Sports

The already limited 2020 Waukon softball season was limited even further in its first week of competition this past week, as rain postponed a Friday, June 19 home game vs. Decorah to June 23. The two games the Indians were able to play both fell in the loss column, but to different degrees, as the softball Tribe fell at home to Oelwein Monday, June 15 by a 16-14 result before suffering a 10-0 loss in five innings at New Hampton Wednesday, June 17.

The Kee softball team was able to get its entire first week of competition in for the abbreviated 2020 season, landing a pair of doubleheaders on each side of the win-loss column. The Lady Hawks opened the season with a sweep of Central Elkader at home Monday, June 15 by scores of 9-5 and 12-11 in comeback fashion before suffering that same fate themselves at Turkey Valley Wednesday, June 17 by final results of 17-13 and 11-6.

The Lady Hawks were next scheduled to host West Central Monday, June 22 before traveling to Sumner-Fredericksburg Wednesday, June 24, but had that West Central date postponed to Thursday, June 25. The Kee girls will then host South Winneshiek Monday, June 29 before playing at North Fayette Valley Wednesday, July 1 and then at Postville Thursday, July 2.

The Kee baseball team got its 2020 season off to a busy start but could have been even busier if Mother Nature hadn’t forced cancellation of a pair of Saturday, June 20 games at Gladbrook-Reinbeck. The Hawks’ other five games this past week began with a home doubleheader sweep of Turkey Valley, 22-6 in four innings and 14-0 in five innings, before Kee got tripped up by MFL/MarMac at home, 9-1, Thursday, June 18 and was then swept by Class 1A fourth-rated South Winneshiek in this season’s first road date Friday, June 19 by narrow results of 3-2 and 2-0.

The 2020 Kee baseball team will be among all others across the state of Iowa dealing with the bittersweet reality of getting to take to the field for any type of season at all this summer. The COVID-19 pandemic that ultimately ended the school year in Iowa and continues to impact many life aspects, including the high school baseball season, has gradually loosened its grip and is allowing for Iowa high school teams to return to action, although under some guided restrictions for the health and safety of all involved.

“We are extremely grateful to be playing in 2020 and we put together a full schedule for the three-and-a-half weeks,” Kee baseball coach Jim Mauss said. “That being said, we initially had a 39-game schedule including weekend tournaments every Saturday during the season and we had two overnight trips that we are not able to do for the guys.”

The 2020 Waukon softball season will be like many others across the state of Iowa in dealing with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. That virus that first brought an end to the school year and spring high school sports seasons earlier this year is at least allowing for an abbreviated high school softball season that has now gotten itself underway as the month of June has rolled around, although with some modifications in place that each team must follow in order to keep the virus under wraps and all participants as safe as possible.

The 2020 Waukon baseball team will join all other Iowa high school summer sports teams in the bittersweet aspect of being able to take to the field this season. After the entire high school spring sports season was called off due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the start of the summer high school sports seasons has been delayed about a month as well and, thus, will leave just over a month of competition able to be played now that the green light has been given to resume such activities.

Second-year Waukon baseball head coach Shane Schellsmidt knows very well that the decisions made regarding the high school sports seasons and even the early end to the academic year were in necessary response to the COVID-19 virus. He also knows that the return to the sports scene this summer will have much more meaning to those participating than just playing a game.

Waukon Park & Recreation will be hosting Summer Recreation Programs this year for local youth. Programs will include Kindergarten-Fifth Grade Baseball, Kindergarten-Fifth Grade Softball, Sixth-Seventh Grade Traveling Baseball and Sixth-Seventh Grade Traveling Softball.

Deadline to register is this Friday, June 12. Pick up registration forms at the Waukon Wellness Center or register online by looking at the City of Waukon: Park and Rec website or visiting the Waukon Park & Rec Facebook page.
 

The Waukon Park and Recreation Department will be holding its Adult Coed Softball League this summer. The league will start competition Monday, June 22 and teams need to be signed up to play by Friday, June 12 - no exceptions.

The league is open to sophomores in high school through adults. Games will be played Monday nights, and possibly some Tuesdays, at the Waukon Softball Complex near the Allamakee County Fairgrounds.

Those who would like to sign a team up or need any other questions answered may contact Kim Kraus at waukonparkrec@gmail.com or by texting/calling 563-568-7131.

Preserve the memory of a child or grandchild hooking their first fish this summer with a special certificate. Print the certificate from an electronic file posted online or request a printed certificate from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

Apply for a first fish certificate online at www.iowadnr.gov/firstfish. It’s easy and free to participate. There are no size, species or age requirements - only that it is the very first fish the angler has successfully landed.

Family and friends can join in on the celebration by viewing the first catch photos of their kids and other budding anglers on the First Fish webpage once the entry is approved.

Give kids a lifetime of big memories out on the water this summer. Follow the simple tips for taking kids fishing on the Iowa DNR website at fishing.iowadnr.gov to help keep the experience fun and positive for the whole family.
 

The purpose of this document is to provide general principles that apply to facilities that are somehow related to school districts or accredited nonpublic schools. This guidance is necessary in light of Iowa Governor Kim Reynold’s disaster proclamations of April 27, May 6, May 13 and May 20, 2020, and any subsequent proclamations, which allow facilities in certain areas to open under certain circumstances and permit a limited resumption of summer school activities.