Page 37 - Sports Energy News, Cornwall, Issue No 90

www.sportsenergynews.com Issue #90 July 2020 37

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Stories And More About The People In Stormont, Dundas & Glengarry
Presents Sports Talk with Casey Leger
To say that the COVID-19 pandemic has had an impact on local athletics would be an understatement. The following
people have been kind enough to share their answers to the following: How has the pandemic affected you with regard
to sports and athletics?
Travis “Our season would already be three-quarters done!” exclaims Travis, who during ‘regular’ times coaches House League and
Cox assists with travelling baseball. “During the season, we’re at the diamond every night of the week, and we’re playing every
Cornwall weekend.” By ‘we’, Travis is referring to his three children - Mamphis (11), Jericho (8), Briseias (8), and his wife Mandy, all
of whom are avid ballplayers.
Minor Baseball With a non-season almost over, Travis says it’s hard to keep the kids interested in training for baseball. “I’m a little worried
Association about player development for next season,” Travis says, but he notes that every baseball player in the province will essentially
Coach, foreman, be in the same position of having missed time on the field.
father of three So, what are the Coxes doing with all this time away from baseball? “We hang out,” Travis explains. “We practice in the back
yard, but I’m not pushing it. It’s hard for the kids to stay interested when they know there are no games coming.”
Sarah I am going into my 4th year at Queens and I play on the varsity soccer team as a defender. This fall, all of my courses will be
online and our OUA season has been cancelled. However, we have been keeping up with fitness and soccer as a team through
Whelan Zoom meetings. We are given a weekly schedule every Sunday night which includes team workouts, soccer drills, and yoga. I
Queens student, will be returning to Kingston in the next couple of weeks where a few of my teammates are currently living. This will enhance
OUA soccer my training, as we are able to train together in a group (as long as there are less than 10 of us) with the advantage of receiving
player direct feedback from our coach.
When the COVID crisis first began, we were unsure of whether our season would proceed or if it would be cancelled. There was
much discussion about what our season would look like, sometimes positive, other times negative. This made it difficult to keep motivated, as the end goal for all our
hard work was unclear. After the OUA decided to cancel this upcoming season, my heart as well as the heart of every other fall sport athlete and coach was broken.
It was extremely disheartening as the expectations for our team’s performance this year was very high. The motivation to continue to train as hard as we have can be
quite a challenge.
Although disappointed, our coach and leadership team continue to motivate us. The constant reminder that there is no better time than now to get better as a player has
become ingrained within me. With the help of my teammates and coaches, I have never felt this strong a desire to be the absolute best player I can be. We are still given
a weekly schedule that keeps us busy but also gives us time for ourselves during these uncertain and turbulent times. Our ability to keep each other accountable is one
of the team’s best traits, which is why I believe that when soccer season resumes, we will be among the best teams in the country.
Leah During this COVID crisis, it has been mentally and physically challenging in terms of athletics. It can get difficult to stay
motivated during these times, especially with no access to hockey arenas and gyms. Not being able to see my teammates and
Whelan coaches and play the sport I love the most is frustrating, but I do my best to stay positive and stay in shape. I make the best of
St. Joseph what I have at home to stay healthy and to keep up with my hockey skills. Shooting pucks in the driveway and stickhandling in
Secondary School, the garage are some ways to take my mind off the stress.
hockey player It is a big challenge, but there is no better time than now to work on myself. I want to come out of this time a better athlete. I
have the chance to work on the small things at home. I believe people, including myself will come through having learned a lot
about themselves. I do think I have become more efficient and mentally stronger since I don’t have distractions such as my social life, long days at school, or commuting
to Ottawa for hockey. I believe I have become more resilient and more appreciative of my passion for success both athletically and academically.
I have the chance to play for the Junior Lady Grads Intermediate AA in Gloucester/Cumberland this upcoming season. It is truly disappointing and frustrating not
knowing when the season will start, or if we will even have a season this fall. The coaching staff do their best to keep us together as a team virtually, through weekly
Zoom calls, emails, and text messages. They also send out activities and workouts to do to stay fit for the start of the hockey season, which will hopefully be in
September.
Christof The COVID crisis, specifically the mandated shutdown of gyms and other health and wellness facilities, was a huge blow for
everyone involved in the industry. I feel particularly unlucky as we were about to renew more than 60% of our memberships
Haller right at the end of March. This bad timing basically left me trying to find a way to pay rent so to keep the space for our gym.
Apeiron MMA With a multi-year lease and no exit options, things looked worse and worse as the months wore on.
owner, BJJ coach There’s no help for small gyms. Even some of the big guys in Southern Ontario have had to close their doors. For months there
and instructor, was not even any discussion about martial arts or the impact of COVID on these sports. Thankfully, we see a light at the end of
electrician the tunnel, and we may be able to resume very soon. The hardest thing to process is that I teach a full contact sport; you really
can’t get any closer to other athletes than BJJ – you are literally breathing on each other as you fight for position and control over your opponent.
Have I ever been sick? Of course. Did I go and train with my friends and teammates? I did not. Generally, in martial arts there are very few times where people train
sick. It’s pretty hard to get your heart to 120 bpm or higher and maintain that when you are ill. Considering this, I think the risks are low for symptomatic individuals
who are training.
Of course, there are asymptomatic people as well, which is going to bet part of the risk athletes will face if they want to participate in a full contact sport. There is always
inherent risk when doing any combat sport; this is something I believe we all sign up for when we join this type of athletic community.
I hope moving forward there will be reasonable guidelines to be able to keep training the way we love to. After 10 years in this sport, this is the longest break I’ve ever
had - even with injuries!