After a dominant performance in the Ontario University Athletics championships, the McMaster women’s tennis team lands a place on the podium
The Ontario University Athletics tennis season began on Sept. 9 for the McMaster University men and women’s teams.
Unfortunately, both teams started the year with disheartening losses to the University of Toronto. As the season went on, the women’s team saw a few close losses to York University and Western University before scoring a big win against University of Ottawa. The men’s team saw a similar set of results, drawing victories and defeats against the same teams during their campaign.
On Oct. 6, both the women's and men's teams competed in the OUA championship located at Mayfair Toronto East.
The women’s team faced the Brock University Badgers as their opponent and were able secure a win for the match with a score of 7-0.
The women were able to compete in the tournament’s bronze medal match against the Western Mustangs, who previously beat the Marauders during the regular season. With a piece of hardware on the line, the Marauders were able to find their way to the podium with a dominant 6-1 victory.
With a piece of hardware on the line, the Marauders were able to find their way to the podium with a dominant 6-1 victory.
The Marauder men's team faced Waterloo University in the first round. The match provided an early exit for the maroon and grey team when they were unable to secure a win. The second match of the championship competition saw the women’s team face a familiar foe, the University of Toronto. Unfortunately, McMaster was unable to beat the Varsity Blues, losing by a score of 2-5.
Though both teams will finish their year with a losing record, the women’s team was still able to end the season on a high note.
Though both teams will finish their year with a losing record, the women’s team was still able to end the season on a high note.
This achievement represents the Marauders’ women's teams second OUA bronze medal in the last two years. Looking ahead, this team will likely hope to build on their strong foundation in the off-season and return next year with a deep roster and ambitions to win.
C/O Pixabay
There needs to be more awareness surrounding athlete mental health
As we near the date on which the latest COVID-19 measures will be lifted, Ontario University Athletics has officially announced a resumption of their sport competitions and there seems to be a light at the end of the tunnel for many student athletes. However, there are many other ways in which the sports dynamic at universities may affect their mental health and their general wellbeing.
The recent spike in Omicron cases around Ontario prompted a lockdown that negatively affected many student athletes around the university. Not only did individuals have their pre-season heavily affected by the lockdowns but the amateur label placed on OUA also meant that teams that were supposed to have their season continue after the new year were required to wait for an additional few weeks.
The Marauders basketball teams are prime examples of students who suffered due to the measures implemented. Thomas Matsell, a player on the men’s basketball team, mentioned in a previous article that the forced pause was both frustrating and stressful. This sentiment is shared by many athletes who had to pause their activities. With that said, how much of an impact has all this had on their mental health?
In a recent study published by Sport Aide, the most common psychological problems that student athletes will suffer include depression, anxiety, eating disorders, attention deficit disorders, problems related to the use of illicit substances and psychological changes following a concussion. Many of the mental health concerns already faced by student athletes were only exacerbated by the recent obstacles they faced in playing their sport.
Marauders on the women’s tennis team, including Jovana Paramentic, explained the various ways in which the recent measures exacerbated or caused negative mental health among players. Beyond the recent COVID-19 measures, athletes who play seasonal sports have the additional burden of ensuring they take care of their health during both on and off season.
“There are many things that can affect our mental health. They can be lockdowns, rejection or something else like missing out on the sporting action that you got used to. For seasonal players [like the tennis team], it is essential that we take care of our mental health throughout. When our season ends, we do lack that play time and I personally would miss being with the team and playing together,” said Paramentic.
“There are many things that can affect our mental health. They can be lockdowns, rejection or something else like missing out on the sporting action that you got used to. For seasonal players [like the tennis team], it is essential that we take care of our mental health throughout."
Jovana Paramentic, Tennis Team
Given the various ways in which student athletes have faced unique mental health challenges due to the recent COVID-19 measures, it is important that awareness surrounding athlete mental health increases. Only through greater awareness can solutions be developed.
“I feel as if there needs to be more awareness raised with regards to the current mental health issues athletes at universities feel on a daily basis. Although there have been some prompts made before at McMaster, I think that it's more important now than ever. When there’s so much uncertainty regarding whether we will get to play at all or not, it creates a sort of anxiety among us that you just can't let go of easily,” said Paramentic.
The pandemic had a significant effect on athletes’ mental health, from the cancelled 2020 season to all the delays that occurred in 2021.
“There are many reasons why an athlete's mental health may be affected, however I feel that lately, the pandemic definitely had the highest toll on athletes, especially those which are in university. Although I can’t speak objectively, I feel that generally, the weird schedule and the ever-changing outcomes of lockdowns can confuse us and this is something that can lead us to struggle mentally,” said Paramentic.
Paramentic hopes, that in the future, McMaster can offer broader services to student athletes who are struggling with their mental stability.
“I would certainly like to see more action being done by the university in minimizing the struggles that athletes experience. Maybe setting up a more accessible counseling initiative for athletes would be useful, or anything similar,” said Paramentic.
Although OUA will resume their activities in early February, about a month after they were halted, there is still so much uncertainty regarding whether such pauses will occur again in the future. The mental health of student athletes will, without a doubt, always be vulnerable to such decisions as nobody knows exactly when the pandemic will come to a close.
C/O Travis Nguyen
As the Ontario tennis season comes to a close, there’s lots to look forward to in the coming year
After more than a year and a half of the COVID-19 break, the Ontario University Athletics made a return, which got student athletes back in the spotlight. One of the sports to make a comeback was tennis, who had their season start in September and subsequently end in October.
Going into the new season, both of the McMaster teams had no previous championship-winning experience. In the previous years the OUA championships were dominated by the Western Mustangs and University of Toronto Varsity Blues, with the Mustangs winning six out of eight times in the Men’s category.
Overall, the season for both the Marauders men’s and women’s tennis teams did not end as well as they’d hoped. Both teams failed to make it past their regional qualifiers and therefore missed out on the OUA championship spot which took place in the Western Tennis Centre on Oct. 23. The OUA championships ended with the Varsity Blues winning in the women's section, while the Mustangs clinched their third successive title in the men’s section.
Jovana Paramentic, one of the women's varsity tennis players, described how it felt to be back on the court after such a long time away from it.
“Obviously, the break affected me as a student athlete more than I thought it would. I grew up playing tennis on a regular basis, so not being able to play whenever I wanted felt odd. It definitely did alter my ability overall, but I am glad that after such a long time I am able to play once again,” said Paramentic.
When asked about how she felt to be back, Paramentic described how happy she was to be representing McMaster once more.
“Representing McMaster in any varsity sport is a big deal. I was looking forward to trying out and playing last year, but that obviously wasn't possible. The tryouts did make me a little bit nervous, but I was confident and I managed to get in. Even though it wasn't the best season performance-wise, I am just really happy that I am able to play with some competitiveness,” explained Paramentic.
When asked about outlooks on the next season, Paramentic explained that she is certain that the team will continue to improve.
“This season wasn't the best, but I am confident that next will be better. I am sure that during the off season period we will all work hard on improving and hopefully come back stronger,” said Paramentic.
Although the season for the Marauders has ended for this year, there is a lot to look forward to for the 2021-2022 season, in which McMaster will have another chance to impress in the OUA qualifiers.
McMaster University’s tennis teams wrapped up their Ontario University Athletics season at the beginning of the Reading Week. After a hard fought battle, both the men’s and the women’s teams finished in fourth place. In the bronze medal match, the men’s team lost to the York University Lions 7-0, while the women lost to the Lions 6-1.
[spacer height="20px"]For fifth-year women’s team member Priti Gujadhur, getting to this point has been a journey in itself. First starting playing tennis thanks to her father who loved the sport, she has had a love-hate relationship with it ever since. She did love it enough to look into the team prior to coming to McMaster.
“I had a friend who went to Mac and was on the team, so I reached out to the coach Peter [Patiakas] prior to my entry,” said Gujadhur.
After visiting McMaster and meeting with women’s head coach Patiakas, she knew this was the school she wanted to play for but was not too sure what she wanted academically.
“I walked into my first year and I just felt really lost,” said Gujadhur. “I knew that I loved to play sports, but coming into school I didn't have any focus in terms of academics.”
One undergraduate degree in political science and a post-grad degree in sports business management later, she has finally found solace in her master’s degree: international relations.
Looking back, Gujadhur knowns now that she did not need to have all the answers right away.
“If I could go back and tell my first-year self one thing, it would be to just enjoy the process and to have fun playing tennis,” said Gujadhur. “I feel like because I always wanted to win so bad, I forgot that I was so lucky and privileged to play on a university team. There are so many people who play sports, and get injured and are never going to play again. So I’d tell myself to just be humble and enjoy the ride.”
As a master’s student, this past OUA finals was Gujadhur’s last one, and it is still such a surreal feeling for her. Though it may not have ended in the result she wanted, Gujadhur’s and the team’s improvement from last year’s OUA finals is something she is pleased with.
“This is our best finish in a long time, so that in itself is a big accomplishment,” said Gujadhur. “Finishing fourth was something to be really proud of because we have a lot of young really talented players on the team, and they're just going to continue to develop and get better.”
These young players include first-years Julia Schuster, Adele Lee and Maya Emerson, who all contributed in the team's efforts. During their singles matches on the first day, Emerson won her three-set match (2-6, 6-4, 6-1), while Gujadhur and Lee both beat their opponents handedly, both shutting out their opponent 6-0. The three helped once again to win their doubles matches, as Gujadhur and Schuster won their match 8-6, while Emerson and Lee defeated their opponents 8-1.
“The fact that they came on to a university team and won so many matches is something to be super proud of,” said Gujadhur.
Unfortunately, the young team did not have what it took to go all the way to the top. Dropping their semi-final and bronze medal matches, they had to settle for fourth place.
“As a team, obviously we were a little disappointed that it wasn't the result that we wanted, but I think we can still hold our heads up high and take the positives away from the weekend,” Gujadhur said.
Tennis -- Both Marauders tennis teams came away from the OUA Championships in Markham with fourth-placed finishes, having advanced to the medal rounds with wins over Carleton and Brock.https://t.co/Z2Sftk0l2j
— McMaster Athletics (@McMasterSports) October 8, 2018
“Now that it is all coming to an end, it really doesn't feel real yet,” Gujadhur added. “I'm a really competitive person, so [tennis] was almost like a release for me. Though we do have another shot at the national qualifier coming up in November.”
These nationals are sanctioned by Tennis Canada, and will take place on Nov. 16-18. Both the men’s and women’s team will have another shot at getting to the podium. After this, that will be the end of university tennis for Gujadhur, but she has no plans on putting down her racket just yet.
“Tennis really gets on my competitive side and because I'm such a competitive person it has always been like a release for me,” said Gujadhur.
Luckily for her, tennis is one of those sports that she does not have to put down after her eligibility is up, and as of now, she has no plans to stop.
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