Wolves outside hitter Meghan Fowler during action in the 2019-20 volleyball season (Photo: GPRC Wolves / Facebook)

By Shaun Penner

Wolves in Limbo

GPRC Wolves understanding of ACAC fall cancellations as training goes forward

Jun 22, 2020 | 12:06 PM

With the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference cancelling all sports schedules for the remainder of 2020, administration with Grande Prairie Regional College (GPRC) Athletics says it was the right call to make.

On Friday the league announced that the schedules for fall semester sports such as cross country running and soccer had been cancelled and moved to potentially start in the spring of 2021, while winter sports such as basketball and volleyball won’t start their seasons until January of 2021 at the earliest.

Though that keeps GPRC Wolves student-athletes on the sidelines for longer than they’d prefer, Director of Sport, Fitness and Wellness at GPRC Thomas Slifka says it is the most sensible move to make.

“The league recognizes that it is going to be very difficult to ensure the safety of our students, with so much uncertainty over these next few weeks and months.”

Slifka says he has had email chats with several student-athletes, where he has picked up on a sense that most of them are understanding of the league’s decision amid COVID-19.

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He says the main focus now for Wolves players is what things are going to look like come September and the beginning of the fall semester.

“They just want to know what they have to do next, so that when we are able to play, they can.”

That desire to be ready to play means that Wolves players and coaches won’t be taking their foot off the gas while their schedules are in limbo. Slifka says coaches will continue to make training virtual through video conferencing, both to keep athletes in peak physical condition, as well as maintain a connection with their players and athletes.

As far as making training and practices virtual, Slifka says it helps student-athletes from outside Grande Prairie know that there is no pressure for them to travel during COVID-19 if they aren’t comfortable to do so.

“There is not a pressure for us to tell a student-athlete ‘you have to be in Grande Prairie in September’”, said Slifka. “It’s not fair for them, given what’s going on.”

Slifka adds that GPRC plans to honour all athletic scholarships to its student-athletes despite the postponement and uncertainty surrounding ACAC athletics.

Despite any of the challenges, Slifka says he knows GPRC’s athletic teams and department are ready to continuing pushing forward and be ready to come out of COVID-19 prepared and excited.

“I have no doubt that our coaches and everyone at GPRC is very innovative in their approach, but realistic in the sense that we aren’t going to risk our students safety.”