Big Island Pop Warner Football president Chad Tolentino has heard from parents who are eager for the season to start.
More so, he’s received feedback from parents voicing concerns about their child playing in the collision sport amid a pandemic.
Tolentino is still waiting for Pop Warner’s national board to make its key call, though he expects a decision – either guidelines to proceed or a shutdown order – to come in the next few weeks. If he receives the green light, he’ll take it to the island’s 11 association presidents later this month to see if they want to move forward with a season.
“Our first goal is always the safety and well-being of all of our participants, but at the same time we want to move on with the season,” Tolentino said. “It’s tearing at me from both ends, to be honest.”
He’s not alone.
Place Pop Warner under the large umbrella of sports organization idling in wait-and-see mode in uncharted territory thanks to COVID-19. Football, which features more contact, more players and usually more fans than other sports, has even more issues to resolve.
Tolentino said some of the island’s 11 associations are conducting online registration for players (ages 7-15). Others aren’t actively seeking applicants during what is usually the biggest time of the year for sign-ups. During a normal year, Pop Warner practices start in early August with games beginning Labor Day weekend.
He wants his organization to make a collective determination.
“Some areas we have smaller rural areas that will say, ‘No problem, let’s go, we don’t have too much of a problem as far as the COVID issue,”’ Tolentino said. “But the Hilo and Kona areas, it’s could be a lot different. I want to get everybody’s input on it.
“I’ve gotten some emails from parents who are counting on football this time of year. But there are a lot more apprehensive about wanting to participate.”
Big Island Pop Warner had to cancel spring flag football because of COVID-19, and a safer option could be to roll that season forward into the fall.
“That’s possible and something we’ve brought up,” Tolentino said, “so there’s not as much contact, not as much grabbing.”
Any decisions are contingent on state and local leaders loosening restrictions and guidelines.
Gov Ige.’s latest proclamation caps the maximum allowable gathering size at 10, but last week the Tribune-Herald reported that Managing Director Roy Takemoto said the mayor’s office is discussing increasing the maximum number of people allowed to gather to 50 beginning in July, and again to 100 beginning in August.
Tolentino said the 100 threshold would be an issue as far as determining how many fans could attend games, essentially allowing for two teams and staff and one parent for every child.
“We get 400 or 500 fans for some games,” he said. “To tell grandma and grandpa and auntie and uncle to stay home, oh boy, that’s a tough one.
“We do plan to have a season this year, but if we don’t we’ll definitely be back in (2021) and be stronger, so just bear with us.”