2020 Nationals will it be safe to go

[sheskis7]

Almost all events are getting postponed or cancelled, what about the Nationals being in a hot spot like Zachary in a month? Some skiers may not even be able to go. It's hard to make travel plans not knowing what states might make new restrictions on any given day. Plus is it safe to go? Why don't they postpone till later? It doesn't look like kids will be back in school!!!!

[Jody_Seal]

I have been approached by a couple older skiers about this very topic. I guess I am on the fence as I want to see this event happen. Being a appointed judge this year from my region I think that it is probably best at this time to continue with the thought that in 30 days or so this pandemic will subside or be downturned. But again our state ( florida ) has had daily case numbers that are disturbing. I would not be suprised if after this holiday weekend travel restrictions will be implemented. Either not letting Floridians in our out of adjoining states. Will see monday or tuesday.

[jjackkrash]

Whether an event is "safe" really depends on how you define "safe" and your tolerance for risk. If you mingle with groups of people during a pandemic there is a greater than zero chance you will get sick; and if you are in a high risk group the chances of getting severely sick are greater than if you aren't. But quantifying that risk at this point does not seem to me to be an exact science. There are definitely people getting severely sick from this disease filling up hospitals in places like Houston and Phoenix.

[Chad_Scott]

Zachary is not a hot spot as far as Louisiana is concerned. I would caution against hanging out in New Orleans as the numbers there have been quite high

[dave2ball]

I’m most likely going to stay home from nationals. The fact that the numbers seem to be climbing everyday with no real end in site as of now it is not worth it for me to travel to a place with large crowd presence for one ski ride. I have seen this virus affect many of my coworkers and some friends in many different ways as far as severity. Just not willing to take that chance. There will always be another regional and national.

 

[JackQ]

Not sure “large crowd” applies for most divisions. I believe if you attempt to maintain social distance you can minimize risk, IE face mask visiting vendor booths, only two in the boat. Closer distance at the starting dock may be the most significant. It is not like going to a Bar or Concert.

[sheskis7]

Why not postpone the Nationals till later in September or October. Being in Zachary the weather would still be nice, and most other regions may have some cooler practice but it would be do able. Most of the kids may be still getting home schooled. No one had a problem skiing the Sr. worlds at Jacks in October. Do you think AWSA wants to be responsible for people getting the virus. They seem concerned about the pros, show skiers, and the college kids.

 

[klindy]

I’ve been fortunate to go to several events in several places around the country. Every location I’ve been has been full. Respect for each other’s business wrap all space but active skiers. Everyone will have to decide for themselves whether it’s acceptable to go. I will say that the team at TRI-Lakes in LA are taking every possible precaution and following state and local guidance. Every effort will be in place to allow anyone in attendance to exercise their own personal responsibility to have a safe Nationals.

 

It’s very hard to plan for these events and to say “postpone to September” seems simple but the logistics are impossible. At some point you have to pick a date and plan to that and decide from there.

 

Again the crew at TRI-Lakes has gone above and beyond to make this happen safely and comfortably for anyone who attends. I personally look forward to seeing anyone of you at this years Nationals in Zachary!

[brettmainer]

Why would September or October be any safer than August?

[sheskis7]

My thoughts picking a later date is hopefully things will settle down and travel plans won't be so up in the air. After all if you fly you go into New Orleans or Baton Rouge. And hopefully you can fly back home without going into quarantine. No one know for sure how long different restrictions will last. My last comment is: why has our president cancelled events at his lake?

[Golfguy]

Let's talk numbers. Number of newly discovered positive test are increasing. Is that because more people are tested? Are these new positive tests asymptomatic or just carriers? Should only sysmtomatic patients be tested? Just opening a bigger discussion and lookinng for insight.

[Ed_Johnson]

Here in Fla. a massive amount are being tested everyday and the reason the numbers are higher. It is still less than 8% that are affected.

 

 

[dave2ball]

@Ed_Johnson yes it’s true more people are getting tested and that is one reason the numbers are increasing but that is only what you hear and see on the news. I know first hand from my job that people are more complacent the bars were not practicing the social distances set forth by the county and state. . In our conferences the positive rate is now getting close 10% with the average age being 35 yo.

[jjackkrash]

I think hospital capacity and Covid patient census is a pretty good indicator. You can find those numbers, and lots of places are doing pretty good, but there are some places that aren't. And when you throw travel in the mix, it starts getting tougher to gage risk. But, all that said, I personally don't expect October or November to be any better than now; my hope is that it is not worse. People are sick of staying home and distancing, and I don't see another complete shutdown as a viable option politically or economically. So fingers crossed.

[liquid d]

Younger people don't give a damn about catching it, since the majority of them have no symptoms. College kids have been having parties to try to catch it. idk...maybe the faster it gets through that group, the better. While the rest of the population is practicing social distance, masks, etc, then as we ease, that segment may be mostly through it and out the other side.

 

The thing to follow is the hospitalizations...are they increasing? I don't know because the news just wants to give you the RECORD NUMBER OF CASES! Whatever they can do to sensationalize it. The doc who lives next door to me says, it's not increasing at his hospital (Orlando).

Death rates seemed to have slowed to a crawl. Better/sooner treatment due to massive testing.

[Ed_Johnson]

Its stated that last year some 63,000 people died from the Flu. So far this year I have not heard of ONE case of the Flu, let alone anyone dying from it. Just saying, seems really strange.

 

 

[Golfguy]

Ed_Johnson Agree what happened to the flu, being a sceptic, I'll wager the death toll was rolled into the SARS-Cov-2 Coronavirus syndrome. It is also not surprising the people that have a low chance of contracting the virus are not afraid of it. Similarly, those who have a greater risk should be cautious. It should not be a universal fear driven by a news hungry media. My two cents re nationals or any event is the participation is a personal choice and the timing of the event should not be contingent on what ifs.

 

[Broussard]

Attending the 2020 GOODE National Water Ski Championships carries with it some associated risk, as does any activity in life. Slalom skiing is “dangerous,” as is tricking and jumping. It boils down to your propensity for risk. Tri-Lakes is taking precautions to ensure that we provide measures for our visitors to mitigate risk while attending Nationals and we invite you to take any measures you deem necessary to mitigate your own personal risk in attending Nationals.

 

As Chad mentioned, Zachary is not and never has been a COVID-19 “hot spot.”

 

Simply changing the date might seem to be an easy solution, but this event requires a great deal of planning and there is no guarantee if this situation will be better or worse in a month or two.

 

Louisiana has not imposed any travel restrictions to date so there should not be any issues with traveling to Louisiana. We encourage people to drive to Nationals to lessen potential exposure during travel.

 

As far as your notion that “it doesn’t look like kids will be back in school,” schools and universities in many states have put forth plans to return to face to face operation in the fall including schools in Louisiana.

 

While Louisiana has limited indoor gatherings to 250, there is currently no limit on outdoor events.

 

The team at Tri-Lakes is doing everything we can to ensure that we put on a safe and successful event. At the end of the day if you feel uncomfortable attending Nationals we respect your decision if you feel that it is best to stay home this year.

 

Laissez les bon temps rouler,

 

Andre Broussard

National Tournament Director

Tri-Lakes Ski Team

[Ed_Johnson]

Falling at 1 ball on my opening pass is more of a concern than Covid in Louisiana. Just go and have fun and do the best you can. Great people running the show there, who have treated me and my Family very well in the past !!!

 

 

[MillerTime38]

@Golfguy 60,000 flu deaths this flu season which is about average for a flu season......

No chance of me going to nationals this year due to living in japan but also no chance of me coming back to states to visit my family or my family coming to visit us in japan cause the US is a shit show right now.

[unksskis]

Great response @Broussard , thank you. Are you able to provide any further details or examples of precautions and steps being taken to mitigate the risk?

[jjackkrash]

There's a lot of numbers I am skeptical about, and one of them is estimates about the number of "flu" deaths each year. The CDC's explanation about how they "estimate" flu deaths doesn't sound all that convincing to me, personally.

 

https://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/burden/how-cdc-estimates.htm

[skidawg]

Postpone till Nov 5th....the. Virus will be gone

[sheskis7]

Wow, the Barefoot Nationals just got cancelled

[MISkier]

@sheskis7, that does not seem to be too surprising, given that it was occurring in Florida and their case counts are spiking at an alarming rate.

[bkreis]

Zachary isn’t the problem, getting there is. No travel for me as it’s too much risk and could screw up -normal - life

[waterbeat]

Rt values by state. Click a state for more data and explanations.

https://rt.live/?fbclid=IwAR2TTfA0I0zxu1CcZ634ba--Ud0DIU7g_BFkUzqmOJca571tLHSq8YGRk80

[gjohnson]

East Baton Rouge Parish is not looking very good at them moment.

 

https://globalepidemics.org/key-metrics-for-covid-suppression/

[gjohnson]

As of Monday, masks will be required in public, bars are closing and gatherings will be limited to 50 people. The Governor is rolling back opening to phase 1 in response to Covid-19 surging in Louisiana.

[Broussard]

@gjohnson Governor John Bel Edwards held a press conference this afternoon letting the public know that effective Monday masks are mandated for anyone 8 or older, bars will be closed to on-premises consumption, and indoor social gathering are limited to 50 people.

 

The state will remain in phase 2 and these regulations are effective until July 24th. There are currently no limits on outdoor events, but physical distancing is encouraged.

 

This situation is extremely fluid and we are working to stay on top of things to ensure that we cooperate with regulations.

 

@unksskis We are planning to take temperatures and administer a CDC recommended screening questionnaire at registration, and I am trying to get masks for all of the contestant bags. We will be sanitizing all common areas routinely and will provide sanitization stations throughout the site. All competitors and spectators will be required to comply with all state regulations in place at the time.

 

As mentioned before we encourage everyone to travel by car if possible to limit potential contact during travel.

 

Laissez les bons temps rouler,

Andre Broussard

National Tournament Director

Tri-Lakes Ski Team

[LoopSki]

Not my problem or trying to stir shix up , but does that violate hipaa?

[dave2ball]

@LoopSki not quite sure what part of HIPAA you are talking about. If your referring to the links that is public information. As long as names and personal Info are not released there is no HIPAA violation. Taking somebody’s temperature with concentration is not a HIPAA violation.

[JackQ]

If we have to have our temp taken, fill out a questionnaire and wear a mask, I am OK with that. Some of the tournaments in Florida are doing that already. I am more than willing to do so, and support taking appropriate measure so we can continue skiing.

[lpskier]

As long as my slalom score and temperature are the same, I’m good. And if that’s the case, I’m also good with a slight fever.

 

I hope to see y’all in Zachary.

[sheskis7]

15 DAYS TILL THE START OF NATIONALS AND 284 SKIERS SIGNED UP . AWSA MUST BE REALLY DESPERATE FOR MONEY

[JeffSurdej]

@sheskis7 thats more than last year at this time. And we are not hosting this event to make money. If you think covid’s gonna be better in September or October keep dreaming. Those that feel safe to go will go. Those that do not feel safe should not go. Nationals will not be big this year. It is what it is. Do you have a better plan considering the amount of money and time that goes into planning the event that Bennett’s has already done?

[sheskis7]

Collegiate, barefoot, adaptive skiing have cancelled . "bECAUSE THE HEALTH & SAFETY OF THEIR ATHLETES" ARE MOST IMPORTANT.

[Chad_Scott]

It is the good ole USA where we are free to make choices. If you don’t feel safe Stay Home. Those that feel safe will go. I for one am very appreciative for the work Jay and the Bennett’s crew are putting in to make this event happen. And I know all of their planning is with the safety of those on the site in mind. Would be a shame to not have a US Nationals. Seems like tournaments are taking place every weekend. People are skiing and enjoying the opportunity to be outside

[darinmontgomery]

@Chad_Scott well said

[scoke]

 

Free will of man.

 

What's a real shame is in 2020 other people fully try to impose their views, beliefs and actions instead of just "live and let live". Respect others rights.

 

My grandparents and parents would be ashamed of me if I was beating a drum to cancel an event that I was too scared to attend. "Don't go" would be the traditional american values answer. Pretty disappointing in fellow skiers. I'm gathering the person beating the drum and trying to impose their will is probably based in California.

 

We've already booked flights, hotel rooms, rental car, and registered. We have no issue injecting that money in the local economy. If we were scared, we'd wish everyone good luck while sitting home.

 

We very much look forward to seeing our fellow skiers, competitors and life long friends at nationals.

 

If you're too scared to go, that's your right but please vote with your wallet and not squawk to anyone and everyone. You're not winning this one.

 

[ScottScott]

It still amazes me about how people argue about THEIR rights, and its THEIR choice whether to put THEMSELVES at risk. The prevention and restrictions are there to minimize the spread of this disease throughout our society, not just to YOU. You get it and maybe it doesn't effect you much, but then how many people do you then spread it to? And it continues to grow. And while YOU may not have significant symptoms, some of the people you pass it to might.

 

That being said. I believe an outdoor event like this that allows people to spread out and maintain reasonable spacing, and with people using proper precautions in areas that are a little more populated, should be a pretty safe and reasonable activity. If I qualified, and was closer, I would attend.

[Bruce_Butterfield]

@sheskis7 , a little perspective may help. Tri-Lakes is located in East Baton Rouge Parish (county for the rest of the country) and has a population of 440,000. There have been 8366 confirmed cases of Coronavirus since this mess started. That means 981 out of every 1000 people in that county DO NOT now, or have not had Coronavirus. I couldn’t find data on how many of those are currently active cases or how many of those have recovered, but obviously many of those have recovered.

 

There are 288 reported deaths (including those who died from other causes and had some amount of Coronavirus in their system, but that’s another soapbox). So that means 1/10th out of every 1000 people in that county have died from Coronavirus. I couldn’t readily find how many people have died from other causes in that parish, but I will bet its many more than 288. Simple math based on an 80 year life expectancy would predict approximately 1400 dead from other causes in a 3 month period.

 

I couldn’t find the specific ages of those who died in East Baton Rouge Parrish, but nation wide, over 80% of those who have died have been over the age of 65.

 

We know a heck of a lot more now than we did in March about how the virus is transmitted, who is vulnerable, how many actually show symptoms and how severe, and especially effectiveness of treatments if you do get it.

 

Yeah, I guess if you watch the news and believe everything you hear without asking just a few basic questions, you may want to hole up in your basement and screech that the world is ending. Just do the rest of us a favor and stay there while we get on with life.

 

[ScottScott]

Again, I think this is a safe event.

 

But, what is again missing the point is that it isn't just the people of East Baton Rouge that you may encounter at the hotel, restaurants, etc. Just as significant would be the people you would be in close contact with from all over the county at the actual event. Still...with reasonable precautions at an outdoor event, it shouldn't be an issue.