Rules for Players, Parents and Rye Ranger Families
As we did throughout the season last year, we have updated our COVID-19 protocols to reflect current accepted standards. The updated rules and procedures below have been established to help maintain as safe an environment as possible during Rye Rangers hockey sessions. Remember, we are guests at the rinks where we play, in particular Rye Country Day School, and our strict adherence to these Rules will ensure that we continue to have the opportunity to use these facilities.
These protocols are subject to change, and we will update accordingly throughout the season.
Coaches will continue to enforce these protocols, but please do not wait for coaches or others to call out non-compliance. Every member of the Rye Rangers community is empowered to help us enforce these rules. If you see a player or coach not following our policies, please say something to them immediately. Each player's and family's compliance with these rules will go a long way to ensuring that we can continue to play hockey.
These rules apply no matter the rules of the rink where the Rye Rangers are playing. We understand that, in some cases, these rules are stricter than those of the host rink, but these rules continue to apply to all Rye Rangers activities regardless of the rules of the host rink.
The Rye Rangers Hockey Club reserves the right to suspend any player for violations of these rules, including for the remainder of the 2021-2022 season.
THE RYE RANGERS HOCKEY club reserves the right to change or modify these rules at any time.
Rules for Players, Parents and Rye Ranger Families
Health Monitoring & Overall Procedures
On a daily basis, parents will monitor their players and other family members for COVID-19 symptoms. Parents/caregivers will be required to submit a COVID-19 questionnaire on the Team Snap app, including temperature check, prior to each practice and game. We cannot alter the TeamSnap questions and in answering the TeamSnap question regarding travel, it should be read per the Rye Rangers’ protocols below. As long as the player and/or coach satisfies the Rye Rangers protocols on travel, they may click “no” to the travel question.
Anyone who is sick or exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19, including body temperature of 100.0 degrees F or higher, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, loss of taste or smell, headache, fever, chills, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle or body aches and/or sore throat must not come to the rink. Please refer to CDC guidelines for COVID-19 symptoms.
If any player or coach is waiting for test results from a COVID-19 test or has plans to take a COVID-19 test during the next two days (other than a regularly scheduled school or other regularly scheduled COVID-19 tests) that player or coach should not participate in any Rye Rangers sessions until results of the test are obtained and are negative.
Upon request of the Rye Rangers Hockey Club, parents and players will provide truthful and complete information with respect to their and others’ compliance with these rules and, if requested, will agree to contact tracing and testing.
Basic health procedures, including frequent hand washing for 20 seconds, using hand sanitizer regularly and proper respiratory hygiene/cough etiquette should be followed.
Social distancing of at least six feet should be observed whenever feasible.
If a player or sibling of a player is sent home from school for a fever or other COVID-19 symptoms, they should not attend practice. Their unvaccinated siblings and other unvaccinated household contacts should not attend practices either.
Travel Policies
All members of the Rye Rangers community are expected to follow the latest travel advisories issued by New York State and the CDC.
Close Contact
If a player or coach has had close contact (as defined by the Westchester Department of Health) with someone with COVID-19 who is not living in their household:
Parent/guardian or coach will immediately notify Steve Ketchabaw, the Rye Rangers COVID-19 Coordinator.
Unvaccinated player/coach with close contact to COVID-19 will not be allowed on ice and must follow Westchester County DOH quarantine requirements.
Rye Rangers may consult with local health authorities for an appropriate action plan, but, at a minimum, will require a 10-day quarantine period for unvaccinated individuals and a negative PCR test 3-5 days post exposure for vaccinated individuals.
Rye Rangers will notify all impacted players/coaches on the affected team(s) of any such action. Once the Rye Rangers learn of a positive COVID case or exposure to such a case, RCDS will be promptly notified.
Family members of individuals quarantined because of close contact with someone with COVID-19 may continue to participate in Rye Ranger activities provided appropriate quarantining is maintained from the exposed family member and ALL family members remain asymptomatic.
If an unvaccinated Rye Ranger player or coach is exposed to a positive household contact, they must quarantine for 10 full days from the last time of exposure. If they are not adequately able to separate in the household, the 10 days of quarantine begins when the household member has been cleared from isolation (which is 10 days from symptom onset or 10 days from the positive test).
Positive COVID-19 Test
If a coach or player, or any member of their household, tests positive for COVID-19:
Parent/guardian or coach shall immediately notify Steve Ketchabaw, the Rye Rangers COVID-19 Coordinator.
Player/coach will not be allowed on ice and must follow Westchester County DOH policy of isolation.
Rye Rangers will consult with local health authorities for an appropriate action plan before allowing the player/coach to return to Rye Rangers activities.
Rye Rangers will notify all impacted players/coaches on the affected team(s) of any such action. Rye Rangers will provide prompt notification to RCDS.
Arrival and In-Rink Procedures
Rink protocols which are more restrictive than Rye Ranger protocols will take precedent over Rye Ranger protocols.
Other than as discussed below, players must come fully dressed in equipment (including skates if they have the proper skate guards). Provided the facility allows, vaccinated players may use the locker rooms and get dressed inside.
ALL players must wear masks while indoors.
Provided the facility allows, vaccinated players do not need to wear masks on the ice.
If permitted by the facility, players may arrive earlier and teams may meet outside the rink facility (e.g., in the parking lot a good distance from the building entrance for a team warm-up). If this is the case, the players may dress outside. RCDS does not allow players to get dressed or undressed in the parking lot.
For teams that are not allowed to use a locker room, they should enter rink facilities masked at designated entrance points, no more than 15 minutes prior to the start.
Bags should not be brought into rinks, unless authorized by a coach (which will only be done if a rink provides sufficient non-locker room space where bags can be stored in a socially distanced setting). Players can carry skates, gloves, and helmet into the rink.
Goalies may enter rinks 20 minutes prior to an ice session and dress in the rink, but must remain masked and socially distant.
No food should be brought into rinks.
Departure Procedures
Upon exiting the ice, players should keep their mask on and remain socially distanced.
Unvaccinated players will depart masked and fully dressed other than gloves, skates (if no skate guards) and helmets – this applies even if players think they can get undressed “quickly” – only gloves, skates and helmets are removed– and then exit the rink.
It is recommended that players/parents should disinfect helmets, sticks, skates after each session.
It is recommended that players/parents should wash all jerseys, pants (shells), socks, and gloves after each session.
On-Ice Procedures
Masks are required to be worn during on-ice activities by all players. Provided, however, if the facility allows, vaccinated players may remove their masks during on-ice activities.
Observe social distancing guidelines at all times, including on the bench or waiting in line.
Players should bring and label their own water bottles – there will be no sharing of water bottles.
Coaches will be required to wear a face covering while in the rink facility. Provided, however, if the facility allows, vaccinated coaches may remove their masks during on-ice activities and while coaching on the bench (WSA and Playland allow vaccinated coaches to remove face coverings while on the ice and bench).
Coaches will reinforce to players the need for physical distancing and adherence to these rules, including when standing in line or part of a smaller station.
Spectator Attendance – Practice and Games
Where permitted by the facility, vaccinated parents/guardians may enter the building to spectate. As of 9/4/21, WSA & Playland will allow vaccinated parent spectators. Parents/guardians must wear masks indoors, if required by the facility (regardless of vaccination status).
Coaches WILL be authorized to require that a player leave a practice or game if they are showing any signs of illness during a session or for any violation of these rules.
Equipment Checklist
With the start of the season approaching, now's a good time to go through your bag to make sure everything is there, and fits appropriately.
On December 15, 2001, the Rye Rangers staged a memorial hockey game and fundraiser for the families of the three members of the club who died in the tragedy at the World Trade Center. These individuals are Tommy Palazzo, Teddy Maloney, and Ward Haynes. The day was a huge success.
At the Rye Rangers Memorial Cup, we dedicated an award called the “Good Skate Award.” What struck each of us as we remembered our friends was how genuinely good they were, how helpful they were to their friends, how loving they were with their families, and, generally, how much fun they were to be around. In rink jargon, each one was what you might call a “good skate.” A black granite trophy with an imbedded silver skate was created by one of our members, Gerry Baum, to remind us of this goodness and to inspire us to be better individuals.
The inscription on the Good Skate Award states that it is to be: “Presented annually to the member of the Rye Rangers Hockey Club voted by his/her peers as best epitomizing the human goodness of these special individuals. It shall be forever known as the “Good Skate Award.” Its enduring legacy is to serve as a reminder that we are all better human beings for having shared our lives, both on and off the ice, with these guys.”
