So far, so good, but the good still may be short-lived in this ever-evolving COVID-19 world we live in.
The Kaua‘i Senior Softball League has become one of the experiments to see whether recreational sports can continue, and all of the Kaua’i sports have done a terrific job of following the county protocols.
Things are gradually feeling like normal, though the reality is far from it.
Letters are starting to pour in from parents who have kids participating in spring sports on whether or not we will have an abridged spring sports schedule.
Last season, the Hawai‘i High School Athletic Association sports such as baseball, tennis, golf and softball were all sidelined.
Many parents and spectators continue to ponder whether this year will be a continuation of last season.
Several things have changed since last year related to COVID-19, with the biggest game-changer being the wide-spread distribution of a vaccine, with Johnson &Johnson completing the clinical trials for the one-shot vaccine.
When the Johnson &Johnson vaccine is given the green light, we should start to resemble the lifestyle we lived pre-COVID.
This should also accelerate a return to sports, and the HHSAA should be able to have an abridged schedule.
The other concern that tends to accelerate the process of returns is, of course, financial.
The HHSAA could potentially lose money from sponsors.
Why?
According to Pacific Business News, the HHSAA, designated a nonprofit organization, depends on money from local businesses to hold the 44 championships in the 18 sports it coordinates.
That is why many of the HHSAA-run state championships were canceled.
HHSAA Executive Director Christoper Chun told PBN he anticipates a high loss of revenue.
“I anticipate losing 10 to 25% of our sponsors,” Chun told PBN. “Hopefully we’ll be able to make it up.”
The article talks about some of the HHSAA’s corporate sponsers, including Snapple, Hawaiian Airlines, The Queen’s Medical Center and Texaco.
First Hawaiian Bank sponsors the state football championships.
Between the financial loss experienced from the pandemic, the start of the vaccine distrubution and the success other recreational organizations have had mitigatating the spread of the virus, an abriged schedule doesn’t seem out of line.
Though we’ve talked about financial attrition that has occured, let’s not forget the loss of potentially two seasons for the reason the sports engine exists: the kids who play the games.
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Jason Blasco, reporter, can be reached at 245-0437 or jblasco@thegardenisland.com.
