Sports cancelled throughout the area

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By Patrick Price Times Contributor

The coronavirus (COVID-19) has affected numerous aspects in our lives, including organized sports, which has been cancelled, leaving many seasons and leagues unresolved.
In Strathmore, several tournaments and league championships have been curtailed. Strathmore High School had two basketball tournaments cancelled that the school was supposed to host; the senior girls’ zone championship last weekend, March 13-14, and the senior boys’ provincial championship, scheduled for this weekend, March 19-21.
“It’s a real bummer,” lamented Boris Kuljanin, a Grade 12 student and senior basketball player for SHS. “I am disappointed that we don’t get to play in the provincials. It would have been great to play with my teammates one final time against some of the best teams in the province.”
Both SHS senior varsity teams had a legitimate shot at the provincials. Both teams were embroiled in the south central zone championships when their seasons were cut short. The two teams had won their first two games in the zones and were poised to play in the finals.
Strathmore’s Holy Cross Collegiate also had a basketball tournament cancelled as the junior varsity girls were supposed to host the zones tournament last weekend. The senior boys’ basketball team was ranked high in the province, before the tournaments were cancelled.
“The kids were pretty upset about it,” remarked Josh Jalbert, athletic director for Holy Cross Collegiate. “There is no closure to their seasons. We definitely had a shot to go to provincials this year.”
Fortunately, Strathmore Minor Hockey Association’s season was wrapping up when the cancellations occurred.
“Typically, Strathmore Minor Hockey is done by next weekend,” said Chad Moskal, president of the Strathmore Minor Hockey Association. “We had two local teams in the playoffs going for the banner, and a few teams had tournaments. There are a couple teams that are really disappointed they can’t play for a championship. It would have been different for us if this had happened in January. A good chunk of our teams had already finished for the season. The biggest disappointment is how it ended. It is always good to end the season with a fun tournament and a year-end party.”
Economically and psychologically, the loss of these games and tournaments has been severe. There won’t be any year-end parties this season, and therefore, combined with all the other cancellations, everything hangs in the air, like a basketball sitting on a rim that just doesn’t fall.
“I feel for the graduating Grade 12 students,” Jalbert said. “This is especially hard on the Grade 12s. Some of these kids may never play organized sports again. They are graduating and there is no end to their season. There is no conclusion.”