Bad Weather Policy

Bad Weather Policy

Revised June 17, 2020

  1. Summer League games can be moved, rescheduled or cancelled under the following conditions:
  1. It has rained very heavily during the day resulting in 'standing' water (the City and School boards will dictate the prohibition); and/or
  2. Environment Canada issues a Severe Thunderstorm/Lightning watch or warning: and/or
  3. The Executive Director applies certain discretion to the forecast

At 4:00 pm of that day (or earlier), the decision will be made and as quickly as can be accessed, teams affected will be notified directly. The TUC home page rain banner will not be updated if a couple games are moved, as officially all games 'are still ON'. In the rare instance that all fields across the City are cancelled, a banner will be posted on the TUC homepage indicating ALL games are cancelled. At this point, all games are officially cancelled. If the League knowingly allows games to be played despite the above conditions, TUC can have its permits withdrawn by the City Parks Department and various School boards. In addition, TUC may possibly be held liable for injury or death due to lightning.

Unfortunately, the weather is not a factor the League can control in any way. Yes, ultimate can be played under rain conditions, except for in the presence of lightning. However, we trust you all agree that losing the permits or ruining fields is not worth the cost of playing that game. Every attempt will be made to adhere to the 4:00 pm time. It would be ideal to wait longer or even just before game time to decide, but members have indicated that they require enough time to contact their team members. Consequently, there may be situations where a cancellation has been issued but the weather unpredictably changes by game time.

Some fields may be cancelled because the conditions at the time of cancellation were quite inclement and the forecast was for continued and sustained inclement weather. Another field may be cancelled because we experience a large and continuous amount of rain for several days before hand. Although it may be sunny at game time, many fields have standing water (rendering them unplayable) and if we play on them we would have greatly worsened the field conditions. We are also contacted by the school boards or City sometimes with a request to remain off of the fields. Sometimes you may arrive at a school board field and the caretaker on site deems the field unplayable; we have to honour that request.

If weather conditions are such that a Severe Thunder/lightning storm watch is issued and heavy downpour is anticipated, games for that day may be moved, rescheduled or officially cancelled. We will be more sensitive to potential severe weather warnings, as the consequences of getting caught in severe weather are worse during our COVID Return to Play period. When games are on and there is inclement weather, the League insists that captains who do decide to try to play the game, use common sense at the field if rain or lightning does take place, and be sure to adhere to the Thunder Policy (outlined below). Please don't selfishly lose or destroy a field for the rest of the league so that you can play that one game.

Please consider that the League does not desire the moving or cancellation of games. The weather is uncontrollable, and for example, it could rain every Tuesday for 5 weeks in a row. Please appreciate that a field move or cancellation is the last option, and is made due to consideration of greater consequences if play is condoned. 

Please note that normal rainy conditions are not a reasonable explanation for defaulting a game (when games are not cancelled by TUC or conditions are not dangerous). For an explanation of defaults please read our Default Policy in the policies section.

  1. TUC Thunder/Lightning Policy

When thunder roars, go indoors:

  1. When you hear thunder or see lightning, play stops immediately (do not finish the point). 
  2. Leave the field and take the appropriate shelter IMMEDIATELY. Make sure to follow the current health guidelines (social distancing, masks, washing/sanitizing of hands, etc.) It is preferable if members can seek shelter in an isolated place, such as their own vehicle, though this may not always be possible. Players who arrived together in one vehicle, should go back to the same vehicle. If you do share a vehicle with someone outside of your household, adhere to the social distancing guidelines (to the best of your ability), maximize spacing between occupants and wear a face mask.
  3. Active lightning in your area is considered a more pressing threat to health and safety than the potential for the spread of COVID. Use this to guide your judgement and make sure that all players have found some type of shelter.
  4. Remain sheltered for 30 minutes after the last sound of thunder or last bolt of lightning.
  5. Safe shelter is considered to be inside a substantial building, away from doorways and windows. Baseball/Softball dugouts are not appropriate. The shelter should be able to keep players and fans comfortable for up to 1 hour or more. For those that did not arrive in a vehicle, take shelter in a substantial building and adhere (to the best of your ability) to social distancing guidelines of 2m spacing. 
  6. Play may continue if 30 minutes has passed after the last sound of thunder. 
  1. TUC Thunder/Lightning Policy - 2020 Amendments
  1. Leave the field and take appropriate shelter IMMEDIATELY, and ensure you adhere to appropriate physical distancing measures.
  2. Safe shelter is considered:
    1. Inside a substantial building, away from doorways and windows and maintaining 2m physical distancing rules.  We encourage those who took public transport to take shelter in a substantial building
    2. Inside the enclosed motor vehicle you arrived to the game in.
    3. If you do shelter inside an enclosed motor vehicle with someone outside your household, adhere to physical distancing guidelines and maximize spacing between occupants, and occupants are to wear face masks.
  1. TUC Specific Rules on Thunder/Lightning:
  1. If a thunder or lightning stoppage occurs within 30 minutes of time cap, the game is to be ended rather than trying to wait it out. 
  2. Partially completed games will be handled as follows:
  3. The game is considered complete and the game score will stand as final if either of the following conditions is met at the time at which play is halted:
  4. one team has reached at least ten points; or
  5. one team has reached at least eight points, and is leading by at least two points.
  6. If neither of these conditions is met, captains can agree to continue the game from the current score at a later time, or to accept whatever score was reached as final. If agreement between the captains cannot be reached, and neither game completion condition above was met, no result should be entered for this game, and the game is cancelled. 
  7. Unless both captains agree via the captain's clause to cancel the game, teams are required to take safe shelter and attempt to resume the game 30 minutes after the last sound of thunder was heard. In the event one team leaves, they will be considered to have defaulted the game, and the team that remains will record the game as a default. 
  8. Defaulted games will be scored 6-0 against the defaulting team. This score will be reflected in the standings. Defaulting teams receive an automatic Spirit score of 0, while the winner receives an automatic Spirit score of 18.
  1. Safety Tips:
  1. Keep a safe distance from tall objects such as trees, hilltops, and telephone poles. 
  2. Stay away from objects that conduct electricity, such as metal fences, bats, golf clubs, and bicycles.
  3. If you are in a group in the open, spread out, keeping people several meters apart. 
  4. If caught in a field far from shelter and you feel your hair stand on end, lightning may be about to hit you. Crouch on the ground immediately, with feet together, placing your hands on your knees and bending forward. DO NOT LIE FLAT.
  1. Lightning Strike Victim Care:
  1. Call 911 immediately, and only assess and treat a victim if you feel it is safe to do so; if not, wait for trained medical personnel to arrive.
  2. Lightning strike victims do not carry a charge, and are safe to assess.
  3. The first rule of CPR, make sure the scene is safe, applies. If need be, move the victim to a safe location. 
  4. It has been demonstrated that there is a high success rate of resuscitating lightning strike victims using CPR. Thus, it is imperative to treat the "apparently dead" first by promptly initiating CPR. 
  5. Secondary survey should include evaluating and treating these common injuries from lightning strikes: hypothermia, shock, fractures, and burns.