MONTREAL -- Amateur athletes would typically be shopping for cleats, swimming caps or shin pads at this time of year in preparation for the summer sports leagues, but, like all organizations during the COVID-19 pandemic, leagues have been postponed indefinitely and athletes have had to adapt.
The Quebec Swimming Federation stopped all activities for the foreseeable future and is taking a big hit.
“I closed the sport,” said the federation’s Isabelle Ducharme. “We have cancelled all the international, national, provincial, regional and local competitions until September.”
All in, that’s more than 80 competitions cancelled and more than 100 swim clubs that are closed.
Soccer season was set to start this month as well, and with the season being postponed, Soccer Quebec has had to lay off a quarter of its staff.
NDG baseball was hoping to start pitching May 11, but with physical distancing rules likely in place for months, it’s hard for any in the organization to believe kids will be running the base paths any time soon.
“How do you distance the kids on a bench? You’re going to have every six feet, two metres, you’re going to have 12 kids. You’re going to have a 72-foot bench,” said Ray Callari of NDG Baseball. “It’s crazy.”
With the federations closed, athletes must find other ways to train and stay in shape alone.
Some experts suggest that now is good time to work on the mental aspect of training and picture the sport being played while practicing.
“These visualization techniques we can practice at home and know that when we get back on the field, in the pool, on the ice, we can apply them in a way that can help our performance,” said sports psychologist Joel Fish.
