COVID Safety Plan & Updates (Clinics, Camps)
Current Update
December, 2023:
Face coverings continue to be optional during all of our ultimate programming - both outdoors and indoors. We are attentive to WA State and CDC guidance so that we can evolve our protocols if need be.
Recent updates
July-August, 2023:
Face coverings continue to be optional during our ultimate programming, but we are keeping an eye on WA State and CDC guidance so that we can evolve our protocols if need be.
For our overnight camp, Camp Casey guidelines have been updated over the course of the Spring-Summer, and we're adjusting our activities, gathering spaces, and housing plans accordingly.
December 5th, 2022:
Face coverings continue to be optional during our ultimate programming, but we are keeping an eye on WA State and CDC guidance so that we can evolve our protocols if need be.
We will continue our COVID screening process as we check players in before they participate in our programs.
July 28th, 2022:
Face coverings continue to be optional during our outdoor programming, and encouraged during specfic activities at our Aug 15-19 Overnight Camp. Learn more on our Summer Day Camp FAQ page, and Summer Overnight Camp FAQ which includes sections on COVID Safety.
We will continue our COVID screening process as we check players in each morning including temperature checks and questions about COVID syptoms.
June 28th, 2022:
As it stands, face coverings will be optional during our outdoor programming this Summer. Learn more on our Summer Day Camp FAQ page, which includes a section on COVID Safety.
We will continue our COVID screening process as we check players in each morning including temperature checks and questions about COVID syptoms.
We will communicate quickly and throroughly in the event that there is a known covid exposure that occurs during one of our camps.
COVID Safety Plan
Note: Our March 4th 2021 COVID Safety Plan stands, but with specific revisions to the requiremets for face coverings during outdoor and indoor activities. This is detailed in the FAQ sections of our Day Caps and Overnight Camps, and also in our most recent updates (at the top of this page.)
2021 Return to Play Safety Plan- Seattle Ultimate Youth Clinics and Camps (March 4, 2021)
Dr Leslie Yen, MD, Sports Medicine Practitioner, Swedish Hospital, is the official Cascades medical consultant and has been consulting with the Cascades regarding return to play activities.
Seattle Cascades will implement the following at all youth clinics and camps:
Staff, participants, and all others must stay home when sick (including flu or other) or if a close contact of someone with COVID-19. People with underlying health conditions should consult with their medical provider regarding participation in athletic activities.
Transportation: Limit exposure to those outside the household unit during travel. Encourage only those in the same household to travel together, and if not in the same household, travel in separate vehicles if possible. For travel groups, (groups that include more than one household in the same vehicle) all members of the travel group, including the driver, must wear a face covering and spread out as much as possible within the vehicle. Limit travel groups to those who have been in regular contact. Encourage family members to sit together. Maximize ventilation in the vehicle by opening windows.
Check in will be a multi-part process:
-- Players will wash their hands with soap and water or hand sanitizer at check-in
-- Mask check (no un-filtered valves, no neckies, covers nose and mouth, extra masks available on-site)
-- Parent questions and any medical information will be addressed via online registration and on-site.
-- Youth players will be met by a designated staff member upon arrival and have their temperatures taken. (over 100.4 will be re-taken, if still high then will not be admitted)
-- Screened for symptoms, Cascades Screening Questions.
-- Directed where to store gear (6’ separate from others, both gear and persons)
-- Called to their individual pods of 15-20.
Spectators are allowed and must maintain physical distance of at least six (6) feet between each person unless they reside within the same household. Guardians will be informed of this policy, via the “Welcome” email, in advance of the clinic and on-site if they choose to observe.
Dismissal will proceed as follows, all players will:
-- Wear face coverings
-- Be released from their group of 15-20 and remain at least 6’ apart
-- Wash hands thoroughly
-- Go directly to guardians and leave the area
Everyone on the site must wear an adequate face mask covering (no neckies or unfiltered valves) at all times unless eating, drinking, 20 feet or more distant from others, or performing very strenuous physical activity.
Clinics will include: individual drills with most often 6’ distance between all youth, some drills within the 6’ bubble, and some "modified scrimmaging" within the 15-20 person pod and with face coverings. (June 2021 update)
Players will remain with their group of 15-20 (pod) throughout the camp. Breaks will be staggered and snacks held with their pod. At all times a buffer zone of 10 feet will be maintained between pods.
Maximum number of all people per field is 150 as per Seattle Parks & Rec. (June 2021 update)
Staff and players will wash their hands at each break, beginning and end (twice per break) 20 seconds! Multiple hand sanitizing stations will be available plus soap and water upon request.
Athletes should not share water bottles, uniforms, towels, or snacks and should not spit (saliva, sunflower seeds, etc.).
All snacks provided by Seattle Ultimate will be individually wrapped, or will be oranges and bananas.
Discs will be disinfected between all breaks.
Frequent cleaning and sanitizing with a particular emphasis on commonly touched surfaces.
Entering and leaving the turf playfield: All players, coaches, and camp personnel must vacate the field within 15 minutes of the end of the reservation. All equipment and garbage must be removed from the field within 15 minutes of the end of the reservation.
Maintain minimum six-foot separation between all employees (and customers) in all interactions when feasible.
We will provide personal protective equipment (PPE) such as gloves, goggles, face shields and face masks as appropriate or required to staff for the activity being performed.
Cloth facial coverings must be worn by every staff person not working alone on the jobsite unless their exposure dictates a higher level of protection under Department of Labor & Industries safety and health rules and guidance. Refer to Coronavirus Facial Covering and Mask Requirements for additional details. A cloth facial covering is described in the Department of Health guidance, https://www.doh.wa.gov/Portals/1/Documents/1600/coronavirus/ClothFacemasks.pdf.
All areas where a person with probable or confirmed COVID-19 illness worked, touched surfaces, etc. will be cordoned off until the area and equipment is cleaned and sanitized. We will follow the cleaning guidelines set by the CDC to deep clean and sanitize.
A site-specific COVID-19 Supervisor shall be designated by the employer at each job site to monitor the health of employees and enforce the COVID-19 job site safety plan. For Seattle Ultimate, this person will be Xtehn Frame or Monica Johnson.
A staff person may refuse to perform unsafe work, including hazards created by COVID-19. And, it is unlawful for their employer to take adverse action against a worker who has engaged in safety protected activities under the law if their work refusal meets certain requirements. Employees who choose to remove themselves from a worksite because they do not believe it is safe to work due to the risk of COVID-19 exposure may have access to certain leave or unemployment benefits. Employers must provide high-risk individuals covered by Proclamation 20-46 with their choice of access to available employer-granted accrued leave or unemployment benefits if an alternative work arrangement is not feasible. Other employees may have access to expanded family and medical leave included in the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, access to use unemployment benefits, or access to other paid time off depending on the circumstances. Additional information is available at https://www.lni.wa.gov/agency/outreach/paid-sick-leaveand-coronavirus-covid-19-common-question.
We will keep a roster of every athlete, staff, groups and volunteers present at each practice, training session, and contest to assist with contact tracing in the event of a possible exposure. These will be kept on file for 28 days.
Quick reference:
-- Attendance rosters will include group contact information.
-- Each league, organization, or club must publish and follow a “return to play” safety plan.
-- Any practice or training activities that can be done outdoors should be done outdoors.
-- Scrimmage, intra-team competitions, and league games allowed for both low and moderate (Ultimate is moderate) risk sports.
-- Scrimmage, intra-team competitions, but no competitions of any kind against other teams, allowed for high risk sports.
-- No tournaments allowed.
Spectators must maintain physical distance of at least six (6) feet between each person.
To better understand this policy here is a link to the current infection rate trends in every county (scroll down and click on “Summary Data Tables” for county-by-county info): https://coronavirus.wa.gov/whatyou-need-know/covid-19-risk-assessment-dashboard
Past updates
February 9th, 2022:
As we plan our 2022 Clinics and Camps, we are monitoring omicron case counts and listening to local and regional guidance.
This Winter, our protocol includes wearing masks at all times during our youth events, but we'll reevaluate as the Spring approaches. In general, social distancing will be in order. We'll also be sanitizing hands and discs regularly. Visit this page for our COVID Safety Plan, updates, and FAQ.
July 12th, 2021:
Our updated protocols for Overnight Camps are as follows:
VACCINATION STATUS. In accordance with WA State Department of Health guidelines for overnight camps:
-- Players who are not fully vaccinated (ie 2+ weeks after final shot) will be required to receive a covid test no more than three days prior to arrival and be in quarantine between the test and the beginning of camp.
-- Players who are vaccinated may check in and participate in camp activities immediately, assuming they are not displaying any COVID symptoms.
FACE COVERINGS. Regardless of vaccination status, players and staff will wear masks while indoors. If we're gathering in a "crowded" group for an extended period of time outdoors, then we'll wear masks. Otherwise, masks are not required for outdoor activities.
In general, social distancing will be in order. We'll also be sanitizing hands and discs regularly. Visit this page for our COVID Safety Plan, updates, and FAQ.
June 23rd, 2021: It's becoming evident that outdoor activities with face coverings are relatively safe from COVID transmission, and WA Dept of Health + Seattle Parks & Rec have updated their covid protocols. We have updated our safety plan accordingly, but these central elements will be the same for the time being: face coverings, social distancing, hand sanitizer, and screening each morning when players arrive.
March 16th, 2021: As COVID cases are declining in our region and the majority of at-risk individuals are getting vaccinated, we are opening registration for our Spring Clinics and Summer Camps.
March 4th, 2021: WA State will enter Roadmap to Recovery Phase 3 on March 22nd.
February 9th, 2021: We updated Return to Play Safety Plan.
October 26th update: Our Summer-Fall camps & clinics ran really smoothly, and our thorough COVID Safety Plan contributed to zero occurrences of COVID-19 at any our programs. Naturally, we will continue to follow our policies carefully: masks at all times, distancing, sanitizing discs between drills, etc. Our Scholarship Program remains an integral part of our youth clinics; we’re eager to remove the financial barrier for all young athletes who want to participate. We’re running two clinics this upcoming weekend, and we’ll offer more this Fall if it’s appropriate.
All past updates are at the bottom of this page.
September 5th, 2020: We ran four successful Day Camps, all in line with our COVID Safety Plan, and we had zero occurrences of COVID-19 at our programs this Summer. Of course, we will continue to follow our policies carefully at upcoming events: distancing, masks, sanitizing discs between drills, etc.
We’re working on programming for this Fall.
August 16th, 2020: After three successful day camps we’re really hitting our stride! The kids love it, the parents love it, and we continue to follow our COVID Safety Plan diligently. While we’ve had zero occurrences of COVID-19 thus far, we will continue to follow policies carefully: distancing, masks, sanitizing discs between drills, etc.
This upcoming week will be our final Summer camp and we’re excited to run back some of our program and bring in some cool new features.
August 2nd, 2020: We’ve all been waiting (and waiting) to see how Covid 19 is going to impact our Summer Camps this year. We appreciate your patience with this changing situation. After countless hours of research and consultation with Camp Casey and the Governor's Office, it's been determined that we cannot run our overnight youth camps on Whidbey Island as the requirement for covid-friendly sleeping quarters cannot be met.
We are cancelling the overnight camps, and replacing them with Day Camps at Montlake Playfield in Seattle, WA. These will be similar to the Day Camps we recently held at Jefferson Playfield, but with some cool new activities.
July 20th, 2020: Our 5-Day Camp last week was a big success! Players and coaches were diligent with hand washing, masks, and social distancing. VERY impressive. We started each day with wellness questionnaires and temperature checks. Plenty of hand sanitizer, and disc & surface disinfecting (bleach per CDC guidelines) after every drill.
We're getting better and better at our Safety Plan. See below for overview. The impact of COVID-19 is present in Washington State, and we are closely monitoring.
Coming up is a 5-day camp July 27-31. Players will do drills in groups of five, and we'll avoid marking and scrimmages. In addition, each day will feature activities like disc golf, relay races, conversations about social justice and current events, social/emotional learning, how to be a good teammate, and more.
July 7th,: New COVID-19 cases are emerging as businesses are reopening in Washington. Meanwhile, King County and Seattle are doing better than other parts of the State.
Our three ultimate clinics last week were great! We got our Jefferson Park field permits from Seattle Parks & Recreation just in time, and we carefully followed our Safety Plan. See below for plan overview.
Face masks & social distancing during ultimate drills is a new experience, but coaches and players warmed up to it. Coaching in smaller groups works fine, cleaning hands between drills is easy, and sanitizing discs takes very little time. As it stands, we’re planning to run our DAY CAMPS as scheduled: July 13-17 and July 27-31.
June 25th, 2020: While COVID-19 continues to pose a health risk to our community, we’re pleased to see progress in the greater Seattle area. Many counties (including King County) are in phase 2, and some counties (including Island County) are in phase 3.
We’re still planning to run our clinics and camps, as scheduled.
We have a Safety Plan which has been approved by Seattle Parks & Recreation. See below for overview.
Face masks will be a requirement for upcoming clinics/camps because it’s clear that it helps reduce the risk of spreading COVID-19 as per King Country phase 2 requirements.
May 27th, 2020: We revised our Summer calendar! Assuming we achieve “Phase 3” of the WA State return to play program, we’ll host a clinic series at the tail end of June, two day camps in July, and two overnight camps in August.
We’re kicking off our Summer programming with a 3-day clinic series June 29 - July 1. We’ll implement our COVID Coaching Guidelines (see below) in a flexible clinic format.
In mid-late July, we have scheduled two 5-day camps in Seattle at Jefferson Park.
It wasn’t feasible to run overnight camps in June-July, and so we’ve rescheduled them for August.
Our Summer programming is contingent on achieving “Phase 3” of the WA State reopening program, according to Governor Inslee. [Learn more.]
We clarified the titles of our camps, changing “Session I, II, III” to “Sessions A, B, C, D.”
May 13th, 2020: As it stands, we are planning to host our two Summer Camp sessions, plus a third one in August. We are making key modifications according to safety and distancing recommendations.
We established a maximum size for Session I (45 players). This puts us well within the Washington State health guidelines, and it gives overnight campers twice as much space in the bunk rooms compared to what we’d normally use.
We added Session III (Aug 10-14) in order to provide more space later in the Summer.
We updated the registration dates in order to offer more flexibility and last-minute planning. Refer to Overview page.
We updated our cancellation and refund policy. Refer to Register page.
For sessions II and III, we have reserved twice as much space in the bunk rooms as we’ll use for overnight campers, and we have access to more space if we need.
“Health and safety first.” If health & safety guidelines are such that we should cancel one or more of our camps, we’re prepared to do so.
April 17th, 2020: As it stands, we are planning to host our two Summer Camp sessions with some key modifications to safety and distancing recommendations.
In late March, we moved our “standard registration” deadline from 3/31 to 5/15 in order to allow more time/flexibility with the decision to send players to camp. Our cancellation policy remains the same (see Registration page).