GUTHRIE, Okla. – Sporting organizations across the state are having to make some tough calls right now.
“It’s a big let down for everybody involved,” said Richard Willoughby with the Guthrie Baseball Association.
Starting May 15, organized sports can resume in Oklahoma as part of Phase 2 to reopen the state. But one little league group won’t be hitting the dugout this summer.
“We were really hoping to get everybody on the field this year, but we’re gonna try again next year,” Willoughby said.
The Guthrie Baseball Association is making the tough call to cancel the season after surveying parents and guardians, asking if they wanted to continue on.
An asociation official later sent an email, saying in part, “We had about a 70 percent response rate. Only 50 percent of those who responded indicated they would allow their child(ren) to play in the 2020 season.”
Missing that many kids means some divisions would just play the same team over and over again.
“Even if it is a good, competitive setup, it still gets old,” Willoughby said.
But another organization in town is busy getting their fields ready to go. Guthrie All Sports plays teams in other towns like Kingfisher, Okarche and Crescent. They recently made the choice to start playing next month.
They say they’ve got a game plan in place for not just the players, but family members too.
“We are requesting that only one parent show up to the game. The other ones can sit in the car,” said Matt Girard, Guthrie All Sports Treasurer.
And they won’t be utilizing the dugouts. Instead, players will be lined up along the fence, six feet apart.
They say it wasn’t an easy choice to get back to bat, but they’re doing it for the kids.
“It’s a tough decision. It’s a lot of work to make up the plans and to change the way you’re doing things, and we’re going to be adjusting all year,” Girard said. “It’s all about the kids.”
Guthrie All Sports says they’re planning to start up on June 1 and will play a shorter season compared to usual.
The Guthrie Baseball Association says all refunds should be processed by the end of the month.
Continued Coronavirus Coverage
