Reopening Our Doors

We are very much looking forward to welcoming our student-athletes back to the Delta Hockey Academy this fall! Throughout the summer, our staff have been developing a reopening plan with the health and safety of our entire community in mind guided by our mission to provide you with a platform to succeed as both students and athletes. Please keep in mind that parts of this plan may change to reflect the constantly evolving medical and governmental information and guidance regarding COVID.

Much of the academy life will look different this year: we will maintain two metres of physical distance in common areas, wear masks on the bus, wash hands often, sanitize our work and workout stations after each use, move our parent night to a virtual platform, conduct fitness testing one team at a time rather than all together, and not have league games until later in the fall - many of the usual opening events that mark the rhythm of a school year and a hockey season. And there are more changes outlined in this plan. But much will be the same: academic opportunities that challenge and excite you, coaches and teachers who support you, training sessions that push you, on-ice development that targets key areas of improvement, and a community of talented and high achieving peers.

We will work throughout the fall and the year to create new traditions to replace some that simply cannot be this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Yes, much will be different this year and you may feel unsettled by some of the new policies that follow. That's normal. But remember, we are in this together as classmates and as teammates - and we will use this global challenge as an opportunity to dedicate time to development and growth.

ACADEMY-wide Health & Safety Protocols

The large, open space in our four-rink training facility gives us the flexibility to shift our operating model to serve our student-athletes in different stations throughout the facility: the ice, the gym and the classroom. We will have cleaning products and sanitation areas at each of our stations to ensure cleanliness at all times. As a high-performance program, the health of our student-athletes is our top priority and it is essential that we take all the necessary precautions to protect your health and safety.

| Masks

Masks are our greatest defense against the spread of the virus. Masks will be required in all common spaces in our facility, including hallways and academy classrooms, where a two metre physical distance cannot be maintained. Masks will also be required in all academy buses. Masks will not be required on the ice or in the gym.

We encourage every student-athlete to purchase a reusable cloth mask and to educate yourself on the appropriate wearing of a mask. Limited disposable masks will be available in the clinic if needed.

Teachers and coaches will hold students accountable, should they fail to follow physical distancing and mask-wearing requirements. We are lucky to have the opportunity to train in our high performance facility and our work together in adhering to these guidelines keeps us all safe.

| Cleaning Protocols

Enhanced and detailed daily academy-wide cleaning will be a priority this year. Our intention is to make sure any potential surface for transmission of disease is sanitized at any point at which transmission could occur. This will mean, for example, cleaning the gym, classrooms and equipment room before another group enters the space. Extra supplies will be located in spaces such as classrooms and the gym to allow students and staff to properly wipe down spaces after individual use.

| Directional Traffic

We will have directional traffic in the equipment room, in the gym, and in the clinic. The classroom entry and exit will be as a group: all students will enter the class when the class begins, and all students will exit through the same door when the class ends. No students waiting for their next class will be allowed to enter the classroom until all of the previous student-athletes have left and the room has been sanitized. The floors will be clearly marked with directional signage.

| On-ice Safety Protocols

As directed by the administrative team at Planet Ice Delta, we will follow the protocols in place to ensure safety on the ice at all times. We plan to split our teams in half so that one half of the team will always be in one dressing room and the other half in another dressing room. This will give students the ability to physically distance while getting changed. Coaches will follow directions for on-ice programming and physical distancing measures from BC Hockey and Planet Ice Delta specifically with respect to the number of skaters on the ice, that full equipment is worn at all times, and that water bottles are clearly marked and spaced apart. As Planet Ice Delta and BC Hockey update their protocols for the ice, we will update our own.

| CSSHL Statement on Return to Hockey

As the Canadian Sport School Hockey League prepares to begin its 12th season, ensuring the health and safety of all our student-athletes, coaches, on and off-ice officials, and league staff has been and continues to be our top priority.

We continue to openly communicate with Hockey Canada and the eight provincial and regional members that the CSSHL resides in, while monitoring the local health authority guidelines in each area.

As part of that process, the CSSHL Board of Governors will have an operational meeting in August to ratify the CSSHL’s Return to Play plan. Once approved, CSSHL’s Return to Play plan will be sent to all eight Hockey Canada members for review, consideration, and feedback.

With provinces across the country starting to announce their back to school plans, our members will be ready to offer approved programming to all student athletes upon their return to school.

We are looking forward to continuing our communications with all the appropriate governing bodies and are excited for our student athletes to be returning to school, training, and games over the course of the 2020-21 school year.

| Access to the clinic

Student-athletes will continue to have access to the Delta Health & Performance Clinic. Practitioners are following the health and safety protocols in accordance with WorkSafe BC, the College of Physical Therapists of BC and the College of Massage Therapists of BC. All patients in the clinic will be instructed to wear a mask and all practitioners will wear a mask and gloves.