Downstate 2019-2020 Season

To the Downstate Family,

Greetings from the Board of Downstate Juniors. We hope this email finds you all safe and well. This will be a brief message we felt the need to send today in order to provide an unfortunate update.

Based on NY State Governor Cuomo’s May 4, 2020, phased plan to re-open the State, the Directors of Downstate have made some final decisions about the 2019/2020 volleyball season.  According to the Governor’s phased plan to re-open businesses, Downstate falls into a category that would not be permitted to resume its operations until mid-July, at the earliest, and upon that re-opening, stringent restrictions would also be implemented.

We regret to report, as a result of this information, we will not be able to resume the remainder of this year’s season.  It is with extreme sadness and disappointment, that we relay the final decision to officially cancel the Downstate Juniors 2019-2020 season.

The Directors are currently working to finalize financial details regarding the issuance  of refunds and plan to share that information on Tuesday, May 12, 2020.
That email will provide further details about our plans, as well as how we will disseminate information during COVID-19 times, moving forward.  We are hoping to provide more routine updates to parents and coaches now that it appears we have slightly more clarity regarding the upcoming months and our ability to operate as a recreational sports organization.

Lastly, we want to apologize for not being able to communicate more frequently, and with more substantive information; the Board of Directors was working together, weekly, to iron out details and possibilities for our club in the ever-changing climate these past several weeks. We often found ourselves with little to no definitive answers to provide. Between USA Volleyball and the State of NY issuing statements and deadlines, we’ve worked hard to keep optimistic about salvaging the season. Based on the most recent information received from both of those governing bodies, we believe it is time to succumb to the fact that we can no longer avoid the decision to officially cancel the remainder of the 2020 season.

More details regarding this decision, how we plan to proceed with this past season, and updates about the months leading up to Downstate’s re-opening, will be included in our May 12, 2020, email. We hope that most questions will be answered by that message, but in the event that is not the case, we will attempt to address those issues, separately,  subsequent to next Tuesday’s update.

For more information regarding the State if NY’s phased plan to re-open:
https://www.governor.ny.gov/new-york-forward/regional-guidelines-re-opening-new-york

Thank you for your continued support and please strive to stay safe – while the end may be in sight, the pandemic has yet to run it’s course!

Regards,
Downstate Board of Directors
Melissa Baccari
Joel Stanford
Dan Altro
Joe Felipe
Matt Cochenour