With this in mind, we have decided to pause OCMHA programs until midnight on Nov 6th.
This short pause provides several benefits, which include reducing our contacts (always good given the current climate) and providing us with time to try to put together a new plan to return to the ice, even if we remain in stage 2 after Nov 6th
A return to ice under stage 2 would require a rework of our pods and approximately 30- 40% more volunteers than we have now. On the financial side the cost of ice per player doubles. To compensate, we would have to reduce the ice times to 1 time per week to keep the costs within the current registration fees.
Conveners will be following up soon to see if more volunteer coaches and trainers are available to help on the ice and provide information on certification requirements.
We will provide details on our new return to play program in the coming weeks. We recognize that players and parents may not want to participate in a stage 2 program and will provide withdrawl and refund options as part of that plan.
Please Note: Ottawa Public Health, Hockey Eastern Ontario, District B (Bytown) and the OCMHA Executive are strongly discouraging parents from renting ice outside of the city to avoid restrictions. Any ice bookings are not sanctioned by the OCMHA as we do not want to be responsible for causing an outbreak in a facility outside the city.
Stay safe, stay healthy and for now, keep your stick on the shooting pad, we will get back on the ice as soon as possible.
David Loehr
PS. In my message on Wednesday, I characterized the latest restrictions as imposed by the city, they are in fact part of the modified Stage 2 restrictions set out by the province, and clarified by the city on Wednesday.October 14, 2020 - Further Arena restrictions, cancelled practices.
Hi OCMHA Players and Parents,
You may be hearing through the media that the city has decided to limit the number of players and coaches on the ice to 10 people (including coaches) and no spectators will be allowed in the arena, effective Oct 15th.
While we wish play could continue as planned, we support doing what we can to reduce the spread of COVID-19. In the short term, we are cancelling practices this weekend including tomorrow evening.
The OCMHA executive will meet tomorrow evening to determine a path going forward.
We will provide an update in the coming days.
As always, stay safe, stay healthy.
David Loehr
President, OCMHAOctober 12, 2020 - Message re U15 and U18
U15 and U18 players and parents:
As I mentioned in my email on Saturday, the rising number of COVID-19 cases in Ottawa is a concern for us all. As a result, the Province has set new restrictions that impact hockey, specifically, games and scrimmages are not allowed for team sports for the next 28 days.
Due to the new restrictions, we have made the following changes to the program:
1. Reduce the # of ice times from 2/week to 1/week.
2. There will be no scrimmages.
3. Coaches will run fun competition based drills to create an enjoyable session with physical distancing in mind.
In addition to the changes noted above, we are also making the following changes to reduce the # of contacts at the rink:
U15 - Our original plan had 5 pods of 8 skaters + goalies creating a bubble of ~43. Instead, we will pair up pods to create 2 bubbles of ~21/22 that will not mix for the next 4 weeks. Katerina Daniel (U15 convener) will follow up with pod information in the next day or two. U15's first ice time will be Saturday Oct 17th.
U18 - Our original plan had 4 pods mixing each ice time to form a bubble of 40 players. Instead, we will pair up 2 pods and they will remain paired for the next 4 weeks, creating bubbles of ~20 players.
The schedule on ocmha.ca will be adjusted this evening to reflect these changes.
We will return to our original 4 and 5 pod/ ~40 player bubble format when we return to scrimmaging.
These changes will remain in effect until Nov 9th.
We are planning in a constantly changing environment and will continue to review the total ice time allocated to U15 and U18 throughout the fall session so that families receive value for their registration fees.
We recognize that this is a significant change to the original plan, however we feel we can still provide an enjoyable program. If you have any concerns, please contact your convener, or myself. Thank you for your support. Fingers crossed we will be back to scrimmaging soon.
Stay safe. Stay healthy.
David Loehr
President, OCMHA
October 10, 2020 - Update on Stage 2 restrictionsHi OCMHA Parents,
Hockey Associations across Bytown District have put in place health and safety protocols, processes and emergency response plans that respect Ottawa Public Health (OPH) municipal and provincial (regulation 364/20) rules and regulations. These protocols are key to making our programs work.
With the latest announcement by the Province yesterday, Ottawa is returning to a modified version of Stage 2 of its Emergency orders. For Minor Hockey, that means that we are returning to a modified version of Stage 2 of our hockey program, called the Return to Ice.
This means that no scrimmages or games are permitted during ice times for at least the next 28 days. The existing limits of 25 players on the ice and one spectator per player remain in effect, provided that all spectators wear masks. We do not anticipate that the changes will have any impact on our plans for the U7 through U13 groups, and those cohorts will continue as planned. We are currently working with the U15 and U18 coaches to determine how those programs can be modified to respect the new rules. We hope to be able to provide more information on that in the next day or two. U21 scrimages will be cancelled until at least Nov 1.
We know that this has been and continues to be a stressful time for so many given the rising case count and the return to school. The protocols and plans in place are to help us mitigate risks as much as possible. This is why it is critical that everyone coming to hockey ensure that they accurately complete health screening questionnaires prior to arrival at the rink. Ensuring the names and phone numbes recorded by the Safety Coordinator are vital to aid in contact tracing. If anyone (player, volunteer or spectator) or anyone in their household is showing any symptoms identified by OPH, please stay home. Your health and the safety of others is something we take seriously and must maintain. We all have a responsibility to each other as a community.
Following health and safety protocols will help us keep our program going week after week. Given the psychological and physical benefits of sport to our children, it would be a difficult blow for many if the opportunity to have some sort of normal activity was no longer available. On that point, I’ve included a link to an article provided by the District that speaks directly to the mental health benefits of team sports when done in a safe and distanced manner.
We will continue to share information and updates regularly to let you know how we are doing, and to give you opportunities to submit questions and comments. If you have any comments or questions at this point, please reach out to us at president@ocmha.ca or riskandsafety@ocmha.ca
Volunteers have been working on the return to hockey for several months and everyone is doing their best with so many unknowns and changing variables. As things change and as we learn more, we will communicate via email and our website up to date. Information can also be found on the District site: http://bytowndistrict.ca/ or on Twitter at @districtbhkyWe are doing our very best to provide the kids with a safe and fun season and we look forward to working together to achieve this goalHappy thanksgiving and stay well.
Dave LoehrPresident OCMHA
- October 5, 2020 < Click for Updated COVID-19 City Arena Guidleines >
Note that there is an issue in the doc linking to the OPH Screening Tool. Please use this direct link:
https://secureforms.ottawapublichealth.ca/School-Health-Sante-scolaire/COVID-19-Screening-Tool-for-Students
- October 2, 2020 Hi OCMHA Parents and Players
Its been a long time coming but we are finally getting back on the ice. A tiny bit of normal in this complicated, and certainly stressful world we are in. I’m sure everyone has no doubt seen the numbers of cases reported today and have listened to the messages from Dr Vera Etches and the updates from the Province. At the moment there are no further restrictions on arenas or indoor sports that we are aware of. OCMHA , District B and HEO are monitoring the situation for any updates that may affect us and will notify parents as soon as anything changes.
There has been a lot of activity getting to this point. A shout out to a fantastic group of volunteers navigating the ever changing public health protocols to put together a program that will be both fun and safe at the same time. To all of the conveners who’ve managed to put together bubbles and pods: U7 - Brad Carew, U9 - Shawn Barber, U11 - Cynthia Colapinto, U13 - Glen MacEachern, U15 - Katerina Daniel, U18 - Sean Lynch and U21 - Peter Smith, thanks, a tough job at the best of times, more so this year. To all of our executive ,we’ve had more meetings in 3 months than we’ve had in the past couple of years, a special level of dedication. Coaches, Trainers, Managers and the new Safety Coordinators (over 150 parents at OCMHA), no program can run without you. And finally to parents for signing your children up, not an easy decision.
If you haven’t seen it yet, we have posted a COVID-19 Safety Guide on our website. Please take the time to read through it, if you have any questions, please contact myself (president@ocmha.ca) or Matt Meagher (riskandsafety@ocmha.ca). A special thanks to Matt Meagher, Cynthia Colapinto, Elspeth Tory and Katerina Daniel for putting the guide together.
Most of the rinks we use opened yesterday. As you can imagine, its a new process for getting in and out of the rink for everyone. Please be patient as city staff and our safety coordinators work through protocols at the various rinks. Most importantly, make sure to check yourself and your player for COVID-19 symptoms using the Ottawa Public Health screening tool before coming to the rink.
Be safe, stay healthy, have fun.
Dave Loehr
President, OCMHA
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Hi OCMHA Parents and Players.
Its been a long 5 months since most of you have been on the ice. It felt good to watch a few NHL games this week. I'm hoping all of you are able to get back to playing hockey this fall.
Although we are not able to offer a traditional hockey program this season, we are pleased to announce a return to hockey program that we hope will be enjoyable for everyone.
We are going to split the year into two ~10-week sessions, fall (Oct – Dec) and Winter (Jan – March). We will be opening registrations for the Fall Program on August 13th.
In order to comply with the Province’s emergency orders, public health directives, City of Ottawa facilities management policies as well as Hockey Canada directives, we are required to introduce modified programming for the upcoming season and expect to take the ice in early October.
The program is going to be focused on skill development for the younger divisions (U7, U9, U11 and U13) and scrimmages for the older divisions (U15 and U18).
Currently the City of Ottawa is restricting the number of on ice participants to 20 with a maximum of 25 in the facility. The City of Ottawa has prohibited spectators in any arena.
As per the Emergency Order, the maximum number of individuals that can be placed in an indoor event is 50 so we will be creating bubbles of 50 which includes both players and coaches, and volunteers.
Fall Program details:
- Program starts in October and ends in December (~10 weeks).
- 2x50 minute ice times a week for all levels. U7 (IP) and U18 will have the option of choosing a 1 ice time (50 min) per week format.
- The 1st week of all programs will have 1 ice time to allow for coaches, parents, players to get accustomed to protocols and allow time to implement any changes to the protocols/processes that may be required for the 2nd week.
- Younger divisions (U13 and younger) will focus on Skill development
- We may introduce scrimmages provided we can maintain physical distancing guidelines.
- Older divisions (U15 and U18) will scrimmage but must maintain physical distancing.
- There will be modified rules to encourage physical distancing which may include:
- No face offs
- Larger crease to avoid scrums in front of the net.
- Essentially play as if you are not wearing any equipment.
- There will be modified rules to encourage physical distancing which may include:
- No officials will be used
- Players must arrive fully dressed. Dressing rooms can be used only for tying skates.
- It is mandatory that all individuals wear a mask in public places of the facility. A mask is not required when on the ice.
- Bench staff must wear a mask while on the bench but are not required to wear a mask on the ice. Players are not required to wear a mask on the bench.
- Jerseys and socks will not be provided for this program. Players will be asked to have a light (white) and dark (black/blue/red) practice jersey for scrimmaging. We are negotiating a group price for practice jerseys with a local distributor, the jerseys will not be included in your registration fee. More info will be provided by the end of august.
- No physical contact between players; proper distances must be maintained even in scrimmage play.
- We will create pods of 18 players, each pod will be paired with a 2nd pod to create a bubble of 36 players to allow for variety in scrimmage play. Divisions that are not scrimmaging will not be mixing pods.
- No sort outs or tryouts.
- Players are assigned to a “bubble” based on coach assessment from last year trying to keep kids in a bubble of similar skill set.
- Maximum 2 coaches and 1 trainer and 4 parent helpers will be assigned to a pod.
- Parent helpers tie skates, manage hand sanitation for those entering and exiting the rink, ensuring the 2-deep rule for coaches is respected if players require assistance, etc.
- No player affiliation.
- No player/coach/parent movement between bubbles can occur (e.g., no coaching/volunteering for two teams at different levels, no affiliation).
Health and Security Protocols
- Members must follow all the health protocols mandated by the Ontario Government, Ottawa Public Health, and the City of Ottawa.
- Players/coaches/volunteers will be required to submit to a wellness questionnaire prior to entering the facility before each session.
- Should the hockey association receive a notification of a positive test from one of our members, the entire bubble will be shut down for the time recommended by OPH.
- If sessions are cancelled by the City, we will inform people of any refund based on our financial obligations to the City.
Registrations
NOTE: We have modified our refund policy for this program should a child withdraw.
If the program is shut down by the City for public health reasons, ie a positive Covid 19 test, we are still obligated to fulfill our contractual obligations to the City, and we cannot guarantee a refund.
- Withdrawals prior to Sept 15th will receive a refund 75%.
- Withdrawals prior to the start of the program, Oct 1st, will receive a 50% refund.
- Withdrawals prior October 31 will receive a 25% refund. No refunds will be provided after November
- Should we be unable to fill a program, we reserve the right to cancel the program and provide the participants a full refund.
Fees: Frequency
U7 (Initiation) $275 1 session per week
or
U7 (initiation) $420 2 session per week
U9 (Novice) $420 2 sessions per week
U11 (Atom) $420 2 sessions per week
U13 (Peewee) $420 2 sessions per week
U15 (Bantam) $420 2 sessions per week
U18 (Midget) $420 2 sessions per week
Or
U18 (Midget) $275 1 session per week
U21 (Juvenile) TBD TBD
If you are intersted in playing juvenile this year, please contact our coordinator at juvenile@ocmha.ca
If you are planning to be considered for Competitive hockey this year, please see the Q&A section below regarding OCMHA and Sting registration.
If you have any concerns or questions please contact me.
David Loehr,
President (president@ocmha.ca).
Question and Answer:
Why can’t I coach both of my kids?
Having the same person in more than one bubble increases the risk of transmission of Covid-19 to both bubbles. Further, if a coach or volunteer is diagnosed with COVID and is working with two teams, both bubbles may be shut down for the time recommended by OPH. We recognize that this may not be practical in some cases, if you have a concern , please contact David Loehr (OCMHA President) (president@ocmha.ca) .
Why is there no discount for U7 (IP) this year?
Traditionally, we have between 35 – 40 kids on the ice at a time for U7 and they do not play games requiring referees. Older levels traditionally have between 24 and 30 kids on the ice at a time and incur referee costs for ½ of their games. The combination of more kids on the ice and no referee costs allows us to reduce the cost per player for IP in a traditional year. This year, the fixed costs + ice costs is the same for every player.
How will physical distance be maintained during scrimmages?
Any scrimmages should be played as if the players have no equipment on. There will be no face offs. Teams retreat to the blue line after a goal, offside turns the puck over to the defending team, offensive team retreats to the red line. No scrum in front of the nets.
Will U18 and U15 be doing skills based drills?
The expectation is that U18 and possibly U15 will be playing mostly scrimmages.
if a bubble is 36 kids, are divisions limited to 36 / 72 kids?
No, we are not playing in any leagues or tournaments in this session. Therefore, we are not limited to any specific age grouping or division restrictions. For instance, if U7 has 42 kids, we will move 6 of the stronger kids up to play with an appropriate bubble of U9 players based on their skill level. A similar shift to move kids down is possible for older divisions.
Will the Winter session cost the same as the fall session?
Probably not because insurance and some other fixed costs will be covered in the first half of the year, costs for the 2nd half will be driven by ice and sanitisation costs alone. Any increase in the number of players allowed on the ice at one time will also reduce the costs.
Can i sign up for the 2nd session if I’m not signed up for this fall session?
Yes, players will have an opportunity to play in the 2nd half, but will have an additional charge to offset cover additional fixed costs that the fall session players have already paid.
What happens if the province moves back to a stage 2 opening.
If the province were to return to stage 2 and only 10 people are allowed in an indoor setting, the cost per player would increase by at least 50%, which would likely mean we would stop play and issue refunds after covering any city mandated ice costs. We will evaluate options with less ice for those that remain, but there would likely be additional fees to cover the increased cost of ice/player.
What is the process for Competitive registrations
Sting will not be holding traditional tryouts this year. Sting has posted information on their web site for returning players as well as for players who have not played with sting last year. If you are interested, please review their site for registration information.