Rockmart council cancels fall youth sports
♦ The city may approve winter basketball if COVID-19 numbers improve.
After hearing how Rockmart’s recreation department planned to attempt to hold youth sports this fall in the wake of COVID-19, the Rockmart City Council made the decision to cancel this upcoming season’s activities.
The decision also impacts Rockmart Little League Baseball, which uses fields owned by the city.
The Tuesday vote was unanimous and comes as sign-ups for fall sports were scheduled to continue through the end of the week. Rockmart Recreation Director Jeff Hulsey posted a message on Facebook shortly after the decision by the city council.
“They are looking out for our children and the grandparents. Tomorrow we will start the hard process of refunding the entry form money. Once again we are very sorry and miss our kids,” the post said.
The city of Rockmart sponsors youth football, cheerleading, softball and soccer during the fall months.
Rockmart Little League Baseball posted on Facebook on Wednesday morning that the city had informed the group it will not be able to host a fall baseball season this year. The organization plays games at the Nathan Dean Sports Complex, which is owned by the city, as well as other fields.
Council members said they would look at possibly holding youth basketball in the winter if COVID-19 numbers get better.
Hulsey and department employee Robert Torline spoke to the board at the start of Tuesday’s meeting, laying out how they would work to try and keep both children and spectators safe during contests while also asking for any decision on fall sports to come soon before money and work was spent.
While he acknowledged the fluid situation of trying to play sports during the current pandemic, Hulsey said the department would recommend new protocols for spectators at games, such as multiple entry and exit points, waiving a gate fee to avoid lines, and enforcing physical distancing.
City Manager Jeff Ellis said he had consulted Gov. Brian Kemp’s executive order concerning gatherings and Robert Monroe with the city’s attorney firm of Mcrae, Smith, Peek, Harman and Monroe, LLP about holding fall sports.
He said the city attorney’s opinion is there is still a risk of the city being held liable if a child or a spectator got sick from COVID-19 and advised them not to move forward with fall sports.
The decision came on the same day it was revealed that Cedartown High School’s football team has halted practices and will not play their scheduled season opener at Carrollton on Sept. 4 after three players tested positive for COVID-19.
The players will have to remain in quarantine for 10-14 days before returning to practice if they show no symptoms. The team will then have to go through an acclimation period before playing a game.