English Speaking Bowling League - Covid Crisis Info Record

What we've covered up to September 8th, 2021...:

OK, we've had our Team Captains Meeting. And..... We're ON!!

It seems we've hashed out how we want to proceed, in total awareness of all the current conditions and aspects affecting our efforts (and some we don't know of yet that will turn up going forward - who knows maybe even another lockdown or two...).

Note: We have received an official stand-down from the NO PROBLEM team leaving their slot OPEN (until next season anyway), which means we either play with 19 teams (1 team playing against a blind each week) OR we get a new team somehow newly established...

We start on September 8th (not the 1st) for which I've already included the new SCHEDULE 21-22 below. Standings lists I'll get to in the next days...

But, in the meantime we also need to get from every team a list of the COVID STATUS for every player on the team in a form the Bowling Alley can have on record to be able to produce on demand from the authorities and to eliminate the need to register individually every time you come to play. I'm still waiting for the form from the Bowling Alley and will post it here as soon as possible. (Expect a word file to either print out and fill in or edit with your details. We'll need it to submit before play on our first night.)

Thus: After some computer problems and surprises over what service providers consider spam... here is the form for the bowling alley to indicate our teams' vaxx status: ESBvStat2021-22.pdf
(and if you want to do it on a computer here is the Excel file: ESBLvStat2021-22.xls).

See you on the 8th at 7:30! - Don

And still showing our previous "latest news" (i.e. from this summer...) (not sure what to do with all this info once we get really started... hmmm....)

Now it's summer 2021, and we seem to be slowly returning to "normalcy" to the the extent that we can bowl again, the 3G rules seem to reduce our anxieties about catching anything, and we get the feeling, more and more, of how things will get better.

SOOOO.... it's time to start thinking about having another go!

This means we should plan for a season start-up Team Captains Meeting which theorectically would come on the last Wednesday of August, the 25th.

This is, of course, predicatated on the fact that we have a sufficient number of teams with enough players who are interested in engaging in a regular season of bowling. And this despite our various press musings about a potential 4th wave from delta or other variants in the fall putting a kink in our proceedings.

In any case I shall be trying to reach your team captains via sms, etc., over the next few weeks for a straw poll of where we stand. I think we should also have you (pre-)fill your rosters for our new season which you can download here: tmrstr22.pdf

Feel free to submit your thoughts via our mailto:esblvie@yahoo.com which I'll make an effort to keep up with!

So..., barring any unforseen developments, SEE YOU AUGUST 25th! - Don



And still showing our previous "latest news" (such as it was last December!...)

The continuing situation with being semi-continuously locked down and the bowling alley still closed until further notice leaves our plans for a December Team Captains Meeting/Christmas Party gathering without a venue and anyway not allowed! (and thus also delayed until further notice!)

In the meantime we're hoping you're all remaining healthy and steadfast!

And we wish you all a Merry Christmas and all the best in the New Year!



Previous notices...

Well..., we had our Team Captains Meeting on the 26th, and, after deliberation over the various risks and aspects of the current situation, came to the following unanimous conclusion:

WE ARE HOLDING OFF STARTING ANYTHING UNTIL NEXT JANUARY DUE TO CONDITIONS BEING CONSIDERED TOO RISKY AT THE CURRENT TIME.

We will, of course be keeping a close watch on what's happening to see if we might see a chance to reconsider. However we're currently planning to have another Team Captains Meeting in December where we can hopefully decide what sort of "season" we can proceed with in the new year.

So keep checking back here for further updates!

And just in case anyone has missed our comments up to now, I've left them here below for the time being. - Don


Apparently our season's done. Done in by the Coronavirus that is...

After much uncertainty, our ministers have administered our lockdown conditions with a duration thru August and so we're left with our hands tied (and mouths masked) as to how we could possibly round things out here...

Also, with great sadness we have to relate the loss of Daniela Zauner, on March 15th, something I'm sure many of you were already aware of. Still, it is hard to describe the sense of loss and our hearts go out to Margit and Helly at this difficult time... Daniela Zauner Parte

And, so, where do we go from here?...
'Ersatz Banquet sometime in September (sans Team Placement trophies)?
'Simple restart in the fall? With what conditions, given that the virus may very well not yet have been "tamed"?
Still lots of questions your League Officers (and anyone else willing to contribute ideas - suggestions welcome!) will be working on.
Keep checking here! - Don

Summer update:

SO THEN... After constantly watching the further developments of this "virus scenario" and seeing our Bowling Alley finally able to accomodate us to the extent of starting up again after August, I think it is safe to say: YES, we will have a go at commencing a new 2020-2021 season on Sept. 2nd!
or not, perhaps... (pre-meeting thoughts:)

Considering that in normal play we would each be playing in breathing space shared by 23 other players (7 others on our double lanes plus 8+8 more on the left and right neighboring lanes) (and they would be near 8 more again next to them on either side). The potential contact tracing dynamics start to look a bit excessive should that it becomes necessary.

Having heard of at least two teams not willing to proceed at this point our upcoming discussion sounds to be even more extensive at this point. Perhaps our team captains can forward any concerns they may have via our mailto address below so we know before our meeting.

Team Captains take note: our Team Captains Meeting will therefore take place on Wednesday, August 26 at 19:30 at the bowling alley in the conference room.

Most likely this will be an extensive discussion of just what our options (and risks) are given what we know further at that point. See you there! - Don

'Comments or questions to esblvie@yahoo.com