Athletic Practices Set To Resume, Including For The St. Clair Saints
Practices will resume this week for athletes across much of Ontario at the OCAA and OUA levels.
This includes the women’s basketball team at St. Clair College, which features several Chatham-Kent products.
“When we received the information from our coach, we were excited to think about being back on a real indoor court and getting back to a more regular schedule with our team,” said Jana Kucera, an OCAA All-Star, Academic All-Canadian, and WESPY winner. “We have all been expected to workout on our own and get shots up wherever we could find a place to shoot.”
When they do return to practice, it won’t be business as usual. The St. Clair basketball team will be doing only non-contact activities, as well as completing screening and wearing masks.
“Right now, all practices are non-contact and focused on individual skill development and conditioning,” explained Logan Kucera, who is also an OCAA All-Star and Academic All-Canadian. “We have to complete a COVID screening before each time we step on the campus and we will have to wear masks at these practices.”
Despite the changes, it’s an exciting time for athletes, including the Kucera twins who are excited to get back on their school’s court.
“I am definitely looking forward to being on the court at our school,” says Jana Kucera. “We have not set foot on our home court since the gold medal game at our provincial championships, so it’s time. Working with our whole team and all the coaches again will be great motivation for our season.”
“Working with teammates and playing sports is what we know so being cleared to practice is going to be positive for our team,” added Logan Kucera. “We have 8 new recruits and even though we have had Zoom meetings all summer and we have reached out to some of the new recruits on social media, we haven’t met all of them. So this time together at practice will be important to establish those new relationships and build our teams culture.”
As COVID-19 cases begin to climb again in the Province, it’s obvious athletic departments, teams, and leagues will proceed with caution, but a return to the court is a positive sign for the local sports community.
The Saints will hit the court Wednesday this week.