Update February 21st, 2022, As both the Province and City of Edmonton have removed the Restrictions Exemption Program, they have outlined the new changes of expectations for community access to schools.

1)  Verification of Vaccination:

Proof of vaccination is no longer required.

2)  COVID Symptom Pre-screening:

EJTS is required to pre-screen our members for COVID symptoms and communicate to them that they must not enter a school if they are experiencing any symptoms.

3)  Masking:

As per the City of Edmonton masking by-law, individuals ages 2 years of age and older are required to wear a mask unless they are involved in physical activity or are consuming water. The time in schools for Joint Use Access would qualify under this by-law, thus, all community school users are required to wear a mask as they enter and exit the school and while not engaging in physical activity

Update September 15th, 2021, The Alberta government announced a new state of public health emergency and associated restrictions and procedures to address the rapid spread of COVID19 in the province, which is threatening the ability of our health system to cope.

First, please note that the new restrictions do not apply to outdoor activities, so EJTS’s September outdoor programming is NOT affected by these changes.

The new restrictions DO apply to indoor activities, but we have noted that:

• Indoor group activities involving children under 18 years of age are permitted.
• Facilities which implement the Restrictions Exemption Program requiring proof of vaccination or negative rapid test result may continue operating as usual.

We fully expect the City of Edmonton and City of Beaumont to implement the Restrictions Exemption program, so our indoor programs scheduled to start in October will continue, but with all persons over the age of 12 entering the facilities to provide the required proof of vaccination or a negative test.

As we have more specific information, we will keep you posted through our social media channels and, as appropriate, further newsletters.

Update August 13, 2021, Current policy on COVID protocols in Alberta is to allow far more individual and organizational choice than we had before widespread vaccination resulted in dramatic reductions in infections and particularly in hospitalizations and deaths. While the emergence of the Delta variant of the virus has resulted in some recent growth in infection rates, the overall impact on the community in terms of serious illness and death remains much lower than before vaccines were available.

EJTS remains committed to vigilance by our coaches and staff in terms of monitoring their personal health and sanitation, and supports whatever protocols are mandated for the venues at which we run programs, but there is no blanket mask mandate and we will encourage staff and participants to take responsibility for their own surface sanitation and managing of distancing. We also urge our clients not to participate in programs if they are showing symptoms of respiratory illness, and to pursue testing if symptoms persist. If we work together responsibly we should be able to avoid a reversion to extreme restrictions as we have experienced much of the past 17 months.

Effective May 5, 2021, the Government of Alberta has tightened public health restrictions throughout Alberta. The latest announcement has paused all outdoor programming.

EJTS’s first round of programs after six months of enforced inactivity kicked off very successfully at three locations this past weekend. Our coaches were stoked and ready, the kids were excited and engaged and COVID protocols designed for the Step 1 guidelines were in place with minimal disruption to learning and enjoyment. 

Unfortunately, Alberta’s case rate remains stubbornly high, and to protect the health care system from possibly becoming overwhelmed, the provincial government announced stricter measures on May 4 which require that we suspend our programs for at least the next three weeks.

However, unlike last spring, we now have vaccinations rolling out, and there is good reason to believe that the curve will turn downward before the end of May. Therefore, EJTS is suspending its current programs rather than cancelling them, in the expectation that we will be able to pick up again and complete them in June. As we have all learned, there are no guarantees in this pandemic, but we are optimistic that this will be the last (and shortest) shutdown.

Stay tuned to our social media feeds and we will keep all our members and partners informed as new information becomes available. Thank you for your patience and support of our organization and our programming. We look forward to seeing you on the courts again soon!

Effective April 7, 2021, the Government of Alberta has tightened public health restrictions throughout Alberta. The latest announcement sees a return to Step 1 of the province’s reopening plan.

Tennis Alberta is working in conjunction with the Sport, Physical Activity and Recreation (SPAR) branch of government to clarify how the latest tightening of restrictions will specifically impact the sport of tennis. EJTS will communicate any updates directly with our membership upon receiving those clarifications.

For indoor tennis play, these restrictions resulted in the closing of gyms and recreation centres for group activities, meaning that EJTS could not operate any indoor programs after November 12, 2020. However, guidelines for outdoor play are significantly less restrictive, allowing us to initiate such programming in May 2021.

For outdoor play, the following are guidelines provided to Tennis Alberta by SPAR under Step 1:

• Private, semi private and group lessons of up to 10 players per court is allowed.
• Singles and doubles play is allowed.
• All junior programming including recreational and competitive streams are permitted.
• Use of ball machine and serve practise activities are permitted.

COVID safety protocols as used during our outdoor programs through September 2020 will apply, with some minor modifications, such as specifying that on-court coaches and volunteers must wear masks. Wearing of masks by children is not required, but may be observed if it makes participants and/or responsible adults more comfortable

The summer 2020 protocols are re-iterated below, still based on three core principles of COVID infection minimization:

• Wellness Checking
• Physical Distancing (to minimize the risk of aerosol/droplet contagion)
• Hand and Surface Hygiene

Wellness Checking

• If any program participant has symptoms of COVID 19, has travelled internationally or has been in contact with a confirmed COVID 19 case in the past 14 days, he/she should not attend any tennis session.
• All participants including coaches will be required to confirm the above wellness conditions prior to every session, and names and dates of camp attendance will be recorded for contact tracing purposes.

 Physical Distancing

• Allprogram participants should observe the 2 meters physical distancing guidelines when on site, unless they are members of the same household. It is recognized that momentary instances of closer distancing may occur while the children are on court and moving around, but these incur very little risk.
• Each child should be accompanied to the site by only one other person (parent/guardian/family member).
• All accompanying adults should stay outside the fence and adhere to distancing and masking guidelines.
• Each session will end at 5 minutes to the hour and the next session will start at 5 minutes past the hourto facilitate clearing the site between lessons.
• Only arrive 5 minutes prior to your session and wait outside of the fence. The coach will invite children in when he/she is ready.

 Hand and Surface Hygiene

• All participating children should supply their own racquet, and racquets cannot be shared.
• Nets and any other equipment will be handled only by the coach(es).
• Balls will be provided by EJTS and managed by the coach.
• Each participating child should bring his/her own water bottle and/or snacks.
• Each on court participant should sanitize his/her hands both before, during and after each session. Sanitizer will be provided.

On November 22, 2020, after a 4 1/2 month hiatus due to COVID-19 restrictions, EJTS returned to the courts with highly successful outdoor programs in August and September and indoor programs in October.

Unfortunately we are now on hold again due to renewed concern about COVID-19 and new provincial and city restrictions. Be sure to follow us on Facebook and Instagram and if you are a subscriber, look for our newsletter in your email for updates.

On November 12, the Government of Alberta put in place new public health measures to limit the spread of COVID-19. During this time, tennis organizations should be emphasizing that a break is necessary to reduce the number of cases in the province, and should not be looking for work-arounds to find ways to play.

As per the announcement yesterday, the following communities are subject to a mandatory two-week ban from November 13 – 27 on indoor group fitness & team sports. 

September 19, 2020

At Edmonton Junior Tennis Society (EJTS) we want everyone to feel and be safe while your child enjoys our programs. Following the release of Alberta Stage 2 Relaunch guidelines, we have carefully reviewed the relevant documents and prepared protocols which we feel confident will enable a worthwhile tennis learning environment while minimizing risk of infection.

Our protocols are based on three core principles of COVID infection minimization:

• Wellness Checking
• Physical Distancing (to minimize the risk of aerosol/droplet contagion)
• Hand and Surface Hygiene

 Wellness Checking

• If any program participant has symptoms of COVID 19, has travelled internationally or has been in contact with a confirmed COVID 19 case in the past 14 days, he/she should not attend any tennis session.
• All participants including coaches will be required to confirm the above wellness conditions prior to every session, and names and dates of camp attendance will be recorded for contact tracing purposes.

 Physical Distancing

• All program participants should observe the 2 meters physical distancing guidelines when on site, unless they are members of the same household. It is recognized that momentary instances of closer distancing may occur while the children are on court and moving around, but these incur very little risk.
• Each child should be accompanied to the club by only one other person (parent/guardian/family member). It is recommended (but not required) that parents/family members who bring the children to site wear masks.
• Each session will end at 5 minutes to the hour and the next session will start at 5 minutes past the hour to facilitate clearing the site between lessons.
• Accompanying adults for Tennis for Tots and U7 programs will be invited to join their children on court to assist the coach in relaying instructions and in ball management. For U9 and 10 + accompanying adults should stay outside the fence.
• Only arrive 5 minutes prior to your session and wait outside of the fence, the coach will invite you in.

 Hand and Surface Hygiene

• All participating children should supply their own racquet, and racquets cannot be shared.
• Nets and any other equipment will be handled only by the coach.
• Balls will be provided by EJTS and managed by the coach.
• Each participating child should bring his/her own water bottle and/or snacks.
• Each on court participant should sanitize his/her hands both before, during and after each session. Sanitizer will be provided.

July 4, 2020

At Edmonton Junior Tennis Society (EJTS) we want everyone to feel and be safe while your child enjoys our summer programs. Following the release of Alberta Stage 2 Relaunch guidelines, we have carefully reviewed the relevant documents and prepared protocols which we feel confident will enable a worthwhile tennis learning environment while minimizing risk of infection.

Our protocols are based on three core principles of COVID infection minimization:

• Wellness Checking
• Physical Distancing (to minimize the risk of aerosol/droplet contagion)
• Hand and Surface Hygiene

 Wellness Checking

• If any program participant has symptoms of COVID 19, has travelled internationally or has been in contact with a confirmed COVID 19 case in the past 14 days, he/she should not attend any tennis session.
• All participants including coaches will be required to confirm the above wellness conditions prior to every session, and names and dates of camp attendance will be recorded for contact tracing purposes.

 Physical Distancing

• All program participants should observe the 2 meters physical distancing guidelines when on site, unless they are members of the same household. It is recognized that momentary instances of closer distancing may occur while the children are on court and moving around, but these incur very little risk.
• Each child should be accompanied to the club by only one other person (parent/guardian/family member). It is recommended (but not required) that parents/family members who bring the children to site wear masks.
• Each session will end at 5 minutes to the hour and the next session will start at 5 minutes past the hour to facilitate clearing the site between lessons.
• Accompanying adults for Tennis for Tots and U7 programs will be invited to join their children on court to assist the coach in relaying instructions and in ball management. For U9 and 10 + accompanying adults should stay outside the fence.
• Only arrive 5 minutes prior to your session and wait outside of the fence, the coach will invite you in.

 Hand and Surface Hygiene

• All participating children should supply their own racquet, and racquets cannot be shared.
• Nets and any other equipment will be handled only by the coach.
• Balls will be provided by EJTS and managed by the coach.
• Each participating child should bring his/her own water bottle and/or snacks.
• Each on court participant should sanitize his/her hands both before, during and after each session. Sanitizer will be provided.

 We have remained involved with our members and partners by staying active on social media and through these newsletters, and by networking with other tennis organizations locally and across the country. We are also preparing guidelines and designs which could allow us to deliver our grass roots, introductory programs in a safe, responsible manner whenever public policy allows us to do so.

We moved quickly in April to reduce our expenses to the lowest possible level, issued refunds to Spring program registrants and have discharged all liabilities to coaches, facility providers and other contractors. We have also drawn on available federal government emergency relief programs, including the wage subsidy program, and were fortunate enough over the past two years to have actually built a small cash reserve.

That being said, like every other sports & recreation organization, we face huge financial challenges, as all of our usual funding sources have dried up to zero. Registration revenues, which have provided well over half of our funding the past few years are of course not available until we can resume programming. Our major grant sources, Tennis Canada and the government of Alberta have also gone completely, likely through 2021 as well as 2020. We had applied to run a casino before COVID struck, and that opportunity is also indefinitely deferred. We were fortunate to have two sponsors in 2019, but they have both been impacted by the pandemic and of course we cannot currently offer them the visibility and promotional benefits we did when we were operating normally.

In the past we have occasionally received donations, but that has never been a major part of our funding model because it wasn’t necessary with our other funding sources. we are not ourselves a registered charity, although we have offered free programs in schools, to Boys & Girls Clubs and through ParticipACTION. We do have partnerships with charitable organizations which allow us to offer tax receipts for those who do choose to make donations.

 It is evident to us that we now need to initiate a direct appeal to our members, partners and to the Edmonton tennis community at large. If you are in the position to donate or to partner with us in a sponsorship role, we ask you to consider EJTS. We have operated successfully in this city since taking over the pilot ‘Little Aces’ program from Tennis Alberta in 2012, and since then we have provided an introduction to the sport  to thousands of kids, established well-defined quality programs and provided an employment and development opportunity for numerous part-time coaches.

Please share this appeal with your friends, family and business associates, especially those with an interest in tennis and in grass roots recreational programming for children. Consider helping us to keep this valuable non-profit organization viable to serve the Edmonton community for many more years to come.

 Contact us by email at info@edmontonjuniortennis.com, or by phone or text at 780-504-2661 and we will provide you with more information as to how you can help, either as a sponsor or a donor.