It’s back to school for many Edmonton families and it’s also back to playing sports. But it’s not so simple for one father who’s facing a difficult choice: coach his kids’ sports teams or play rec hockey.
But this has also been the year of COVID-19 and the many restrictions associated with it.
“I’ve got two kids: a daughter in ringette and I have a son in hockey,” Glassford said.
“I coach both. Last year, I head-coached my son’s team and I assistant-coached my daughter’s team.”
Unsure whether to coach or play, he reached out to one of the sports associations.
Rules outlined by the province say only cohorts with a maximum of 50 people is allowed, and according to the Edmonton Sport Council, a mixing of cohorts is not permitted.
“People should not be participating in two different sports or active recreational opportunities at one time,” said Gary Shelton, executive director with the Edmonton Sport Council.
The province does say that if a cohort and or mini-league wants to change, individuals must quarantine for 14 days.
This poses a challenge for families like the Glassfords, but is something the Edmonton Sport Council says is essential.
“That’s why 50-person cohorts are important,” Shelton said. “The organizations have to do contact tracing and the larger the group gets, the more difficult that becomes.”
“Now it’s a decision to be made of, do I coach one of the kids or do I play? And that’s a tough decision to have to try and make,” Glassford said.
He added that he has not yet made his decision, but as much as he would like to get back into rec hockey, either coaching his son or helping with ringette is likely what he’ll end up doing.
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