‘Calculated risks.’ Tri-Cities sports events continue despite COVID health warnings

About 100 people gathered Wednesday around eight volleyball nets for a Richland park tournament despite rules banning sports events.

The informal weekly competitions and practices have become so popular they draw players and spectators from as far as Idaho and Oregon.

Organizers say they’re taking many precautions to keep the matches safe, but Tri-Cities health officials worry the impromptu sports leagues can further the spread the coronavirus in the community.

Wednesday’s matches at Leslie Groves Park involved girls ages pre-teen to young adult — some training for college sports and others just looking to get out of the house.

“During this time it’s been very difficult,” said Hailey Krumland, 38, who had a daughter playing Wednesday. “We really believe that physical health and mental health are just as important as all of the other things that we have been doing.”

While participants say it’s a necessary outlet, public health officials say they are violating the restrictions on public gatherings.

The recent change to a modified Phase 1 allows some businesses to reopen with restrictions, but it hasn’t eased limits on groups, even outdoors.

The restrictions on gatherings of more than 10 people have put a stop to all officially sanctioned sporting events, but it hasn’t stopped people from putting together baseball, volleyball and softball tournaments, said Kathleen Clary-Cooke, a spokeswoman with the Benton Franklin Health District.

“We understand that this whole situation is extremely difficult, and it’s difficult for all of us,” she said. “The only way that we’re going to help the community to move forward is for people to comply with the recommendations and guidelines that we have.”

Safety measures

Many of the people involved in Thursday’s tournament weren’t comfortable with using their names, because they were afraid of retribution. They’ve seen people snapping photos of their events and wished they would come over to talk rather than simply posting them online.

They said they don’t want their tournament to become a vector for the disease. As of now, they believe no one has been infected at a game.

They say they are taking all necessary precautions to keep players and spectators safe, including wearing masks when registering players.

They sanitize the volleyballs between matches, and people are generally clustered together in family groups.

In one case, a relative of a player tested positive for COVID-19 and the player’s entire team was asked to stay away from that week’s tournament.

Krumland said she believes organizers have done a good job.

“We felt that they had put this together in a safe manner,” she said.

Weekly tournaments

The weekly event doesn’t have a formal name, said organizers. It started with one person bringing a net to the park and inviting others to show up. People heard about the games through word-of-mouth or social media. Now they have a practice meeting and a tournament during the week.

Some see the matches as necessary for their mental and physical well being. Krumland said her daughter struggled with not having an outlet for her energy.

“You can only do so much in the backyard,” she said. “There comes a point where you have to take those calculated risks. It is a risk in a sense, but if you’re doing the right things and you’re managing how you’re contacting people then I think the benefits outweigh the risks.”

Stephanie Collins brought her daughter from Irrigon, Ore., to play. Her daughter has a volleyball scholarship and has lost the chance to practice and play since the start of the coronavirus shutdown.

The athlete is used to playing all of the time, but has lost that ability, now she is worried about not getting a chance to practice.

Still not safe

Health district officials warned that these impromptu sports tournaments do present a real risk of continuing the spread of the disease.

Clary-Cooke said there is no way to participate in these kind of events that is safe.

People aren’t physically distancing, wearing masks and could be spreading droplets if they cough or spit. People touch the equipment and potentially spread the disease that way, she said.

So far the district has not found direct cases because of the tournaments, but, she noted, contact tracing relies on people telling the truth.

The health district has reached out to the cities, and some, like Pasco, have removed their nets and roped off playground areas.

Richland officials said they are still looking into the Leslie Groves tournaments.

An organizer told the Herald they were willing to talk with city officials about how they are keeping the event safe, and if forced to close would comply with the order.