SALEM, Ore. — Several dozen young athletes, parents and coaches gathered on the lawn at the Oregon State Capitol on Sunday in support of a movement to restart contact sports for youths.
The movement is called Let Them Play in Oregon and it began as a Facebook group on June 5. Now it has nearly 23,000 members from across the state.
Julian Cordle organized Sunday’s rally that had kids playing soccer at the Capitol. He made the trip to Salem from Eagle Point.
“I think it was really important to get them here and show them these are where the decisions are made, and remind those making the decisions that these are real kids and there are real, negative side effects to keeping them out of their activities” said Cordle.
Macy Fry was one of the players gathered for the demonstration. She plays soccer and she said it’s tough to be away from the game she loves.
“I miss being able to train, and I miss the team aspect of it," she said. "I feel like we should be able to play at this point.”
The hope is that Gov. Brown will take notice of the young athletes and begin a dialogue with their parents and coaches that could get them back on the field.
You can learn more about the movement here.