For the second year in a row, the annual Totem tournament at Alberni District Secondary School has been postponed.
Totem 66 was slated to begin at the ADSS gym Jan. 6, 2022 and run until Jan. 8. But public health orders put into place in late December, halting all tournaments in a bid to flatten the latest COVID-19 curve, put the basketball tournament on hold.
Organizers tried to adjust to the new orders, planning to run single-game showcases for both the boys’ and girls’ basketball teams on Jan. 7 and 8, hosting one team each from the Qualicum Beach/Parksville area. But on Dec. 29, the province announced that school restarts will be staggered—putting a pause on extra-curricular sports tournaments until at least Jan. 10.
Given this news, the Totem committee has decided to postpone the tournament.
“We continue to feel it is important to provide the TOTEM experience for our students and community at large, but must be able to do so in a safe, and responsible manner, while following all public health orders,” said organizer Jennifer Anderson.
The Totem committee will be meeting again in the coming days and weeks to discuss options for the tournament. Whether it will be postponed to later this year or to 2023 remains to be seen.