WAA plans 2020-21 season
By Janet Kanters, Editor
The Wheatland Athletic Association (WAA) is gearing up for 2020-21 hockey, and although things will run a bit differently, players will be taking to the ice this season.
WAA tryouts are underway right now, with U13 (peewee), U15 (bantam) and U18 (midget) players taking to the ice at the Strathmore Family Centre Arena, hoping to secure a spot.
According to Doug Raycroft, WAA president, once the tryouts are done, there will be a development stage of the season, and then in late October and early November, the leagues will be able to have some competition.
“There’s a plan in place, and for Wheatland AA, we just want to make sure that we’re following the guidelines the best we can while still giving all of the kids in our area a chance to tryout,” said Raycroft,’ who added actual games will take place “contingent on whether AHS (Alberta Health Services) says it can happen.”
To that end, Hockey Alberta has come out with some guidelines to ensure safety for all the players and hockey staff. In addition, on Aug. 24, Hockey Alberta updated its Return to Hockey Plan which includes a new component: modified competition season. According to Hockey Alberta, the goal of the Return to Hockey Plan and its update is to provide associations/ teams with an opportunity to finalize any tryouts/evaluations, register rosters and prepare for an eventual return to the regular season, when permitted.
“The health and safety of all participants in the sport is of paramount importance in all activities outlined in the Return to Hockey Plan,” stated Hockey Alberta in a news release. “The threats and challenges posed by COVID-19 require specific steps to be taken to allow hockey back on the ice, and this plan addresses those requirements.”
The Return to Hockey Plan – including the timelines included within it – is subject to change, as new guidelines and requirements are put in place by the government of Alberta (access the full Return to Hockey Plan document at, https://www.hockeyalberta.ca/members/return-hockey/).
As for the WAA, Raycroft said the start to the season has been very challenging for all the groups in the way information is communicated so that everyone knows what’s going on. In addition, ensuring players have the chance to tryout at various levels is an issue.
For instance, “the triple A guys always get cut and have to have a chance with the double A, then they get cut at double A and they have to have a chance at minor hockey,” said Raycroft. To that end, “there are two different ways to try out – there’s a socially distant skills tryout that kids can take part in. When players get cut, they can go right to their next level and start trying out there, there’s no quarantine needed. After that, the kids will be put into cohorts and there can be some competition. But once they’ve been in a cohort situation, they do need to quarantine after for a period of time – 14 days.”
And that’s where the delay comes for the triple A players. Raycroft said if players are in the last cuts from triple A, they can’t simply come back and try out for double A.
“It’s a little bit complicated,” he said. “If they get cut, they’ll have to wait two weeks before they come back.”
A new team is joining the WAA this year, too. The U16 Raiders are being formed under new regulations from Hockey Alberta.
Once tryouts are finished in Strathmore, Raycroft expects a month of development where players will practice and work on their skills. Following that, he hopes to see some exhibition games and some “pod” play. “That’s what they’re calling it – pod play – and we hope to see some of that start in November.”
In the meantime, Raycroft said communication has been good locally, with a lot of meetings and communications from Strathmore Minor Hockey as well as the town.
“There’s a lot of different issues we’ve had to work through, and the communication has been pretty good,” he noted. “Everyone wants to get back to playing. It’s really good seeing kids at the rink and having fun.”
In June, the WAA named their head coaches for the 2020-21 season: U13AA Braves Head Coach – Randy Hanas; U15AA Warriors Head Coach – Derek Puttick; U16AA Head Coach – Devin Olsen; and U18AA Chiefs Head Coach – Colton Grant.
The Town of Strathmore has posted COVID-19 regulations for the Strathmore Family Centre Arena, available online (https://strathmore.ca/en/visiting/strathmore-family-centre-arena.aspx).