Calgary school boards allow high school sports to begin tryouts, practices

High school sports to resume High school sports are back in action in Calgary, in a distanced kind of way.

Calgary — Calgary’s high school athletes are now able to get back on the field and court for tryouts, training and practice.

Starting Monday, both the Calgary Board of Education and Calgary Catholic School District have given the green light for schools to begin organizing fall sports, including football, soccer and volleyball.

“The opportunity is there for schools to assess their given context, consult with staff and provide opportunities to students to train or hold tryouts,” said Calvin Davies, the education director with CBE.

Games and competitions between schools will not be allowed under the gradual sports re-start.

Cohorts for each sport are limited to no more than 50 people, distancing is encouraged and shared equipment will have to be sanitized more frequently.

Though practices are allowed immediately, most schools are using the start of the week to hold meetings to gauge interest in fall sports and provide initial information for students interested.

“It’s a gradual startup so that we can be focused on the safety of staff and students, but we also know the benefits of physical activity — both in terms of physicality and mental well-being,” Davies said.

The CBE, CCSD and Calgary Senior High School Athletic Association each say the sport restart will be closely monitored to determine whether inter-school competitions will be allowed to take place in the fall or winter.