High school students to compete in OFSAA this winter

Minesing, Ont. -

Student-athletes across Simcoe Muskoka will face off against the best in the province next semester, barring a COVID-19 resurgence in schools.

This week, the public and Catholic boards agreed to allow students to compete at the Ontario Federation of School Athletic Association (OFSAA) level after sidelining athletes during the fall season.

Emmanuele Adade plans to play basketball and win a championship for his school after nearly two years.

"We haven't gotten to do anything outside of school, so it's been a little depressing just having to go home and do nothing," the Bear Creek student said.

The decision from the school boards comes more than a month after they announced they were opting out of competing in OFSAA fall sports, which was frustrating for Grade 12 student Jimmy Truong.

Truong said he wished he was in Kingston right now playing for Bear Creek at the boy's volleyball championships.

"I'm just really disappointed that I couldn't go. This is the only opportunity I could have right now," he said.

In the fall, the public and Catholic school boards decided students would compete only within the region because of COVID-19 concerns.

High school sports resumed as case counts among secondary students saw a dramatic decline with students 12 and older eligible for the vaccine since May.

Simcoe Muskoka Catholic District School Board communications manager Pauline Stevenson said they were continuing a cautious approach to reintroducing activities for student-athletes.

"We need to look at things like the COVID counts and restrictions, vaccination restrictions in certain jurisdictions and so forth, but we are hopeful that they will be able to proceed to OFSAA if they make it that far which would be great," Stevenson noted.

The winter sports calendar includes wrestling, curling, alpine and Nordic skiing, hockey and boy's basketball.

Neither the public or Catholic boards have mandated vaccination for student-athletes.

The first winter event is in late February in Peterborough County, immediately followed by OFSAA's alpine skiing, which is scheduled to return to the region at Osler Bluff Ski Club in the Town of the Blue Mountains.