CATHERINE RUSSELL
TURNER (9TH BOYS)
Our family had a safe and great summer of basketball with Hurricanes this summer! Maryann did a fabulous job making the practice environment safe for the kids. My son continued to get high quality instruction and coaching during practices while Maryann carefully followed all state mandates to ensure his safety. My son started going to the outside practices in May and then transitioned to the inside practices in June. He played in the Grapevine League and in several tournaments. I was equally impressed with how seriously the different hosting venues ran their facilities regarding face masks, social distancing, taking temperatures, limiting the number of people, and cleaning. My son remained COVID free all summer and continued to grow as a basketball player too. I was very thankful to have something fun and safe for my son to be a part of in such an odd year! Don’t hesitate! Sign up for Fall Ball!
JULIE & JAY TEINERT
JILL (5TH GIRLS)
We have always had the best experience with the Hurricanes, but this summer presented challenges that none of us expected. While initially we were a little nervous; the Hurricanes program proved to be a success. Masks, plenty of social distance, temperature checks all combined with players/parents prudence resulted in safe and effective basketball – both during practices and games. The coaching and player development was as fantastic as always and our daughter thoroughly enjoyed her summertime play. Thank you, Maryann, and team for making us all feel safe and keeping us healthy.
JOHN WALLISER
TEX (9TH BOYS)
From our perspective, the health risks associated with Covid needed to considered along with what we concluded are the equally serious risks of physical inactivity and lack of socialization. Our son loves basketball, his teammates, and the competition, and we thought it was important to give him the opportunity to pursue those things IF it could be done in a safe manner. Coach Maryann went above and beyond to ensure that her program followed every state and national guideline for safety, and our experience during the season was that the tournament providers did too. As a result, our son was able to maintain a relative sense of normalcy in his life by continuing to do what he loves. We have no regrets about our decision to allow him to play with the Hurricanes this summer, and we are looking forward to continuing this Fall.
DANNY DEVLIN
LUCY (6TH GIRLS)
“My daughter doesn’t really play tight defense so we were never concerned about her coming in contact with an opponent” 🙂
Sorry, that was too easy.
I think like many people, we were wondering what the summer season would look like. Grapevine did a great job of limiting spectators, enforcing mask rules and most importantly they conducted temperature checks on all players before they were allowed entry. Practices were great because there was a lot of space at Sportsplex for the amount of kids practicing at one time. Are there risks involved? Of course. But, the reward of having some normalcy, physical activity and bonding with teammates outweighed those risks for us.
ADAM WALKER
AUDREY (8TH GIRLS)
Our family was so pleased with our summer basketball experience with Hurricanes. Despite the uncertainty of Covid-19, our team was able to play safely with no issues. The tournaments all had Covid-19 protocols in place that included limited spectators with masks required, and several other strict rules such as clearing the gym after each game and temperature checks for all people entering.
It was great for our daughter to get to safely play the game she loves and get the exercise she needs after those early quarantine months. We had no issues to speak of, nor did I hear of any other issues with other teams at the tournaments we played in. Maryann was a conscientious and trustworthy leader during these months. Highly recommended.
ELIZABETH GEORGE
RACHEL + ABBY (3RD & 5TH GIRLS)
My girls played this summer. The Hurricanes coaches were as great as ever. There wasn’t a whole lot of change because of covid. The staff wore masks as the facilities required. The whole family got to watch the games. We just had to bring our own chairs and wear masks per the facility’s requirements. We got to meet new friends and work hard. It was my girls’ favorite activity during the summer.
RUSTY LOONEY
ELI (10TH BOYS)
This was such an odd season of summer basketball as many of the norms we take for granted where turned on their heads. We put a lot of thought into how comfortable we were in letting Eli participate as things began to open up after the initial shutdown in late Spring. We knew it was important for Eli to get some return to normalcy, and the opportunity to enjoy the sport he loves. But, we also were concerned about his safety, and the safety of others he is exposed to in our own family. In the end, we decided that as long as we felt that those involved were taking this situation seriously and with the well being of the players, coaches and fans at heart, we would give it go.
Thankfully, our experience was that practices, games and other activities were managed carefully and seriously. For practices, we appreciate that Maryann and the practice locations we used seriously controlled the overall capacity of their facility. Practice times allowed for one group to completely clear before another arrived, parents weren’t “hovering around”, and masks were worn at all appropriate times. The club even thought through how teams should enter and exit through different doors to minimize social contact.
The tournaments we entered also took the situation seriously. Each team was allocated a set number of tickets to manage crowds, and clearly designated areas at each gym floor allowed for proper social distancing for fans at the games. And finally, it was required that masks be worn at all times – with staff members from the tournament organizers constantly checking the gym floors to ensure compliance.
I know each family is different with their own concerns. I can share that our family takes the pandemic seriously. And we always felt that those involved this summer did so as well. Thank you.
KAREN JOHNSTONE
Beck (9th Boys)
This Summer my son joined the 8th grade Orange and Tournament teams. It was such a great experience. We were all going a little stir crazy with quarantine and my son was really missing competing and being with friends. He tried out for a couple teams but choose the Hurricanes because he felt that both the athletes and the coaches were welcoming and it felt like a team environment. We weren’t sure if the season would come to fruition with Covid-19 restrictions, but thank goodness they were able to play because I feel like he got tons of play time and his skills and stamina improved. Precautions were taken at games and practices to keep the kids and spectators safe. My son went to just about every practice, game and tournament and we only heard of one Covid issue and it was with a ref. For our family, it was the right choice to have him out playing basketball and being social. The organization did an awesome job communicating with us and if we ever had a question or concern, it was answered quickly. My son is playing on the 9th grade team in the Fall and we are looking forward to the season! If you are looking for a team to join where the coaches will know your kids name and create a great competitive environment for your athelte, I would highly recommend the Hurricanes.