Student athletes at Algoma University and all over Ontario were looking to get back to their respective sports seasons after the 2021 Ontario University Athletics Christmas break, but the Ontario government had a different idea and not classify these athletes as ELITE under protocols until January 26th.
Ontario residents, businesses, and athletes across the province will face a new set of restrictions Wednesday, January 5, 2022 meant to curb the rampant spread of COVID-19.
The province of Ontario government views the NHL and Ontario Hockey League as “elite. Algoma Thunderbird student athletes along with their counterparts across the province are speaking out against the government and urging our province government to include them in the definition of ELITE.
Fifth year Algoma Thunderbird women’s basketball forward Thais Matte from Caxias do Sul, Brazil told Saultsports that “it saddens me to see that the government does not see us, OUA, as Elite. We spend hours and hours practicing, watching film, working out and missing out family events and other celebrations, to become better athletes. Not being considered elite, a league that has the biggest pool of athletes in the country, doesn’t make any sense to me. Numbers have shown that so many OUA athletes are recruited to play for the Canadian national team as well as to play overseas, professionally. It is not fair that many athletes, who have worked so hard and given up so much for their collegiate careers, end their season like this. For many athletes, this is the last chance to play at this level. I do not know what else could we do to be considered Elite! It is very frustrating!”
What these athletes don’t understand about the government decision is that there was 35+ athletes that represented our country in Tokyo at the 2020 Olympic games. These student athletes will miss their time for training, preparation, and development to further their success in the sport they participate in with our government not even allowing them to train and practice during this time. When the restrictions were in place in 2020, the Ontario government at least allowed our student athletes to practice and train while following the protocols, but in 2022 the government has taken full control AGAIN and deemed these athletes as not ELITE.
“Ultimately all OUA athletes are elite. We all as individuals devote many hours to training and becoming better, not just in our athletic performance, but also in our academic performance. Like professionals, we balance our time and have priorities to being the best student athletes we can be. Putting in the extra time to train and gain experience to showcase our skills is just one of the many reasons why OUA athletes should be deemed elite. The government should be breaking down what it is as students athletes we are doing and recognizing how much work and time we put in to getting to where we are today. Interviews, campaigns and getting to know coaches and players could really give some insight to the government and maybe get them to appreciate what we all do just a little bit more. This could really be an eye opener for those who don’t fully understand what goes on for us as student athletes. It’s time to show our strengths and show all of those around us that OUA athletes are elite,” added Thunder Bay women’s basketball player Keyra Gallo in her third year with the Thunderbirds.
One of the most frustrating things about this decision is that these athletes are ELITE and are part of the top tier of post secondary sports in Canada.
Fourth year men’s Algoma Thunderbird men’s basketball Vincent Falardeau of Ottawa, Ontario said that “Alright, no problem, this particular subject frustrates us at the highest level, the government tells us that we are not elite when a lot of athletes from the OUA go to pursue a professional career overseas or even in the CEBL here in Canada. The other factor is we are training as much as professionals on a daily basis while having to worry about classes. The Usport has work for years to provide a higher level in university sport in Canada, the proof is that we are competing against NCAA team Division 1m and even some of the team in our leagues are beating those NCAA teams. In the USA, they are considering their university sports as elite. I can understand that the league wants to push or postpone the season until the cases goes down, but the fact of the matter is that we need to have access to the facilities to keep ourselves in game shape and being able to improve. Most of the population do not know how many hours are spent in a practice facility by the student-athletes. We are doing weight training everyday, plus two practices a day. We just demand recognition for our league and our athletes.”
When will our government open their eyes and do their homework and realize that these athletes are ELITE and should be able to take to the court, mat, and ice to represent one of the twenty post secondary institutions across the province of Ontario.
