New DiscNS Board

The 2021 DiscNS annual general meeting saw a change in the DiscNS Board for the upcoming year.

Lara Kesteloo and Megan Melanson did not renew for the Board.  We thank them both for their contributions over this past year.  Lara was pivotal in bringing together the ultimate return-to-play protocol for the province and in sorting out some of our accesses to finances.  Megan took the lead in trying to think through access for youth throughout a year when any kind of sport interactions were difficult.

The Board also welcomes two new members to the Board:  Matt Campbell and Jessie Legate.  We welcome Matt and Jessie to the Board and look forward to their new perspectives on disc sports in the province.

April 27, 2020 Public Health Update -- provincial 2 week lockdown

Effective 8am, April 28, 2021, Nova Scotia is going into a 2 week lockdown (to May 12).  The lockdown is province-wide.

The lockdown means that sports stop, which includes practices, lessons, training and competition.

Indoor gathering limits are set to be just your household bubble, with the exception of households of 2 or fewer, who can meet up with one or two others, but must be the same people for the two-week period.

Relative to the ultimate return to play protocol, the next two weeks regresses us to before phase 1 throughout the province.

The full provincial news release is at novascotia.ca/news/release/?id=20210427003 

NCCP courses

We mentioned some National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP) courses during this year's DiscNS annual general meeting.

You can find a list of the multi-sport training modules online at coach.ca

Organizational modules of interest can include Safe Sport Training, Making Ethical Decisions, Manage a Sport Program, Making Head Way in Sport (concussion), and the Aboriginal Coaching modules.

Play modules of interest can include Developing Athletic Abilities, Prevention and Recovery, Psychology of Performance, and Planning a Practice.

To register for courses, you will need to create a (free) account in the NCCP coaching locker where the locker will then track your registrations and course completions.

When courses come up for fees, DiscNS has some funds to help with the course registration costs for affiliate Board members and sport coaches.  E-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you want to access that support.

April 26, 2021 Public Health Update -- no competition in the province

The provice released further sport restrictions due to covid, effective April 25 (8am) until May 20.

We remain restricted from play or even training in the HRM and the surrounding regions.

Beyond the HRM, we now have new restrictions:

• new sport limits: 10 people total indoor and 25 people total outdoor
• no games, competition, and events.  Any team training must remain among consistent groups

We're also at the point where we need to keep any sport local.  Travel for sport in the province is not considered an essential service.  Stay local, stay safe.

DiscNS AGM connection link

The DiscNS Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be on Thursday, May 28, 2021 at 8pm, following the Halifax Ultimate AGM.

You can connect to the AGM on the same like as the Halifax Ultimate AGM:  https://meetings.businessconnect.telus.com/j/1420979823

We encourage DiscNS members who are not part of Halifax Ultimate to sign in earlier than 8pm in case the Halifax Ultimate AGM ends early.

April 22, 2021 Public Health Update -- sport stops in the HRM

The province announced new covid restrictions for the HRM and surrounding areas of Hubbards, Milford, Lantz, Elmsdale, Enfield, South Uniacke, Ecum Secum, and Trafalgar.  The restrictions begin on the morning of Friday, April 23 and last for 4 weeks until May 20.

In short the announcement is that we:

•   eliminate non-essential travel to/from the HRM area
•   eliminate social events or special events
•   stop sports practices, training, games, competitions, or tournaments

Parks remain open so people can still exercise outdoor, subject to distancing and gathering limits.

Disc sport activities outside of the HRM should exercise caution, seeing the restrictions currently being set on the HRM due to increased covid case counts here.

Links     

Province of Nova Scotia COVID-19 Press Release: April 22, 2021   

Province of Nova Scotia COVID-19 Gathering Limits   

Province of Nova Scotia COVID-19 Return to Sport Guidelines

DiscNS Annual General Meeting -- May 27, 2021 8pm

The Annual General Meeting (AGM) for DiscNS will be held online this year due to the gathering restrictions for covid-19.

The meeting will be on Thursday, May 27, at 8:00 pm following the Halifax Ultimate AGM that same night.  Details on the online connectivity tool for the meeting will follow and will be the same technology as used for Halifax Ultimate.

The agenda of the meeting is as follows:

• review of meeting etiquette
• approval of agenda
• approval of minutes from last year
• introduction of the Board
• covid-19 update
• review of last year's activities
• presentation of next year's plans
• presentation and approval of financials (balance sheet, income statement and budget)
• vote on next Board (1-year and 2-year positions)
• other business
  • update on affiliate organization entry requirements
  • request for interest in proving input to the next strategic plan

Please respond to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you plan on attending the meeting so that we have an estimate on whether or not we will reach quorum for the meeting and to ensure that we send you connection details directly for the meeting. 

Questions and comments to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. are welcome in advance of the AGM.

(Documents uploaded May 18, 2021 and linked into agenda)

2020 AGM Minutes

2020-2021 Annual Report

2021-2022 Plan

2021 Balance Sheet

2020-2021 Financial Statement and 2020 Proposed Budget

Role of DiscNS

Here is what the Government of Nova Sotia expects from Provincial Sport Organizations (PSOs) like DiscNS: 

1. Current provincial sport boundaries allow for regular competition among a limited number players who regularly play among one another.  Play is to proceed under safe conditions.
2. The province looks to the PSOs to determine which events constitute a regular competition schedule within the region or province.  It looks to the PSO to provide clarity around who the regular competition players would be.  It also looks for the PSO to define safe play conditions, like cleaning discs, style of play, any schedule format requirements, and so on.

DiscNS does not say, nor does it want to say, how individual organizations run.  Whether an informal group who get together, a not-for-profit organization, or a business, DiscNS doesn't speak to their non-sport activities or operations.  If that group, organization, or business intends to run a disc-related sport event then the province looks to DiscNS to set the previously-mentioned parameters and suitability of the event. If a group, organization, or business expects to operate outside the PSOs for events then they should be applying to the province for special event permission.

Within the described framework, DiscNS acknowledges the typical local leagues and the regular MDGA competition series schedule as well-established "regular competition" in the province. 

If you have any questions on the role of the PSO relative to ultimate or disc golf in the province, please contact Mike McAllister at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or Sport Nova Scotia for clarifications.

Feb. 19, 2021 6:40pm update: DiscNS looks to recognize "regular competition" as competition is presented to us.  If you want to have sport something recognized as a "regular competition schedule", please send the summary of your organization's past events and the event plan to continue the regular schedule to DiscNS to review.