It’ll be harder to get a spot on a youth rec basketball team this year in Fort Mill.
For about half the kids who typically play rec league basketball in Fort Mill, there likely won’t be an opportunity this winter.
Basketball is the largest single-season sport Fort Mill offers, and it’s indoors. Planning for winter basketball is challenge enough without a coronavirus pandemic. This year, the challenge is even greater.
“We think that we put a good plan together,” said town parks and recreation director Brown Simpson.
Simpson updated Fort Mill Town Council on Monday morning. Split seasons, no postseason and mask use are just some of the requirements. Fort Mill typically serves about 1,100 players each winter age 7-15. Other town sports may have more players, but split between spring and fall. Plus, in spring and fall there are baseball, softball, soccer, flag football and volleyball.
In the winter, most years, everyone comes together for basketball.
Fort Mill recreation basketball is so popular the leagues partner with the Fort Mill School District to get gym space for practice and games.
The town plan now is to use its two sites, the Fort Mill Community Center (former Banks Street Gym) and the YMCA at the Complex. The winter season will split into two, the first from mid-November to mid-January and the second starting about a week later and running through mid-March. Each season will allow 280 players -- even combined, nowhere near the typical 1,100.
The typical eight games plus playoffs will turn into nine regular season games and no tournament. The school year, itself adapted to COVID-19 with the last day pushed well into June 2021, will offer some relief. Winter basketball can run a little later if spring sports can too.
“We can start our spring sports seasons a little bit late, and work on into that June timeframe,” Simpson said.
The town won’t allow players to sign up for both winter basketball seasons.
“We’re going to make sure they can only sign up for one,” Simpson said. “We want to make sure everybody has an opportunity to play, that wants to play.”
There will be plenty of new rules for players and spectators.
“Masks will be required at all times for spectators and coaches,” Simpson said. “We’ll ask our participants to wear a mask in. Once they come in the gym, they start their practices, they can take their mask off at that time.”
Sites will have hand sanitizing stations. Back doors at the complex will be used as a single entrance and exit point. There will be a 15-minute buffer between games to shuffle everyone in and out. Handshake lines, high fives and other similar touching of hands won’t be allowed.
“Basketballs will be sanitized after every game or practice,” Simpson said.
Plans could still change if more gym space becomes available, or if the school district changes its plans. Simpson said he understands the school district position, especially with an indoor sport in winter. Simpson said his department will do its part to limit fans at practice and games, and could set hard numbers if crowding becomes an issue.
“We want parents to come to support their kids, but we’ve got to be careful with our numbers,” he said.
Councilwoman Lisa Cook has long been a proponent of town recreation leagues. She said there will be rules or policies to figure out, like exactly how entrance and exits go among parents, players and coaches.
“What happens a lot of times is the coaches say be there 30 minutes early, and they’ll have the kids doing some stretching and warm-up stuff,” she said.
Similar game spacing is in place now for soccer, baseball and other town leagues. Those sports are outdoors.
Mayor Guynn Savage said it’s important the town offers quality and safe recreation programs, and not just for the highest level youth athletes.
“Our municipal responsibility to provide recreation within our community is often for those that are not on travel teams and on school teams,” she said. “And I do think it’s critically important that we can provide outlets for kids that really want to participate and get the discipline and the camaraderie that comes with participating in sports, but may not be able to do either of the elevated levels.”
