Author: Alec Brideau

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Sports

The Los Angeles Lakers win it again

The Lakers win their 17th title in franchise history

On Oct. 11, the Los Angeles Lakers won their 17th National Basketball Association (NBA) championship, tying the Boston Celtics for the most in the league’s history.

The Lakers defeated the Miami Heat 106-93 in Game 6 of the NBA Finals and raised the Larry O’Brien Trophy for the first time since 2010. Lakers superstar LeBron James, appearing in his 10th NBA Finals, received the Bill Russell NBA Finals MVP award for the fourth time in his career.

This title meant a lot for the Lakers, during a year beset by hardship. The year started with the tragic death of sport legend Kobe Bryant, who played his whole career in the Lakers uniform and won five NBA championships with them, and continued with the appearance of COVID-19 in America, forcing the league to postpone play.

Yet, it didn’t stop the Lakers from performing when the NBA resumed action. The league proceeded with a bubble format, cancelling the remaining regular season games and going directly into the playoffs. The Lakers won each of their first three rounds in five games, clinching their spot in the finals in just 15 games.

Despite great opposition from the Heat, superstars James and Anthony Davis simply dominated the court in every game, averaging 29.8 and 25.0 points respectively.

In today’s NBA, it’s almost a necessity to have one or two superstar players on your team in order to win championships. Yet, it feels like having James in your team automatically makes you a top contender every year because of his exceptional talent. The way James has led the Heat, the Cleveland Cavaliers, and now the Lakers, is unique.

He’s not doing the work alone, that’s for sure, but considering he has played in eight consecutive NBA Finals before this year’s; four with the Heat and then four with the Cavaliers, and is now at 10 finals and four titles, James’ consistent leadership and talent cannot be ignored.

Without a doubt, the Lakers will surely be a threat once again next season if James and Davis play the way they did these playoffs.

 

Graphic by Rose-Marie Dion

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Sports

The Stingers win a special edition of the Kelly-Anne Drummond Cup

The Concordia Stingers and Montreal Carabins come together to honour former Stinger

CW: Domestic violence

On Oct. 3, the Concordia Stingers and Montreal Carabins women’s rugby teams came together for the Stingers’ annual Kelly-Anne Drummond Cup, to honour the legacy of the former Concordia student and Stingers rugby player.

The 16th edition of the cup was competed for differently this year because of COVID-19; instead of playing a game of rugby, the Stingers and Carabins competed in a 24-hour walk-run challenge to raise money for Women Aware, a community-based centre providing long-term support to victims of domestic violence.

There were three challenges taking place between the clubs, with each challenge representing a point; the team to win two of them would be declared the winner. The idea to find a way to make the competition happen actually came from the Stingers players, as they still wanted to commemorate Drummond despite COVID-19.

Drummond was a former player who was killed by her boyfriend in 2004. Fifth-year player and captain Kirsten Trafford said the team discussed over video chat to make sure they would still compete for the cup this year despite being unable to hold a rugby game.

“We thought about the possibility of challenging another team in any possible way,” Trafford said. “There were other rugby teams over the summer that were doing challenges to keep everyone active, and we came up with the idea through that. We just sort of [built] the competition that way.”

Using mobile app Strava, the first challenge consisted of walking or running during the day; the team with the most kilometres at the end of the day would win.

The second part of the competition was totaling the distances of the three players with the most kilometres from each team; the team with the most kilometers would win.

Finally, the last challenge, which was mostly proposed by the Carabins and then added to the competition, asked teams to do various physical and artistic activities. Players had to film themselves while doing specific things, and were rewarded points for their performances. The team with the most points at the end of the day would win the challenge.

The Stingers won all challenges, successfully defending their Kelly-Anne Drummond Cup title. Trafford said this year’s cup gave the team a moment of relief, especially without a rugby season to play.

“Since we’ve had nothing else to strive for this year, this was even bigger for us,” Trafford said. “We’ve been practicing for a while, even if it’s on hold now with the red zones. Yet, we didn’t have anything to strive for recently, so that was something really exciting. It gave us a goal. We want to keep the cup home, because Kelly-Anne was a member of the Stingers family, and still is in our hearts.”

Every year, the team aims to raise awareness about domestic violence while raising money for Women Aware. Setting a goal of $1,000, the Stingers surpassed it in less than a day, with the money raised currently sitting at over $6,000.

Head coach Jocelyn Barrieau said she’s not often shocked by things. However, she was blown away by the money the team has raised so far.

“We set the goal of $1,000 because we usually raise around a thousand every year, and we wanted to make sure that we would raise a similar amount,” Barrieau said. “I never thought that we would raise more than $5,000 in one day.”

Barrieau said she hasn’t really processed how great this year’s special edition of the cup was, but it felt great to have some sense of normality again.

“I’m just so impressed, and [feeling] emotional about the whole thing,” Barrieau said. “We were looking forward to the competition, calling it a game day and talking strategies with team meetings and all. It was so nice to feel like we were competing again.”

Trafford said the way the cup was competed for this year, with social distanced activities because of COVID-19, was an incredible initiative from the Stingers and Carabins.

“It’s been an amazing turnout,” Trafford said. “We also raised more money this year than we ever did, which is fantastic. Also, from a team perspective, it’s definitely the most effort I’ve seen from anybody on the team in the five years I’ve been here. We had girls up at 2 a.m. already out running to start the challenges, so it was cool to see.”

 

Graphic by Rose-Marie Dion

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Sports

The Montreal Impact needs a new superstar

The team lacks offensive power since departure of soccer legend Didier Drogba

Every Montreal Impact fan remembers when the team acquired Didier Drogba in 2015. The international soccer star, who’s now retired, played in Europe and at the highest levels of the game, and had an immediate impact on the team during his debut in the Major League Soccer (MLS).

Soccer is one of those sports where just one goal is often enough to win the game. Drogba, who played the position of striker, scored 11 goals in his first 11 games in Montreal. He concluded his time with the team with 23 goals in 41 games, playing in 2015 and 2016 for the blue, white and black.

The Impact qualified for the playoffs in both of Drogba’s seasons with the club. In 2016, it was the third time in five MLS seasons that the Impact qualified. However, the team hasn’t made the playoffs since. Last year, the Impact finished the season ranked 18th out of 26 MLS teams, winning only 12 of their 34 games and scoring just 47 goals.

Last year, the Impact added forward Bojan Krkić — known as Bojan to soccer fans — to the team, with hopes to get back what Drogba was bringing to the team: goals, offensive power, and the kind of starpower that puts the Impact on the map.

Unfortunately, it didn’t work as planned. Krkić didn’t perform as expected last season, scoring three goals in eight games. This year, he has only one goal in 10 games. Krkić clearly isn’t the Drogba replacement the Impact hoped he would be.

Montreal sports fans are passionate and want to see their teams win. It’s a sports city with a constant enthusiasm around the local teams. However, when things aren’t working, people can often be quick to ask for change.

It’s hard to acquire such talented superstars like the team did with Drogba in 2015. Yet, it really makes a difference to invest a bit more for a better player. At the end of the day, the team will be rewarded one way or another; even financially, as more fans will pay to come to live games with a superstar on the team.

Since Drogba’s departure, the future has been looking bleak for the Montreal Impact. Getting a new star on offence is a must.

 

Graphic by Rose-Marie Dion

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Sports

A new chapter for Yan Aucoin

The Stingers men’s hockey team adds depth on defence

University sports may be on hiatus this semester, but that doesn’t stop teams from preparing for their next game, whenever that may be.

The Concordia Stingers men’s hockey team has remained active since the end of their last season, and have recruited many players since then. One of those players is defenceman Yan Aucoin, who spent the last five years in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL).

Aucoin officially joined the Stingers last May, when the team announced his addition via their Twitter account. Aucoin said his time in the QMJHL was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

“My time in the league went really fast,” Aucoin said. “I was really fortunate to live that. I started in the QMJHL at age 16, where I considered myself more of a teenager, and left at age 20, way more mature and capable of facing obstacles of life.”

Coming off a great season with the Acadie-Bathurst Titan, Aucoin was rewarded for his efforts, being named the 2019-20 Defensive Player of the Year. The Stingers’ acquisition described this award as a real honour.

“We had an extremely young team [this past season], and as soon as the Titan got me, the message was clear,” Aucoin said. “They wanted me to help the young players, and act as a big brother. I had the chance to play in all situations. We had really good defencemen on the team, and a great goalie.”

Aucoin described himself as a “defensive defenceman.” He said that even at the junior level, he was already reputed for his defensive skills.

“I think my defensive game is my bread and butter,” Aucoin said. “I take pride in blocking opponents’ best players. I also have a good physique, so it helps. I try to include all those aspects in my game. It’s my pride as a hockey player.”

Stingers head coach Marc-André Élément, who had been watching the defenceman for a year, said Aucoin is one of those players who are good on both sides of the ice. He added that the coaching staff always has big expectations with great defencemen like him, as he’ll have a big role on the team as soon as hockey starts back up.

“I’m sure he’ll have success when the season will start,” Élément said. “He’s someone who’s been captain last year in the QMJHL. He’s a leader. The goal is to recruit the right people, and Aucoin is obviously one of them. We’re really happy about his addition. He’ll also bring a good physical aspect to the team, as we added size on defence with him.”

Aucoin will study in Business while playing for the Stingers. He said he was also in contact with other universities, but he liked the connection he had with Élément and one of the assistant coaches, Jean-Philippe Hamel.

“I liked the fact I felt wanted by the team,” Aucoin said. “I thought I could have an impact on the team right from the start. I also already knew many players from the team, so of course it helped to convince me. I had the chance to visit the facilities last year, and I was satisfied.”

For Aucoin, his goal with his new team is simply to give them his best effort, as he said all games will be challenges.

“We want to win, but we’ll go one game at the time,” Aucoin said. “I don’t want to give myself any specific role, as there are many great defencemen on the team. We’ll see after my time at Concordia if I’m offered a professional contract somewhere, and if that’s an option I surely won’t close the door to it.”

Aucoin said he doesn’t have specific personal expectations for his debut with the Stingers. For him, the goal will be to be ready when his name is called on the bench.

“They finished their season well last year,” Aucoin said. “I think the goal will be to continue on that path and do even better. We’re obviously in nothingness right now, but we’re looking forward for the season to start.”

 

Photos courtesy of Yan Aucoin

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Sports

A first in four years for the Blue Jays

The Toronto Blue Jays qualified for the postseason for the first time since 2016

The world of sports has been shaken by COVID-19. Major League Baseball (MLB), 2020–21 was shortened to a 60-game season, which forced the league to modify its postseason format.

Compared to what would normally be 10 teams in normal seasons, this year’s MLB postseason allows 16 teams to compete for the title. With a 32-28 record, the Toronto Blue Jays took the eighth and last spot in the American League and qualified for the wild-card series round.

Even if their last World Series championship dates back to 1993, the Blue Jays have given their fans many great memories during their recent postseason appearances. From Jose Bautista’s bat flip in 2015 to being one series away from playing in the World Series in 2016, the MLB’s only Canadian team always seems to find a way to stand out.

Despite having given sports leagues many organizational and scheduling problems, the pandemic seems to have been oddly helpful for Canadian teams. In hockey, six Canadian teams qualified for this year’s National Hockey League (NHL) playoffs, including the Montreal Canadiens, who were ranked 24th out of 31 teams in the NHL when the season was stopped in March.

The Habs were the 24th and last team to enter this year’s unique NHL playoff format, despite their 31-31-9 record. For the Blue Jays, the situation was pretty similar, as they took advantage of a reduced schedule to win just enough games to punch their ticket into the postseason.

Final thoughts:

Win or not, the postseason is always a great opportunity for players to gain experience and learn. COVID-19 has no doubt been a worldwide problem, but every positive moment and vibe created must be embraced, and the Blue Jays making the postseason is definitely one of them.

 

Graphic by Rose-Marie Dion

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Sports

Blaming a team loss on one individual isn’t fair

Toronto Raptors Pascal Siakam faced criticism following his team’s playoff elimination

The dream of back-to-back championships for the Toronto Raptors was shattered when they were eliminated from the National Basketball Association (NBA) playoffs during the Eastern Conference semifinals.

After sweeping their first-round series against the Brooklyn Nets, the Raptors lost a heartbreaking Game 7 to the Boston Celtics by a score of 92-87, and were eliminated from the playoffs.

Following the elimination, Raptors player Pascal Siakam was at the centre of discussion and criticism. United States media and Celtics reporters were hard on him, with Siakam even being asked how it feels to be responsible for his team’s loss.

Siakam’s field goal percentage (FG%) this postseason decreased by 7.4 per cent compared to last year’s playoffs where he finished with 47 FG%. He also averaged fewer points per game despite averaging more playing time.

However, he isn’t the only Raptor whose statistics dropped. Team star Kyle Lowry also saw a decrease in his FG%, while Marc Gasol couldn’t match his playing time, points per game or FG% from 2018–19.

Basketball requires passing plays, communication, and a good defensive game to support the offence. It’s fair to mention that a player missed important or even easy shots in key moments. Yet, those failed opportunities are part of a whole.

Siakam isn’t responsible for the Raptors in its entirety, just like Montreal Canadiens superstar Carey Price isn’t necessarily the only reason for a loss.

It would be unfair to blame Siakam’s missed shots, and act like all other Raptors errors didn’t affect the outcome of the game. The point is simple: it’s unfair to say that one person is responsible for all, no matter which sport.

 

Graphic by Rose-Marie Dion

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Sports

Stingers preparing for an uncertain season

Olivier Simon is among the Stingers athletes who changed his university plans for 2020–21 because of COVID-19

When Concordia University announced its closure from March 16 to 30, 2020 as a precaution against the spread of COVID-19 in Quebec, we were far from where we are today.

We’ve known since Sept. 14 that university football and rugby won’t have a season this year. As other winter and indoor sports are still waiting for their fate with a Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec’s (RSEQ) announcement expected Oct. 15, athletes have been training and preparing for an uncertain 2020–21 season.

With COVID-19 cases steadily increasing, and with the fall semester proceeding online, some Concordia Stingers players have changed their plans for the upcoming school year.

Olivier Simon of the men’s basketball team is one of them. Simon, one of the team’s few fifth-year players for 2020–21, was accepted in a Graduate Diploma in Business Administration, and decided to complete just two courses per semester for fall and winter.

“We need to be full-time students to play with the Stingers,” Simon said. “I’ll therefore be full-time for the 2021–22 school year, and will be eligible to play my last season next year. I thought it was the best decision I could [make], and still think it is.”

Simon described his choice to take fewer courses now in order to possibly play later as difficult.

“It’s a big decision because I don’t want to end my career with perhaps a half-season and no tournaments,” Simon said. “Yet, it’s also a tough one, as we don’t know what the future is going to be like right now.”

It took time before the Stingers teams could start training together again in person. Simon said it’s been rough these past few months not knowing if and when they would be able to go back to the gym as a team. He said the team has been training in many places recently, without necessarily knowing what would happen with their season.

“We had workouts with our coach on Zoom throughout the [quarantine],” Simon said. “We’ve been training at the Stinger Dome for two weeks, and had the court of a high school in Saint-Laurent for about a month.”

Despite some return to normality, Simon said it’s been rough to train and keep the motivation high.

“It was difficult at first, especially not knowing when we could play again, or simply just be in the gym,” Simon said. “We now understand better that we can’t do much about it, and don’t have control over [what’s going to happen].”

 

Photo by @cmarsh.photos

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Sports

The good and bad of the Jake Allen trade

Having two good goalies is a key to any NHL team’s success

Excluding Carey Price, nine goalies have started at least one game for the Montreal Canadiens since the start of the 2013-14 National Hockey League (NHL) season.

Finding a reliable second goalie at a reasonable price has been a problem for the Habs since Peter Budaj was Price’s substitute from 2011 to 2014. The team’s general manager (GM) Marc Bergevin made a significant move on Sept. 2, 2020 in order to solve that problem. The GM acquired veteran Jake Allen from the St. Louis Blues in exchange for a third-round and a seventh-round draft pick. Allen will play the last of a four-year contract next season with the Habs, and will have a $4.35 million cap hit.

The good:

Allen lost his starting position during the 2018-19 season when young goaltender Jordan Binnington made a solid impression on the Blues during the Stanley Cup playoffs, helping the team win its first championship in franchise history.

Allen probably lost value because of Binnington’s dominance in goal, which can explain how the Habs managed to get him for two draft picks. However, it doesn’t mean he lost talent. In fact, Allen finished this season second in the NHL for goals against average (GAA) with 2.15, and fourth for save percentage with .927, both career bests in the league.

A problem these past few seasons was that Price was over-used by playing too many games, including back-to-back games in 48-hour spans. With Allen, not only will the Canadiens have two trusted goalies they can send against any team, but Price will be able to rest more. It’s easy to imagine that Price will also feel a weight off his shoulders now that he’s not the team’s only hope between the pipes.

The bad:

With that salary, Allen will need to perform, especially since he’ll not play as much as he could elsewhere in a bigger role. Not every team has the chance to have two goaltenders who can act as starters. Teams who do, however, usually don’t have a superstar like Price.

Many backup goaltenders can win from 10 to 20 games per season and start from 15 to 30 games. Allen could easily exceed these numbers, but likely won’t get that chance in the 2020-21 season with Price in the starting role.

It’ll be interesting to see if the Canadiens will re-sign him, considering that both Allen and Price are aging veterans looking for ice-time. If not, it’ll be interesting to see why the team traded for a single season of Allen, and didn’t try a similar trade in the past two or three years instead.

It’s yet to be seen whether or not Allen will solve the Habs goalie problems.

 

Graphic by Rose-Marie Dion

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Sports

Soccer without fans is a different game

Without spectators, the home advantage loses most of its sense

COVID-19 brought all kinds of new protocols and season rearrangements to sports leagues and associations. One of the most drastic changes for those resuming their season amidst the pandemic might be the absence of fans in the stands.

Head coach of both Concordia Stingers soccer teams Greg Sutton said players always want to do well, and having fans to watch them play makes players push themselves harder.

“I think when you add family, friends, or even students in the stands, players want to impress [more],” Sutton said. “It’s only natural, as they simply want to do well in front of others. It makes a difference for sure. It’s also an extra motivation when times are a little bit more challenging.”

Sutton added that he thinks teams playing in front of their own fans have a better chance to win, and that’s something that will never change.

“Let’s think about an important game at the end of a season, in which you know you need the victory,” Sutton said. “You want that big intimidating crowd on your side, not against you. It can be difficult to play visiting stadiums with loud crowds. There’s no such thing as the home crowd advantage. Even if you’re playing in your own stadium, it’s much less of an advantage without fans.”

Concerning the experience of playing inside what we call the “bubble,” which asks team members to avoid contact with anyone outside their team, Sutton said the challenge of playing without fans is even greater for first-year players.

“It’s a lot about the young players, who haven’t really had that experience of playing in front of fans at that level,” Sutton said. “First-year players playing their first games with their team this year … are yet to experience a game with fans of that magnitude. It would be more challenging for them, but of course also for the senior players because it’s much more enjoyable to play in front of your fans.”

Sutton said that playing well in such circumstances also depends on your professional experience. He explained that players who have been on professional teams for long enough understand the level it takes to be successful on a regular basis, even if this time they’re not playing in regular conditions. For the head coach, it’s imperative to find that extra motivation when there’s no fans.

 

Graphic by Taylor Reddam

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Sports

Colour Commentary: Tennis is back

The U.S. Open was played without fans in Flushing Meadows, New York

The 2020 tennis season started with the new ATP Cup tournament, as well as the Australian Open, the first of the four annual Grand Slams in tennis.

On Aug. 20, after five months of postponed and cancelled tournaments, tennis was finally back on for the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) and Women’s Tennis Association (WTA). Both Associations suspended their calendar’s tournaments until August due to the high risk of COVID-19 transmission.

The first tournament since the shutdown, the Western & Southern Open, normally held in Cincinnati, was played without fans in the U.S. Open site in New York.

Despite 2019 champions Rafael Nadal and Bianca Andreescu’s notable absences, the tournament provided a bit of a return to normalcy for the sport, and offered many surprises and great moments.

Speaking of surprises, the road to an 18th Grand Slam title was more than open for world number one Novak Djokovic. Without Nadal and Roger Federer, Djokovic was favoured to win the title right away, as no player apart from these three has won a Grand Slam since Stan Wawrinka did in 2016.

However, Djokovic got disqualified from his Round of 16 match for hitting a line judge with a ball. That meant a new Grand Slam champion other than the Big Three was going to be crowned, four years after Wawrinka. This year, it was Dominic Thiem’s turn to shine, as he lifted his first career major title on the men’s side.

Canadian players Denis Shapovalov, Félix Auger-Aliassime and Vasek Pospisil all finished with career-best results at the U.S. Open. Milos Raonic, the fourth and last Canadian of the tournament, was eliminated by Pospisil in the second round.

In the WTA, the tournament was being played without Ashleigh Barty and Simona Halep, world number one and two respectively, as well as four other members of the top 10 — not surprising that we’ve had so many great firsts.

For the first time in WTA history, three mothers reached quarterfinals at the same Grand Slam for the first time, with Serena Williams, Tsvetana Pironkova and Victoria Azarenka all in action. For Pironkova, it was her first tournament since 2017, as she took a break from tennis to give birth to her first child. Pironkova just started back training at the beginning of the year.

Final thoughts:

For the first tournament in a while, despite the nearly half-year hiatus, the U.S. Open surprised me with its organization and preparation. It made it through the two weeks of the competition without COVID-19 problems, and showed the tennis world that it’s possible to have sports despite not playing them in the same conditions as before.

 

Graphic by Rose-Marie Dion @the.beta.lab

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Sports

Justice and Equality, Now

Some things are bigger than sports

On Aug. 23, a Black man named Jacob Blake was shot by police in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Blake was shot seven times, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down.

After this event, much of the sports world and its high-profile athletes used their platforms to speak out against systemic racism.

On Aug. 26, in the National Basketball Association (NBA), the Milwaukee Bucks were scheduled to play Game 5 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals against the Orlando Magic at 4 p.m. In response to Blake being shot several times, the Bucks didn’t emerge from their locker room, calling for justice for Blake. It was announced by 5 p.m. that all NBA playoff games were postponed indefinitely.

The Bucks then released an official statement explaining their decision not to play, outlining their inability to focus on basketball when change is needed. The strike sparked a chain reaction in sports, as people from all disciplines showed their support. Kenny Smith, former NBA player and co-host of Inside the NBA on TNT walked off the set of the show on-air, in solidarity with player protests.

In keeping with this idea, on Aug. 26, three Major League Baseball (MLB) games were cancelled in order to draw attention to systemic racism, while seven more were cancelled the following day. In the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), fourth-seeded Naomi Osaka won her quarterfinal matchup at the Western and Southern Open, but withdrew shortly after to fight for racial justice. The tournament responded to her courageous act by postponing all of Thursday’s scheduled matches. On Aug. 27 and 28, all NHL games were also postponed, and multiple football teams cancelled their practices as well.

We all can do our part to help make this world a better place, especially in 2020, where we have the tools and the technology to share our message and learn from each other. For example, a group of former and current NHL players started the Hockey Diversity Alliance in order to inspire the new generation of players and fans. By providing resources to the young generation, the Hockey Diversity Alliance is showing it wants to do more than just support a cause. Their ultimate goal is to eliminate racism and intolerance in the game.

The Concordian wants to support and follow the movement taken in the sports world. That’s why this article is the only one that will be published in the sports section for our first issue of the semester. Some things are bigger than sports, and we should never ignore them.

We stand for racial justice and equality. Black Lives Matter.

 

Graphic by Chloë Lalonde

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Sports

Concordia Stingers still unsure about what the next year will bring

Third year defensive back Mikael Charland lunging for the tackle. Photo by Andrej Ivanov.

Coaches and players remain positive that sports will be played in 2020-21

Concordia University announced earlier this month that the upcoming fall semester will be online. The official statement from the university specified that exceptions will be made for activities requiring  hands-on practice, but didn’t discuss the future of their sports teams for the 2020-21 seasons.

It’s not clear if university sports will be played in the fall, as many questions are still unanswered. Even though the fall semester will be online for many students in the province, university sports could still be played depending on the decisions of U SPORTS and the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ).

However, a scenario where U SPORTS and the RSEQ would let the play go on wouldn’t automatically mean that the Concordia Stingers would play at Concordia Gym, Concordia Stadium or the Ed Meagher Arena. Montreal is currently Canada’s hot spot for confirmed COVID-19 cases, which could force the Stingers to play elsewhere during the pandemic.

Stingers coaches and players haven’t received more information since last week’s statement, but are still confident there will be a 2020-21 season. Tenicha Gittens, head coach for the women’s basketball team, believes having classes online in the fall will help ensure sports can be played during the next school year.

“Our players are in constant contact, as they go to class, travel from one place to the other, and play basketball,” Gittens said. “By having classes online, it eliminates many of those physical contacts between our players and other people.”

On the men’s side, head basketball coach Rastko Popovic said sports will need to follow what experts say.

We might have a full season, or perhaps a shortened season,” Popovic said. “I think it will also depend on what other provinces or schools do. It sometimes takes one school to do something, and the others follow.”

On the women’s hockey team, forwards Audrey Belzile and Emmy Fecteau said the hockey equipment used, such as the full visor for the women, should help avoid skin-to-skin contact.

“We probably won’t start in September as usual, but I think it’s still possible,” Belzile said. “It will be my last season, so it’s tough and sad to think I might have [already] played my last university game without knowing it. Yet, there are still many months before the start of the season, so I’m optimistic.”

Fecteau said it’s been hard to conclude last season without the traditional galas and team gatherings. She explained that players didn’t have time to say goodbye to each other.

“It would be too sad if the players couldn’t play their final year, and finish their university career that way,” Fecteau said.

Basketball player Olivier Simon is among those playing their last season in 2020-21. The veteran forward, who graduated at the end of the winter semester in 2019, said that with the current COVID-19 situation, he’s considering skipping next season, if there is one, and coming back for 2021-22.

“I’d have the chance to play a full season, with preseasons, tournaments and possibly nationals,” Simon said. “It’s a big decision I’ll have to make because I don’t want to end my career with a half-season and without tournaments. Yet, it’s also a tough one, as we don’t know what’s the future going to be like right now. On the academic side, I have to look at the best options. I might look for a master’s degree or something more concrete.”

The Stingers are using what many students and teachers have been using since confinement: Zoom. Coaches and players are using the communication platform each week for their meetings.

With Zoom, the ‘share screen’ button allows you to show other people in your chat what’s on your computer or cellphone screen. Popovic said his staff shares training videos to help their players stay active the best way they can from home.

We have players elsewhere in Canada and the world,” Popovic said. “We understand that some are having tougher times than others, and we are simply doing our best to help them during this difficult time.”

For men’s basketball player Sami Jahan, who recorded 147 points in his first season with the Stingers in 2019-20, it’s frustrating to look forward to a season that may not happen. However, he said that on the whole, there are things so much worse than not playing sports right now.

“For me, it’s just [important] to be patient, and to keep working on my basketball,” Jahan said. “Even as you’re training, it’s about continuing to be positive, and believing that good things will come.”

Rugby, soccer and football teams are the Stingers teams that normally play exclusively in the fall, while hockey and basketball have calendars covering both semesters. Due to the current situation, sports played in the fall could end up playing their full 2020-21 season in the winter, while those with longer calendars could be forced to play shortened seasons.

 

 

 

 

 

Photo from archive – by Andrej Ivanov (2015)

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