It’s an unhappy new year for Brock
Ontario University Athletics cancels all sports until next spring
The decision was expected, but that didn’t lessen the pain.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Ontario University Athletics (OUA) announced Thursday the cancellation of all sports programming and championships through March 31, 2021.
U Sports, with support from the four university athletic conferences across Canada, also announced the cancellation of its ’21 winter national championships.
The decision was made following provincial health guidelines and with the health and well-being of all student-athletes in mind, said OUA president and chief executive Gord Grace.
This latest cancellation follows the June decision by both OUA and U Sports to cancel their fall seasons.
“While we would love nothing more than to see our studentathletes back on the field of play, and participating in the Oua-sanctioned competition during the second term, we are not yet at a place where that can occur safely,” Grace said in a statement.
Although it was tough for Brock Badgers women’s basketball head coach Mike Rao to hear, it didn’t come as a surprise.
“I think realistically everybody expected it. I don’t think it was a big shock, but I had to tell my players this afternoon,” he said. “And, although they kind of knew, it came as a real shock to some of the seniors.
“I don’t know the magnitude of it at this time, but I know that I have several players who are distraught. The realization just kind of kicked in today.”
Most Brock varsity teams are back on campus, already six weeks into their return-to-train plan.
The belief initially, said men’s hockey head coach Marty Williamson, was that “things would get better.”
His players were holding out hope that, at a minimum, hockey could have a slightly delayed season. But, as the pandemic in Ontario grew worse, it became “a fairly obvious decision.”
“Especially with some of the universities and different problems with COVID, we weren’t going to take a chance with the health and safety of our players,” Williamson said.
While he knows his players are disheartened, the team will continue to practise and train together to get ready for the 2021-22 season.
“(The players) understand what’s going on in the world right now, and that it’s really different times,” Williamson said. “And, as disappointed as they are, they are educated guys and understand that this is the best decision right now that can be made.
“Now it turns into more about development and concentrating on their academics, and they still have the opportunity to get stronger and better.”
As soon as Rao and his team stepped back into the gym in September, it was business as usual. He did not let his players off the hook – while home, each player was expected to follow the coach’s virtual training plan – and that’s how it will be moving forward.
“In times like these, the players have to take ownership. That’s just the way it is. They have to take more ownership and it’s either you do it, or you don’t,” said the U Sports 201920 women’s basketball coach of the year. “And, if you don’t, we’re going to see through it.”
With limits in place by Basketball Canada – no contact is allowed between players during practice – Rao’s mindset since the beginning has been on getting better and stronger for next season.
“Our biggest thing is development, skill development specifically, fundamentals of the game and getting better individually,” he said. “And then throwing those aspects into what we do as a team, so we’re going to take the longer time to just extend that portion of it.
“That’s all that we can kind of do at this time, but we’re treating it as immediate. We’re treating it as, although there’s time, there is no time. Because time flies quickly … who would’ve thought that we’re going to go through (COVID) for seven months.”
Usports, the national governing body for university athletics in Canada, earlier this year confirmed that, if no athletic season happened in 2020-21, student-athlete eligibility will stay intact and not be consumed. While this is a relief for some athletes, for others it is just the beginning of what will likely be a difficult decision-making process.
Rao has some seniors expected to graduate this year, including guard Kristin Gallant, centre Sam Keltos and assistant coach Ginny Cape. While they will have one year of eligibility left, he understands some might be ready to start the next phase of their lives.
His job will be to ensure they prioritize their own personal agendas.
“You have to do what’s best for yourself, and so I’m a proponent of that. I’m going to push for that, whether that means coming back or going off,” Rao said. “That’s the way I’ve always coached, that’s the way I’ve always been.
“I think it’s more about relationships, and it’s about doing what’s best or doing by what’s right for the individual. The team is secondary,” he added.
“The players I have on the team, they’re my primary focus. Whatever it brings, it brings.”
Earlier this fall, 12 Brock teams — men’s and women’s hockey, volleyball, basketball, rowing, wrestling and swimming — began a phased-in and controlled return-to-train program. Brock communications officer Stephen Leithwood said the university is following provincial health guidelines, as well as Niagara Public Health guidelines, and the university has implemented its own in-house policies to ensure the safety of student-athletes.
Before returning to campus, all teams were asked to submit their own return-to-train plan — for both gym and field time — following the guidelines set out by each sport.
Only10 members per team are allowed in the Brock Sports Performance Centre (BSPC) at a time. Athletes go through a designated entrance, a contact-tracing checkpoint and a thermometer check before entry.
Hand-sanitizing stations are set up for the athletes and, after each session, the BSPC is cleaned with a 360-degree electrostatic sprayer machine.
When players leave campus, the staff is relying on them to be smart and safe.
“I think our players have been diligent in terms of, and very responsible in terms of, what’s expected and what they can and can’t do. I’m proud of them in that regard,” Rao said.
With so many unknowns, Leithwood was encouraged by how the athletes responded to training while awaiting the OUA decision.
“When all this does end, and we do kind of get back on the field, I’m really interested to see the chemistry of our teams and our players because I think it’s going to be a lot stronger because they’ve gone through this awful thing together,” Leithwood said.
For now, Williamson is glad he can give his athletes a little bit of normalcy as they continue to train. He could see a difference in their mentality the moment they stepped back in the rink.
“I thought they were outstanding. And you know I had kind of forgotten, with my age and stuff, just how excited they would be getting back on the ice,” the 57-year-old coach said. “We’re happy to be together but we sure would love competition and that’s what we’re going to miss out on.”
Winter sports cancelled at Brock by the OUA and U Sports announcement include basketball, hockey, volleyball, wrestling, swimming, fencing, track and field, figure skating and squash. Curling Canada had previously announced the cancellation of the 2021 university championships.
Associate director of athletics Emily Allen said Brock will continue to implement its return-to-train protocols as the university awaits a return to competition. She will not rule out exhibition play but said “the status of COVID needs to improve immensely before we consider competing.”
For now, Brock will turn its sights to the 2021-22 season.
“We will continue to train and build on the skills and strength our athletes have, using this time now as an extended offseason,” Allen said.