WEST HARTFORD YOUTH LACROSSE LEAGUE

2021 COVID GUIDELINES FOR PARENTS AND PLAYERS

(Effective April 7, 2021)

In an effort to ensure the safety of all WHYLL players, coaches and volunteers, we are enacting the following COVID GUIDELINES for the 2021 lacrosse season.  We ask all parents and guardians to review these guidelines with their players and family to ensure full compliance.  By doing so, we all can do our part to maximize the safety of WHYLL families while increasing the chances for an uninterrupted season for our teams.

COVID Safety Protocols - All players/families must abide by the following safety protocols:

• If a player (or coach) has a fever and doesn’t feel well they should NOT attend any team activity and the parents (or coach) should notify their coach (or fellow coaches) immediately.
• Be prepared to “arrive, play, and leave”. 
• Congregating among players and parents, before and after WHYLL events is prohibited.
• Players should arrive “dressed and ready” to take the field for games and practices, but should not arrive more than 15 minutes prior to the start of events.
• All players must wear masks when not “actively competing” in a game or practice. 
• Players may only remove masks immediately prior to taking the field and must again wear a mask as soon as they remove their helmet at the end of a practice or game;
• All WHYLL players and families must abide by:
  • CDC, federal authority, state authority, and local authority rules, requirements and best practices around COVID and other infectious disease including social distancing, mask wearing, personal hygiene, hand washing and self-reporting of any symptoms or illness;
  • West Hartford Public Schools – Health Protocols.  See https://www.whps.org/coronavirus-covid-19/health-protocols
  • Coaches directives regarding WHYLL COVID protocols; and
  • Rules at all facilities utilized by WHYLL (home or away) for games and practices;

Failure of a player/family to abide by these safety protocols may result in the suspension of the player from all WHYLL activities at the discretion of the player’s coach and/or the WHYLL Board of Directors.

Return to Play Protocols

• In all cases where a player, coach or family member tests positive or is quarantined for close contact, the WHYLL Board of Directors and the team coach will use reasonable standards to take the appropriate steps to safeguard the rest of the team, the league, our opponents and all families involved. 
• WHYLL will follow current standards imposed by West Hartford Public Schools in determining when a player (coach) may resume WHYLL activity after the player (coach) tests positive for COVID or who comes into “close contact” with someone who tests positive for COVID.  See https://www.whps.org/coronavirus-covid-19/health-protocols

Players or coaches testing positive for COVID

• If a player (or coach) tests positive for COVID, parents (or coach) should notify their coach (or fellow coaches) immediately and the coach should immediately notify the WHYLL Board of Directors.
• The infected player (or coach) must suspend all WHYLL activity until they are authorized by the WHYLL board of directors to return to play.  Only a doctor can determine when it is safe for the player (coach) to resume activity and any related limitations.  
• The team will immediately cease all WHYLL activity and all team families will be notified as soon as possible regarding the positive test. The Board of Directors and coach will assess next steps (including the potential for wider communication to other teams) based on recent team activity, recent participation of the infected player (or coach), etc. 

Players Coming into Close Contact with Someone Testing Positive for COVID

• If a player (or coach) comes into “close contact” with someone who tests positive for COVID, the parents (or coach) should notify their coach (or fellow coaches) immediately and the coach should immediately notify the WHYLL Board of Directors.
• The player (or coach) must suspend all WHYLL activity until they are authorized by the WHYLL board of directors to return to play. 
• The team will cease all WHYLL activity immediately and all team families will be notified as soon as possible regarding the positive test. The Board of Directors and coach will assess next steps (including the potential for wider communication to other teams) based on recent team activity by the connected player (or coach), etc. 

External Interactions

• WHYLL will do our best to encourage our opponents to notify WHYLL of any positive COVID tests within their lacrosse teams/families that could have impacted one of our teams.  If we become aware, we will notify the impacted teams and advise of appropriate next steps. However, we cannot control what other programs/teams do.  Our early indications are that other towns/programs have a wide range of COVID-related safeguards and diligence.

Travel Policy

• If coaches or players have travelled outside the state of CT for more than 24 hours, they may not return to play until they've tested negative upon return (rapid or PCR), or they've quarantined for 10 days if no test is obtained.
• Fully vaccinated coaches can return to practice and games as long as they are symptom free, without the need for a test or a quarantine period. 

_________________________________________________________________

We lost a lacrosse legend on Feb 2nd. 

Norm Smith

West Hartford Kid,  Conard All-State, UMass All-American, Father founded the league.(Neville).

Coached in the league in the early 80s, Played Lax until 2019.

To Read More Click the Link Below.  

https://nam02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.legacy.com%2Fobituaries%2Fhartfordcourant%2Fobituary.aspx%3Fn%3Dnorman-a-smith%26pid%3D197655980%26fhid%3D2410&data=04%7C01%7Cpatrick.kennedy%40trincoll.edu%7C27f1cbe1f2c148e5a71608d8c95cf7b2%7Ca6cda06a52d94672ae1ff6f9c9f14e37%7C0%7C0%7C637480748419839540%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=LjZUEHTZNwJjUJOxDjqlXrhefT1leffC1P8beKN6BPk%3D&reserved=0