NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The North Adams Youth Basketball League and city are at an impasse and while league organizers hope to salvage a season, the city fears completely opening up the Armory could compromise in-person learning.  

 

Basketball leagues, like many other activities last year, have been largely put on hold with COVID-19 running rampant. And even though basketball is not the easiest sport to play during a pandemic, the youth league's organizers believe there has to be some way.

 

"We are willing to do whatever it takes to get these kids back into the gym," NAYBL board member James Sarkis said. "The public needs to know we are trying to get this up and running for these kids to give them some sense of normalcy, but we keep hitting roadblocks."

 

On Feb. 25, the North Adams Youth Basketball league posted on its Facebook page that restrictions placed on the league by the city made it nearly impossible to hold a season. The post indicated that the league was working with Mayor Thomas Bernard but at the time, there appeared to be no way forward in regard to the usage of the Armory.

 

"The whole thing just doesn't make sense, and I talked to the mayor the other day. He is just not willing to give it up for whatever reason," board member Mark Moulton said.

 

Bernard said although he did support the league's intentions and felt such activities were critical for the city's youth, he could not bend on something that could potentially jeopardize a return to in-person learning within the North Adams Public Schools.

 

"I think the league's intentions are spot on both in terms of following the guidance from the state and their commitment to the kids, but there is also a responsibility I have to make sure our education and classrooms aren't placed at risk," Bernard said. "I want the same thing everyone wants. I want the kids to be safe and healthy, and I want them to spend time with their friends. But I want to make sure we are taking the right steps that we need to protect our education system."

 

Board member Kollin Allard said he reached out to the city in the fall, realizing there may be some heavy lifting in order to get a season up and running this winter. He said the mayor at that point was not sure if he wanted anyone in the Armory, especially at that point when COVID-19 numbers were on the rise. 

 

Allard said Bernard needed time to consult with health officials, the NAPS administration, and seek state guidance. Allard said months went by and communication sort of broke down.

 

"They basically were kicking the can down the road ... it was getting toward January and February and we wanted to try to salvage a season," Allard said. "There was a lot of back and forth with the Administrative Officer [Angie Ellison], but we really did not get a lot from them ... finally we got these guidelines ... and they are just a logistical nightmare."    

 

The point of contention between the two is a slate of guidelines Bernard put together with his administrative team that he said was designed to protect classrooms and the Armory that houses some NAPS education programs.

 

According to the guidelines, the NAYBL had to provide a written plan for how it will address all of the requirements of the youth and adult amateur sports activities standards -- to be reviewed by city health officials.  

 

The league had to include information on temperature and wellness checks and indicate who will keep these records that will be provided to the Health Department. 

 

Other orders touched on mask-wearing, supervision standards, and actual building use -- many of which NAYBL had no qualms about.

 

But the biggest hurdle was the program's connection to the schools.

 

Only North Adams residents could participate. This includes players, coaches, and officials. All players must be enrolled in the NAPS and attending in the hybrid learning model. They also have to participate in the pooled testing program. This is pretty much in line with what is expected of students on school sports team, noting basketball is considered one of the higher risk sports. 

 

Students in full remote learning may not participate and if the schools were to return to full remote learning, the program could no longer operate.

 

Player cohorts must also be part of the same school cohort. Cohort A could use the armory on Tuesdays while Cohort B could use the armory on Thursdays.

 

This all would have to be verified by the local health officer  

 

No food would be allowed, no spectators allowed, and the league would have to front additional fees for sanitization meeting the school district's standards.

 

"I want kids in school as much as possible, therefore we put forth these protective measures," Bernard said, "I didn't want to make things up on my own so I worked with members of my staff, I reviewed it with my staff and when we provided guidelines to the league, they came back with some suggestions."

 

The NAYBL already had planned to compromise. League officials realized holding competitive games would be too complicated. They decided they only wanted to hold limited grouped skill sessions mindful of COVID-19 health precautions 

 

Allard said the NAYBL were not expecting the same numbers as past years but the regulations, specifically the residency and hybrid education mandates, would ground their numbers from about 500 to 72.  

 

Allard said he even looked at other courts but found similar roadblocks with other municipality-owned gymnasiums.

 

"It is a year you lose playing competitive basketball, and no child is working on their game right now," Allard said. "But this isn't even about the farm system anymore ... this is about getting the kids off their butts and ... active during what's is already a tough time of the year."

 

Allard said they proposed their own edits to the guidelines, redlining the residency requirement, the NAPS enrollment requirement, pooled testing requirement, cohort requirement, and limited Tuesday Thursday schedule. 

 

Moulton added that he was already involved in a successful baseball season during the peak of the pandemic and was working with surrounding leagues who have successfully started basketball seasons without any COVID-19 cases. 

 

But, Bernard said this was still not a place where he was willing to budge. 

 

"We agreed to some things, but there are some things we feel we have to have, and it created an impasse. I am sorry that that is the case," Bernard said. "It presents a risk when you have different bubbles, using the NBA term, intersecting. It starts to cause concern."

 

Bernard added that he did not see the back and forth as a longer-term negotiation and some of the guidelines were not movable.

 

"I think we need to work as collaboratively as we can on this. If there is a place to come to an agreement on guidelines, sure," he said. "But, I want to be clear in my thinking, this is not a negotiation. We have put forward guidelines, there was a response, we were concerned. We agreed to work with them, but they have to work with us."

 

Sarkis said the bubbles were converging anyways, and North Adams kids were traveling to play ball in Pittsfield and Williamstown where basketball is going forward 

 

"We have a lot of people that are going to different towns to play and coming back to our schools," he said. "That is a hell of a lot worse than trying to get some community basketball up and running where we can contact trace."

 

Moulton added that this created an equity issue and it was not fair to the kids who may not be able to travel to other communities.

 

"It is not about the games ... and this closes it up to a lot of kids that really need it the most," he said.

 

Moulton said anxiety and depression levels have increased among kids during the pandemic. Allard added that he has become close with a lot of the young athletes and said basketball is very important to them. He said for some it is their only outlet.

 

Sarkis said the city seemed pretty open to tourism, inviting people from outside the area to visit the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art and other like establishments. He felt allowing youth basketball was not too big of an ask.

 

Moulton said North Adams was one of the last communities in the county to not have youth basketball. He said at the high school level, the Drury boys just had a game against Mount Greylock. Mount Greylock has been practicing for weeks; Drury had been practicing for days.

 

On Friday, the girls game was canceled after a report of a positive COVID-19 test, though officials declined to say if this was the cause.  

 

Bernard said he did not see himself as a recreation director. He said he did not have this skillset and, frankly, didn't have time. He said he placed the case on his own staff but saw this as an area where North Adams could improve. He felt a clearer point person for youth sports leagues needed to be established.

 

Moulton said his team offered to do this.

 

"Let us help you. Let us help the city and take the brunt of this," Moulton said. "We will do it, just give us permission ... we will do it for free."

 

Sarkis said their point of contact was Ellison but that there were issues with scheduling and communication.

 

"We want to sit down with the mayor and have a conversation but basically, he refused every time and put us in touch with the administrative officer," he said. "The one big issue I have with that is she has no sense of our community. She is not from here. I think that is a huge hindrance. I don't think she understands how crucial this is for the kids."

 

Bernard did say there was a scheduling hiccup but all parties were able to successfully meet.

 

The mayor did say the compromised skill session put forward by NAYBL was news to him and he didn't completely take the option off the table. He added that options will open up once state guidance eases with nicer weather.

 

Allard said they have considered holding summer clinics outdoors but playing this summer also creates issues because of other sports programs are running at the same time.

 

He added that currently, this is not possible because there are not hoops on the backboards

 

"Basketball is a sport that I love, that I grew up playing. I can play it by myself all I need is a hoop and a ball," he said. "And kids have to go to the Common in Pittsfield to do that because we don't even have hoops."

 

The hoops were removed early in the pandemic to discourage kids from playing together and possibly spreading the virus. Bernard said the hoops will be returned,

 

But there seems to be some common ground and understanding of the importance of basketball in North Adams.

 

"I really am supportive of the league, and I know that they have served the city for a long time ... I want to have recreation and other outlets for our kids," Bernard said. "Everyone is concerned about the toll this last year has taken on our young people, particularly on their social-emotional and physical well-being. But, at the same time for a year, we have been trying to be very thoughtful about how to do things safely."

 

Personally, Moulton, Sarkis, and Allard miss their league in which they volunteer much of their time. With a deep love for basketball, the city, and the youth they have pledged to find a solution.

 

They are not giving up.

 

"This is not about basketball," Moulton said. "This is about the kids of this community and their physical and mental well-being. We've missed a window of opportunity and it worries us about the near future and other youth programs and activities. "

 

"Hang tight. We will try to get there soon enough," Moulton said.