The annual 'Stowe Lax Classic' is scheduled to take place the weekend of July 18th-19th as well as the following weekend of the 25th-26th despite the ongoing effort to reduce Covid-19 spread in Vermont. The coordinator of the tournament has released a message that there will be 70% fewer teams this year and groups will be limited to 100 people each, with more information to come. 

The Stowe select board has issued a resolution requiring that masks be worn in the presence of others. This resolution is difficult to enforce, however, community-collaboration built on trust is an integral part of Vermont culture. For this reason the residents of Stowe have been working to uphold this new standard of safety. Unfortunately, I, and many others have witnessed congregations of mask-less tourists inhabiting the town. Stowe has been doing an amazing job to keep both residents and tourists safe during this pandemic despite compliance issues regarding the mask resolution. 

There has already been a large influx of tourists as travel sanctions have been eased. Using observable disregard for mask requirements as an ongoing example, it would seem that inviting large groups to town would put our community at risk for viral spread. 

Additionally, Lacrosse is a close-contact sport in which bodily fluids are exchanged putting the participants and their families at risk. 

Let's come together as a community to ask that this tournament be postponed until next year when Covid-19 is hopefully eradicated.