Seeing is believing, which is why North Langley Softball (NLS) has produced a video to assure parents of prospective players of the many COVID-19 safety precautions being taken.
On Saturday, Feb. 20, different age groups were playing softball at a Langley ball park for the camera, so parents and players could see exactly how safe a softball game actually is.
People were wearing masks, surfaces were seen being disinfected, and when NLS president Trevor Moreno talked to the camera with his mask down, no one was anywhere near him.
In the video, produced by Danica Reed of Walnut Grove Secondary School, Moreno told viewers the aim was “to essentially show how safe our sport is to play.”
“First of all, with this game of softball, there’s very little contact,” Moreno noted.
“Now with COVID, we’ve got some new processes and protocols that we have to follow, [for instance] all of our diamonds are outfitted with sanitation stations,” Moreno explained.
“We also have gloves, we have masks, and we have a hydrogen peroxide-based solution that is used to spray down the bases, the balls and the equipment, afterwards.”
NLS is operating under stringent return-to-play guidelines that also require all participants to answer screening questions when they arrive, limit the number of participants to 50, and require a ‘distancing monitor’ to make sure participants and spectators maintain a minimum distance, among other measures.
The video has been posted to NLS Facebook and Instagram pages.
READ ALSO: North Langley Softball wages campaign to get kids back on the field
After a slow start that saw no sign-ups at the end of the first early bird registration drive by NLS at the end of December, the numbers have improved, with 126 recreation-level kids signed up as of Monday, March 1, which is still down from the pre-pandemic averages of well above 200.
Registration is continuing, with NLS accepting applicants until the middle of March, after which the club will start forming teams.
READ ALSO: VIDEO: Langley softball team plays ball, while maintaining ‘social distancing’
Those interested can sign up by visiting the North Langley Diamond Sports softball page at http://softball.nldiamondsports.ca/programs/registration or through their Facebook page.
NLS will be holding free clinics for ages under-10 to under-19 on Saturdays through March 27.
It has also announced that photo days have been reserved for April 19 and 20, and there won’t be group photos taken of teams this season.
Individual photos will be taken, under COVID-19 guidelines, then combined digitally.
Have a story tip? Email: dan.ferguson@langleyadvancetimes.com
