When the City of Moose Jaw closed down their public facilities back on Mar. 18 at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, there were plenty of questions as to if and when things would open up and what it would all look like when they did.
March turned into April turned into May turned into June turned into July. And finally, in early August, the approval was given to get back to business as part of Phase Four of the Re-Open Saskatchewan Plan.
And that brought with it another big question.
With COVID-19 still out there, and outbreaks still a regular occurrence in the province, would people come back?
The answer is now definitive.
Absolutely, positively, yes.
City of Moose Jaw recreation services manager Scott Osmachenko reported Thursday that a total of 8,166 users have returned to the Kinsmen Sportsplex and Yara Centre facilities since Aug. 10, a number that is as positive as can be given the circumstances and myriad of restrictions in place.
“It’s been a great comeback,” Osmachenko said. “The facilities are open, but things are looking and feeling different. There are less people, and we’re asking everyone to book online, plus there’s less time and not quite as many amenities that we used to have. But it is exciting to have everything coming back the way they are.”
The Kinsmen Flying Fins are among the many groups taking to the pool since it re-opened on Aug. 13.Sportsplex pool, YaraCentre hopping places
The Kinsmen Sportsplex pool opened back on Aug. 13 and it didn’t take long for things ramp up as folks looked to get out of the house and return to some semblance of normalcy.
“It’s going very well actually, it is different but we really notice that people are excited to be back,” Osmachenko said. “They’re happy to do whatever it takes to keep the building open and use the new guidelines set out by the province that we’ve had to implement to get it open.”
With a capacity of 65 people in the pool area, things aren’t as busy from moment to moment, and steps have been taken for maximum safety -- no permanent lockers, full showers are required before entering the pool area and social distancing has to be maintained as much as possible.
But swim lessons are back in the pool as of Sept. 12 and are currently at capacity, with a full schedule of weekday lessons set to kick off in October. Osmachenko expects those will also fill up quickly.
“It’s different because we need to have a parent in the water, but we’re excited people want to come back to swim lessons even with the new regulations and guidelines,” he said.
Memberships for the Sportsplex and Yara Centre have also started to return to normal, with around 65 per cent of what was in place pre-COVID.
“That shows people are wanting to come back,” Osmachenko said. “And now that it’s getting closer to winter, people who might not have had a membership over the summer when it was nice out are coming back, when it gets cold out people want to come inside, so it’s nice to see people returning.”
Yara Centre fitness programs have proven popular since re-opening in August.Getting fit live and in-person
Another area that has seen near-capacity or full-capacity across the board are fitness classes offered by the city.
Osmachenko reports that water workouts at the Sportsplex have proven plenty popular, as have the myriad of workout classes at YaraCentre.
“During COVID, we saw a lot of online and virtual fitness classes, but we’re really seeing a certain segment of the population who want to come to instructor-led courses,” Osmachenko said. “So we’ve seen a really strong uptake related to our water workouts at the Sportsplex, they’ve been almost full every day with 25 people and we actually had to open up spots for our deep-water classes.”
One unusual positive is that due to social distancing, both facilities have plenty of space to hold workouts -- whether it be the whole Sportsplex pool or football-field-sized fieldhouse.
“We have the luxury of having all the space we need because we can’t have anything else related to a public swim going on at the same time,” Osmachenko said. “And then the Yara Centre has a lot of room on the turf, which makes it easier to hold classes where people can stay three metres apart.”
As popular as YouTube and online workouts were back at the start of the pandemic, the camaraderie of being there live and in-person has proven to be one of the main reasons Osmachenko has heard for the workout surge.
“It helps when someone is keeping you accountable,” he said. “All those people showing up at 6 a.m. are asking ‘where are you, why aren’t you here’ and that helps. Then there’s the social aspect, the interaction with other people.”
Members of the Moose Jaw Skating Club were among the many users taking to the ice at the Kinsmen Sportsplex since the re-opening on Sept. 14.Strapping on the blades
Things have remained on schedule when it comes to local ice surfaces, with the Sportsplex rink the first to go in as of Sept. 14. And you better believe it’s been a happening place.
“They’re definitely a busy crew there,” Osmachenko said. “With the AAAs there until Mosaic Place opens and minor hockey rolling, as well as the skating groups and the South Sask Academy wanting ice times, the number of requests is quite a bit up from before.”
The Bert Hunt Arena in Pla-Mor Palace will see the ice go in on Oct. 1, followed by Mosaic Place on Oct. 9, the Wally Boshuck on Oct. 15 and the Moose Jaw Ford Curling Centre on Oct. 19.
Other than the multiplex facilities, that’s pretty much right on schedule.
But don’t expect to just show up and be able to find an ice time.
“We have a busy, busy schedule with some of the groups from smaller centres out-of-town who are interested in using our ice until they can open their facilities,” Osmachenko explained. “So we’re equal or even busier than normal.”
All-in-all, things are coming together as safely and cautiously as possible. The key now will be hoping it all stays that way.
“In our world, we like to plan six months advance and have our facility schedules done until the end of April, but this year it’s been a little bit different, it’s been two weeks at a time and seeing how it goes,” Osmachenko said. “Everyone has been really co-operative with the facilities being open again and we’re hoping that’ll be the case until we’re back to normal.”
