City of Hamilton Red Zone/Programming Update
To all DMHA members,
In response to Hamilton moving into the red zone and new public health regulations set out by the city and the direction of OMHA, the Dundas Minor Hockey Association has been considering several options that reflect our desire to continue hockey and protect the safety and well-being and of our players and volunteers. We will now be required to limit the number of skaters to 8 and the number of adults in the arena to 2, for a total of 10 people. This will require us to make changes to our current groups and will result in a reduction of ice time for all our skaters.
The other major change is that no parents/guardians will be allowed in the arena. Skaters will need to be dropped at the front door where they will undergo COVID screening before entering the arena. Skaters will need to arrive fully ready to skate, and if they require assistance with their skates, we ask that you please do this outside the arena.
We are also required to only focus on skills and drills. We are not permitted to hold scrimmages or any game play of any size.
With regret, we have made the decision to pause the IP 4,5, and 6 until current restrictions have been lifted. We believe this is the right decision until a time when parents/guardians can accompany their child into the arena.
Skaters who are playing at the TIER ONE (rep) level, will hear directly from their Coach within the next 24 hours regarding the changes that impact their ice time.
Skaters who are playing at the TIER TWO (house) level, will be hearing from a volunteer from the DMHA and/or your child’s current coach in the next 24 hours with how this will affect your child.
We must ensure that each group has at least one coach and one trainer or we will not be able to put skaters on the ice. We do require more certified coaches and trainers for all levels to support these changes. If you are interested, please get in touch as soon as possible with [email protected] . We will also require a screener for each group going into the arena. If you are able to assist with this, please advise your parent’s coach.
We appreciate your understanding of these changes and together as a community we are grateful that some hockey can safely continue. Please continue to regularly check our website for updates and links to public health guidelines and OMHA news releases.
Sincerely,
The DMHA Board of Directors