The Muskoka Hornets are finalizing plans to allow our travel teams to return to training next week.  Baseball Ontario increased the limits on gatherings on a single diamond to two sets of up to 10 participants, enabling teams to run single diamond, single time slot practices.  

The Hornets Board remains hopeful we can offer some form of summer skill development program in Huntsville in place of our normal house league.  The ability to run this program is dependent on Huntsville's completion of diamond renovations at McCulley as well as increases on gathering size limits which we hope for in July.

Stay tuned to our website for additional updates.  Please let me know if you have any questions via email at muskokahornets@rogers.com.

Yours in Baseball

Peter Haynes,

President

Muskoka Hornets

Good evening:

We might just be getting closer to Hornets baseball this summer but let's not get too excited yet.  Baseball Ontario today announced the end of its suspension for in person baseball activities effective June 16, paving the way for minor baseball to happen this summer.  See details below.

For the Hornets to get back on the field, we need to divide the conversation into two categories, travel baseball and house league in Huntsville (recall Gravenhurst will not approve permits this summer so our only chance for house league is in Huntsville).

In order to return to the diamond for the travel teams, we need first to have the YSBA Board sign off that it will allow travel baseball in our region, and then the Muskoka Hornets Board would need to approve our teams returning to practice.  Keep in mind that gatherings remain limited to 10 persons with social distance guidelines, so practice models will need to be amended to accommodate these rules (not to mention the onerous COVID safety guidelines that each team must comply with).  Importantly, all guardians will be required to sign a COVID waiver (see attachment) in order to participate in Baseball Ontario activities (this includes all Hornets activities).  We are hopeful that after a couple weeks of practice, gathering limits will be expanded to allow for game play – note: it is possible that the travel season will be extended until October to make up for lost time (with the likely exception of 18U).

In order to return to the diamond for house league, we will need the Town of Huntsville to complete its diamond renovation and then open the diamonds for user rentals.  Also, we will need the gathering limit to be increased beyond 10 persons in order to run our house league program on Wednesday evenings.  Stay tuned – we hope to get started by July – fingers crossed – but as you can imagine some factors are out of management's control.

I will provide additional information to our members when it becomes available.  Note: all players must be registered through our website and sign the COVID waiver before participating in any Hornets sanctioned activities.

Thank you and stay safe

Yours in Baseball

Peter Haynes

President

Muskoka Hornets

416-818-3036

CAMBRIDGE ‐ To the Baseball Ontario Community (June 12, 2020)  Baseball Ontario’s suspension of in‐person activities expires June 15, 2020.  Baseball Ontario will not be extending the suspension of in‐person activities.  Therefore, as of  June 16, 2020, in‐person baseball activities can resume, pending observance of provincial and  municipal rules and restrictions.  Regions in Stage One of  the Provincial Reopening Plan are not yet permitted  to  resume  team  sport activities.  Regions in Stage Two of the Provincial Reopening Plan are permitted to resume outdoor team  sports (including baseball), if physically distanced, for training only and no scrimmages or games,  but must still respect the gathering limit of 10 persons at this time. Following review by medical and legal advisors, the Return to Sport Protocol has been finalized  and approved  by  the  Baseball Ontario  Board  of Management, as  of  June  11,  2020.   Member  Organizations  and  all  participants  must  familiarize  themselves  with  this  Protocol  prior  to  resuming in‐person activities.    Member  organizations  should  either  adopt  the  Baseball  Ontario  Protocol  as  their  own  or  supplement it with their own local protocol.  A Declaration of Compliance and either a Release  of Liability, Waiver of Claims and Indemnity Agreement or an Informed Consent and Assumption  of Risk Agreement, depending on the age of the person, are required from participants.   All the information and resources with respect to Baseball Ontario’s Return to Baseball Protocol  are available through our OnDeck platform available online at https://ondeck.baseballontario.com/ and through our mobile OnDeck app available on Google Play Store and Apple App Store. 

https://ondeck.baseballontario.com/page/2308/return-to-sport

https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=RrxMSgYUUU6qCGA7LgsgAu6wBp9BQ0VOmVhcOQ0_QsNUNzVGTlhTSlFYUEhHRUlDR05aTTJJUVBMWi4u

https://ondeck.baseballontario.com/page/2327/waivers-declarations-and-acknowledgements/8991/covid-19-declaration-pdf-version-

I hope our membership is healthy and enjoying the nice Spring weather.  Please note that the diamond facilities in Bracebridge are now open for individual or family usage if any players want to remember what a clay infield feels like under the cleats.

In terms of the 2020 season, we remain in a holding pattern.  Baseball Ontario's suspension of in person team activities expires on June 15 but is likely to be extended to follow guidelines from the Provincial Government's State of Emergency which ends June 29. 

For a modified baseball season to happen in 2020, a few things need to fall into place:

1. The Government of Ontario would need to increase the size of gatherings beyond the current limit of 5;
2. Baseball Ontario would need to approve baseball play for teams registered in Ontario and have insurance in place (importantly this insurance would NOT cover a pandemic);
3. YSBA (our Affiliate) would need to allow travel ball to take place (most likely regionally only and no tournament play until the end of season). 
4. For house league, the Town of Huntsville will need to complete its diamond renovation (which is behind schedule) and allow us to run our shortened summer season.  The Board of the Hornets met recently and agreed to run a reduced cost house league skills-oriented summer program in Huntsville for 7U and older if we can secure diamond permits and the above parameters fall into place.  Unfortunately, like many other communities in Ontario, Gravenhurst cancelled its diamond permits for the summer, so we will not have a summer house league program in this community.  Hopefully, anyone from Gravenhurst that is keen to play will come to Huntsville if we can operate a program. 

In the meantime, Baseball Ontario released its first draft of COVID 19 return to play protocols this week in hopes of salvaging a summer of baseball – the requirements seem daunting but where there is a will, there is a way. 

https://www.baseballontario.com/filestore/htmleditattachedfiles/rts_-_baseball_ontario_-_bom_for_review_june_3_20202020-06-03t13-05-57v001_by_292.pdf

So now we wait for the next steps from government officials, Baseball Ontario, the YSBA and the Town of Huntsville.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Yours in baseball,

Peter Haynes

President

Muskoka Hornets

I hope this note to our Muskoka Hornets membership finds you all in good health and making the best of the incredibly difficult COVID crisis. 

I am writing today to provide an update on the status of the 2020 minor baseball season in Muskoka.  Baseball Ontario recently announced an extension of the ban on all in person baseball activities until the end of May and will update this position as new information comes from Health officials and communities.  The Board of the Muskoka Hornets is following guidance from Baseball Ontario, but it seems unlikely ANY baseball will be played before July 1st.

Despite the uncertain outlook, The Board continues to plan for a July start to the season.  For our house league program, this may mean that we run the season until September and thus end a little later than is custom for house league programs in our region.  For YSBA travel baseball, it is also possible that seasons are extended until Thanksgiving, even if this causes some conflicts with fall sports. 

As for on field changes to the game that help to foster a safe play environment, there have been many suggestions made across minor baseball organizations in North America.  Should we be able to get back on field, then we plan to use a best practices combination of player and spectator distancing as well as enlisting the help of some of our parents to keep player areas clean and disinfected.  Naturally, hand shakes and high fives will be forbidden, but perhaps replaced with new socially-distanced forms of celebration. 

All that said, as the medical professionals are quick to point out, the virus sets the timetable, so all we can do is plan accordingly.  If we do move ahead with a season and yet some Hornets families are unable to or uncomfortable with risk, then we totally understand should you wish to pull out of baseball this year and will provide refunds in accordance with Board directives.  Also, season fees will be adjusted to reflect any reduction to normal operations. 

Finally, when COVID hit in February, our registrations stopped dead in its tracks.  Should we move forward with a season, we understand that we will receive many late registrants and are totally cool with this outcome as we want to be as flexible as possible given the fluidity of the situation.

Please let me know should you have any questions.  For now, we hope our players are keeping busy and safe and hope to see you on the diamond at some point this summer.

Yours in baseball,

Peter Haynes

President

Muskoka Hornets

muskokahornets@rogers.com

The Muskoka Hornets will host a coaching clinic from 9 am to 12 pm on Saturday, January 26 at the Gravenhurst Public School.

This session is open to any coach in the Hornets program or others interested in learning more about baseball coaching and will be interactive and focused on skill development.

This session is free of charge - please contact Peter Haynes at muskokahornets@rogers.com if interested in registering.

The Muskoka Hornets organisation is in need of volunteers to help with score keeping at the 13th Annual  Original Pond Hockey Classic at the Gravenhurst Wharf.

The event takes place Saturday February 9th and the more volunteers we can drum up, the more funds raised for our program.  Volunteers must be a minimum of 15 years of age.

Please contact Laura at Laurazipay@sympatico.ca if you are interested in helping out.

Thank you

Congratulations to the Muskoka Hornets and Barrie Baycats 18U AA teams for qualifying for Baseball Ontario's provincial championship in Windsor in two weeks.  Scores below

Full Schedule (Revised July 28)

2022 18u AA YSBA Playdown Schedule

Kerr Park (130 Beaumont Drive, Bracebridge), McCulley Diamond F (300 Williams Street, Huntsville)

Friday, July 29, 2022

Game 3, 5:30pm: Barrie 5 vs Vaughan 6 @ McCulley

Game 2, 5:30pm: Markham 7 vs Caledon 2 @ Kerr

Game 1, 8:30pm: Thornhill 7  vs Muskoka 8 @ McCulley  

Newmarket Bye

Saturday, July 30, 2022

Game 4, 10:00am: Caledon 4 vs Barrie 11 @ McCulley

Game 5, 10:00am: Newmarket 13 vs Muskoka 7 @ Kerr

Game 6, 1:00pm:  Markham 9 vs Vaughan 6 @ Kerr

Loser Game 1 Bye

Game 7, 4:00pm: Barrie 12 vs Thornhill 3 @ McCulley

Game 8, 4:00pm: Muskoka 10 vs Vaughan 0 @ Kerr

Game 9, 7:00pm: Newmarket 10 vs Markham 6 @ McCulley

Sunday, July 31, 2022

Game 10, 10:00am: Newmarket 1 vs Barrie 2 @ Kerr

Game 11, 10:00am: Markham 3  vs  Muskoka 4 @ McCulley

Game 12, 2:00pm: Muskoka 8 Newmarket 5 @ Kerr

The Muskoka Hornets will hold its Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Monday, November 8th, 2021.  This meeting will be virtual and details will follow.  Members in good standing are eligible to attend.  The meeting will review the 2021 season, update the financial status of the program and elect Board member for 2022.

If you have any questions, then please contact Peter Haynes at muskokahornets@rogers.com