Unvaccinated N.B. teens missing out on sports this season

Vaccination requirements are potentially keepingthousands of children from playing sports this season, say some of the province's largest athletic associations.

Hockey New Brunswick estimates about 10 per cent of players have "opted not to play this season due to the vaccine requirements," said the group's executive director Nic Jansen.

In New Brunswick, players aged12 and olderare required to show proof of vaccination in order to play.

Last year, HNB saw nearly 15,000 youths register for minor hockey.

Jansen said this season's registration numbers won't be finalized until mid- to late November, but even then, they won't be able to say for sure how their numbers are affected by COVID restrictions. He said his estimates are based on discussions with some minor hockey associations.

Since registration for many of them closed before the province imposed the proof of vaccination requirement on Sept. 15, participants who requested full refunds after that date are likely vaccine-related, said Jansen.

Many other playersare just now taking to the ice, having optedto vaccinate following the Sept. 15 announcement, rather than sit out the season.

When proof of vaccinations were first announced, Jansen said Hockey New Brunswick got a lot of negative feedback. He said some people mistakenly thought it was a Hockey New Brunswickregulation, rather than one imposed by the province on all non-profit and sports organizations.

"But overall, I think everyone's supportive of the decision and it's keeping the players safer," said Jansen.

Basketball

Basketball New Brunswick, meanwhile, is expecting a roughly 2.5 per cent drop in registration, based on the numbers from a recently run program, says Tyler Slipp, the director of operations.

Slipp said BNB was in the middle ofrunning a program for 12- and 13-year-olds last month when the province imposed the requirement for full vaccination.

Of the 200 youths taking part, five kids pulled out completely, while 14 others missed some activities while waiting to fulfil the vaccination requirements, said Slipp.

If that 2.5 per cent drop-out rate holds for overall registration, that could mean nearly 200 young peoplewill not play this year, based on the roughly 7,000-strong association.

With the current state of COVID-19 cases in the province, Slipp worries that even more parents will decide to pull their kids out of sports fully vaccinated or not.

"I've had those tough discussions with my own wife about, 'What activities are we going to put our kids in with how the case numbers look in the province? And what do we want to expose them to?'"

If parents decide not to register their fully vaccinated children, out of an abundance of caution, the number of kids sitting out this season could go even higher, says Slipp.

Spectators in rinks

Unlike last year, there are currently no limitations on the number of spectators in a facility,as long as they have proof of vaccination and wear masks, of course.

Last year, all facilities limited the number of spectators who could watch games. Most small rinks, for example, allowed only one person per player and no one was allowed to watch practices.

Jansen said current restrictions from the province don't place any limits on spectators, but he said he's aware of some rinks that have imposed their own restrictions.

School sports

The Department of Education was asked on Wednesday about what school sports would look like this year, but no information was provided by publication time. Similarly, no information was provided about spectators at games or the use of school facilities by outside groups.

The website for the New Brunswick Interscholastic Athletic Association(NBIAA) states that all coaches and officials must be fully vaccinated or, if they're government employees, mustdo regular sentinel testing and masking.

All students who are eligible to be vaccinated must be fully vaccinated in order to participate in NBIAA activities.

Like last year, there will be no handshakes or any other "unnecessary physical contact" with the opposing team before or after the game.

"Both teams can stand facing the opposing team to show sportsmanship after each match/game," the site suggests.

Spectators are not permitted inside schools and group sizes are limited at outdoor events.Out-of-province travel, and games against out-of-province teams, are not permitted.