C/O The Canadian Press

How lockdown conditions affect indoor sports athletes  

After it was announced that Ontario University Athletics sports will be put on pause until at least Jan. 27 due to a rise in COVID-19 hospitalizations, many athletes and others involved in these sports were understandably upset. This decision not only meant that they wouldn't be able to compete, but also that their preparations for the seasons ahead were also halted due to gyms and other amenities being forced to close.  

In particular, the indoor sports were hit the worst. Volleyball and basketball had their seasons immediately postponed, which created a major interference. In particular, the men’s volleyball team dreaded the break the most, as they had won all their games throughout the season and still had the second half to go.  

All four of McMaster’s volleyball and basketball teams had found significant success going into the break, amassing a total combined record of 18 to four.  

The men’s basketball team had won five and lost only one of their OUA games, whilst going into the new year on a five win streak. Thomas Mastell, a second-year varsity basketball athlete expressed his disappointment with the season being postponed halfway through.  

“Honestly, it’s just really disappointing at this point. The whole team has worked so hard this season to do well in the championship and to have it all halted all of a sudden really was stressful,” said Matsell.  

“Honestly, it’s just really disappointing at this point. The whole team has worked so hard this season to do well in the championship and to have it all halted all of a sudden really was stressful,”

Thomas Mastell, Varsity Basketball Athlete

When asked about how he feels about OUA being labeled as an amateur league by the Ontario government, Matsell defended the organization and described how this decision does not consider the diligence and care invested into varsity athletics.  

“I feel that we’ve all been diligent in following all the COVID protocols so far this season. We have had a clean record throughout. Furthermore, to find out that the real reason why we cannot play anymore is due to not being “elite” makes me feel as if all our hard work so far wasn’t appreciated by the government,” said Matsell.  

Although the OUA is meant to resume its games on Jan. 27, there have been rumors circulating that the lockdown may be extended for even longer. What effect will this have on the players moving forward? We will have to wait to find out.  

Jason Woo
The Silhouette

I know it sucks being the one that doesn’t belong. You’re neither a car nor a pedestrian. Heck, you ain’t even a motorcycle. You exist in the gray area of transportation, but that doesn’t mean the rules you have to follow are ambiguous.

As a pedestrian, I often feel the right to walk whenever I please. I don’t mean jaywalking (although cutting across any space diagonally does feel both efficient and respectful to Pythagoras), but rather strolling through crosswalks and parking lots without looking, or worse, walking while ‘knowing’ the car approaching will stop for me. It’s an intuition our generation has been graced with.

And yet, as a driver, I don’t hesitate to unleash my rage upon pedestrians. Why do you think I should stop for you? Why do you insist on walking blindly and slowly whenever you please? Who do you think you are? (Me?)

As an amateur cyclist, I embody the worst attributes and contradictions of both classes; I act like a pedestrian with cars, and a car with pedestrians. It’s really quite an expletive-filled experience. One minute I am genuinely upset and unnerved because a car didn’t stop for me. The next, some truly outrageous obscenities I wasn’t even aware I knew burst through my lips when I had to stop for a pedestrian.

So trust me when I say this, my dear amateur cyclist: I understand you. However, it’s time to face the facts. You are a vehicle, not a pedestrian. So don’t expect people to stop for you at an intersection. Don’t ride through a crowd on the sidewalk while silently cursing over their snail pace, even if they really are walking at the speed of senior citizens.

Don’t have a conversation with your friend while biking. You’re not good at riding in a straight line normally, so why do you think it’ll get any better when you’re laughing at your friend’s joke? (Although, I must applaud your optimism.)

Learn to signal. Most drivers are not telepaths. Now this may be surprising, a lack of telepathy skills means they do not know which way you are going to turn.

Today I’m writing to you as both a pedestrian and a driver, on behalf of all amateur cyclists. Relish in the fact that the next time I ride my bike I still won’t know the signals. I’ll still ride on the sidewalks occasionally because, truth be told, cars scare me. And I still might end up scaring even myself with the obscenities that I come up with when plowing through the snail-paced folk.

But at the end of the day, I like to think of this messy transition onto the road, into the gray area of transportation, as a rite of passage. I may stumble with the rules, but I have the best of intentions to follow them one day. So, fellow amateur cyclists, please just try to do the same. For me?

One of you,

Not-the-next-Lance-Armstrong (with or without doping)

Subscribe to our Mailing List

© 2024 The Silhouette. All Rights Reserved. McMaster University's Student Newspaper.
magnifiercrossmenu