BAKERSVILLE — Mitchell County Recreation League sports are back amid the ongoing pandemic but Recreation Director Brock Duncan and Assistant Director Ryan Cook are doing all they can to keep the athletes and spectators safe.
Baseball and soccer returned to play earlier this month. Both seasons will continue through late October with baseball ending with championship night on Oct. 23 and soccer wrapping up with a tournament on Oct. 24.
The most stark difference in this year’s competitive field is the number of teams.
Enrollment is down across the board, Duncan said. The leagues are short of their usual size by about four baseball and five soccer teams.
“There are 13 soccer teams and four baseball teams,” Duncan said. “A lot of that is the lack of communication where we couldn’t go into schools this year.”
Normally, Duncan and his staff are able to talk to kids in area schools about recreation league sports. A signup period usually begins and lasts for several weeks near the beginning of school but this year’s period was condensed to less than two weeks due to the pandemic.
This short enrollment window combined with concerns over the virus are the main culprits for the lower number of participants this year, Duncan said.
“The people that did sign up to play are absolutely ecstatic,” he said. “Every kid that’s signed up, it’s like they’ve never seen each other before. It’s a blessing for them to be able to do it right now.”
To make recreation league competition a possibility during this time, the Mitchell County Recreation staff has been forced to adapt.
Through regular meetings with Toe River Health District Director Diane Creek, Duncan and his staff came up with a list of precautions to make the kids and their families as safe as possible.
The Mitchell County Board of Commissioners during its regular August meeting gave the recreation department the green light to continue sports with the safety precautions in place.
All athletes are required to fill out and sign a release form specifically written regarding COVID-19. Each student that signed up was provided a Mitchell Mountaineers face mask.
In addition to mandatory masks, the department has set up portable bathrooms and sanitizing stations at every field. Temperature checks using infrared thermometers are required for everyone onsite and social distancing is strongly encouraged and monitored.
To encourage distancing, common seating areas such as bleachers and dugouts are roped off.
All players bring their own equipment, such as bats and helmets, to limit the amount of contact.
All Mitchell County Recreation staff are wearing masks and parents are asked to remain outside of the fences surrounding the play areas.
The number of attendees allowed at events is in line with the state guidelines. The state is currently in Phase 2.5 which allows for mass gatherings of up to 25 people indoors and 50 people outdoors.
“We’re taking all the precautions right now,” Duncan said. “As this goes on, hopefully it will set other family’s minds at ease.”
Duncan said he and his staff will make important announcements regarding the recreation league seasons mainly through the department’s all-call system, which he encourages parents to utilize to stay current on the schedule and plans for the seasons.
Duncan said he and his staff will continue to regularly meet with Creek and other local officials regarding the future of other sports. He added he hopes to try to play basketball right after Christmas, if possible.
Immediately after basketball, Duncan said he would like to see football and flag football begin, with seasons running until mid-April.
Immediately after football, baseball, softball and T-ball could start, which would put the recreation league schedules back into their normal flow.
“We have tons of support and I hope we continue to have it,” Duncan said. “We love doing what we do.”