Davis Youth Softball Association

IN FISCAL YEAR 2021, DESPITE THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC STILL CAUSING PROBLEMS THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY, THE DAVIS YOUTH SOFTBALL ASSOCIATION (DYSA) WAS STILL ABLE TO HAVE A RECREATIONAL SOFTBALL SEASON, ALTHOUGH IT WAS SHORTENED. THE SOFTBALL SEASON STARTED LATER THAN USUAL AND THUS THE PLAYERS PLAYED IN FEWER GAMES, BUT STILL WERE ABLE TO HAVE FUN PLAYING THE GAME THEY LOVE. SOFTBALL, AS AN OUTDOOR AND NATURALLY SOCIALLY DISTANT SPORT, WAS A GOOD OUTLET FOR YOUNG GIRLS THAT WANTED TO PARTICIPATE IN A SAFE ACTIVITY. DYSA FOLLOWED ALL COVID PROTOCOLS THAT WERE IN PLACE FOR YOLO COUNTY AND MADE SURE THE PLAYERS WERE MASKED. THE LEAGUE ALSO HAD COVID SANITARY KITS ACCESSIBLE FOR EVERY PRACTICE AND GAME. THE SEASON NORMALLY BEGINS AT THE END OF FEBRUARY, BUT IN 2021 IT BEGAN IN LATE MARCH. PARTICIPATION OVERALL WAS DOWN, AS EXPECTED, BUT BECAUSE IT IS OUTDOOR AND SOCIALLY DISTANT, THE LEAGUE STILL HAD AN ENROLLMENT OF 191 PLAYERS FOR THE SPRING SEASON AND 82 PLAYERS FOR THE FALL SEASON. TOURNAMENT PARTICIPATION FOR ALL TEAMS WAS ALSO DELAYED UNTIL RESTRICTIONS WERE LIFTED TO ALLOW LARGER GATHERINGS. THERE WAS A SUMMER ALL-STAR SEASON AS RESTRICTIONS HAD BEEN LIFTED.. AS A LEAGUE IT WAS ALSO DECIDED NOT TO HAVE ANY LARGE IN-PERSON FUNDRAISERS WHERE PEOPLE WOULD BE IN CLOSE CONTACT, BUT WE DID HAVE A VERY SUCCESSFUL HIT-A-THON. OUR END-OF-YEAR TOURNAMENT WAS PLAYED, BUT DYSA DID NOT HAVE THE EVENT AT THE NORMAL LOCATION, WHICH WOULD HAVE LED TO A LARGE GATHERING. TEAMS PLAYED GAMES, BUT AT A FIELD LOCATED ACROSS THE CITY OF DAVIS. THE SEASON, GIVEN THE CIRCUMSTANCES, WAS BETTER THAN EXPECTED AND A LOT OF YOUNG GIRLS GOT TO HAVE FUN OUTDOORS.