Take a look at how winter sports teams handle exams and the holiday break amidst a long competitive season
For most students, the weeks leading up to winter break can create a slew of changes to their routines and schedules. Final exams and assignments, the dramatic change in weather or even evenings getting darker earlier in the day can all cause a frenzy.
Almost all students can relate to a sense of change and stress during the weeks leading up to winter break. Though student athletes whose seasons take place during this time may have a different experience to others during exam season, as they often have to meet practice and competition expectations along with keeping up with school.
There are about seven winter sports at McMaster University, including basketball, curling and volleyball. Oftentimes, these sports begin their preseason in September, with competition running up until early April.
“We’ll start in September but we don’t have official league games until the end of October,” said fifth-year women’s basketball player Jenna Button.
The length of this season is much different than sports during the fall term, usually beginning in August with the preseason and concluding around early November. Winter sports also run for a much longer duration, contributing to the added exam and winter break stresses.
“It's obviously challenging to have a season that runs for so long and has so many games. Your body kind of gets tired by the end of it. But there are obviously upsides to it, so having that break during the exam schedule is nice to kind of reset and helps to be focused on academics,” said Button.
It's obviously challenging to have a season that runs for so long and has so many games. Your body kind of gets tired by the end of it. But there are obviously upsides to it, so having that break during the exam schedule is nice to kind of reset and helps to be focused on academics.
Jenna Button, women's basketball player
While the exam season can be daunting and difficult for some athletes, others use the break to adjust their game. Some platers also use their sport as a way to relax and destress during a busy academic season.
“Basketball is a really nice way for me to get away from school and [its stress] and be able to not think about that for a while. But it definitely can be overwhelming especially for first years, who may be in challenging programs,” said Button.
Along with time off for winter break, it seems as though it's advantageous for winter sports to use the break to participate in exhibition games and practices to keep in form. For instance, the women’s basketball team traveled to California during the month of Decemeber to participate in a winter training camp along with the nationally top-ranking University of Saskatchewan.
“We were [in California] for five days and we practiced and scrimmaged with [the University of Saskatchewan]... Previously we’ve gone to Halifax to scrimmage against Dalhousie. It’s like having a vacation, but also having that basketball side to play another game during that break,” said Button.
Having these sorts of activities seem to help in the transition back to competitive games in early January. For the women's basketball team, the smooth transition came in the form of a big win against York University in their first game back from the break.
“This past December we were able to get scrimmages in, so it was only a week before we played York. I don’t think we felt it was a big jump being back. I think if we had that month off with no games that first game back would be challenging,” said Button.
This past December we were able to get scrimmages in, so it was only a week before we played York. I don’t think we felt it was a big jump being back. I think if we had that month off with no games that first game back would be challenging.
Jenna Button, women's basketball player
The balance of academic responsibility and athletic commitment for winter sports athletes presents some unique challenges. As these student athletes navigate this demanding period, it seems as though exhibition games and the much-needed mental break away from their sport help to prepare them to return to competition focused and rejuvenated.
C/O McMaster Baseball
After a major collision, two varsity athletes have faced months of recovery time
The 2021 season was supposed to be a good one for the Marauders baseball team. They had championship aspirations on their mind and a team with a chance to do it, featuring the reigning Cy Young winner (awarded to the best pitcher in the league), Julian Tymochko, the reigning (and now back-to-back) most valuable player, Nik Motruk, the 2021 rookie of the year, Josh Kalmin and four players who would be named to the 2021 all-star team.
Congratulations to Josh Kalmin (@JoshKalmin) who was named the Rookie of the Year. #ROY pic.twitter.com/8m8ZYiAXMA
— McMaster Baseball (@McMasterBasebal) October 20, 2021
Having finished with an OUA silver, many would suggest the season to be near perfect, but a major collision changed the whole story.
On the weekend of the qualifiers, McMaster needed to win just two games to secure a spot in the playoffs. Oct. 9, the first day of games, was not what they expected when they lost both games. They would eventually win both games on Oct. 10 to earn their spot in the playoffs and many of the team members credited a newfound motivation after a very scary moment in their second loss.
It was a standard baseball play; a shallow fly ball to left. Left fielder Mark Zanette ran in, attempting to get to the ball before it dropped. Shortstop Nicolas Velocci, realizing just how shallow the ball was hit, began ranging back to make the play. With the ball in no man's land, neither felt they had a clean play and when nobody called it, both ran at full speed to try and get there in time.
At the last moment, Velocci goes to make a desperation play, diving for the ball. Instead of making the catch, Velocci’s head would collide with Zanette’s knee, leaving both players with severe injuries.
“I went into a full on dive and everything from there on is just black. I don’t remember anything. I remember for a few seconds getting loaded onto an ambulance and that’s where it all hit me . . . I didn’t have time to gather my thoughts, but I knew that something was wrong. Seriously wrong,” said Velocci.
Following the play Velocci would lay there unconscious. Ambulances quickly made their way to the field, the first taking Velocci and a second (later arriving) to take Zanette, who soon realized he could no longer hold his weight.
Baseball players from McMaster and Guelph forget rivalry to help teammates who suffered serious injuries https://t.co/Fi0GUi994k via @CHCH @GryphsBaseball @guelph_gryphons @McMasterSports
— McMaster Baseball (@McMasterBasebal) October 12, 2021
“As the ball was about to hit my glove, I felt the impact on my knee. I did a flip in the air [before landing] and wasn’t really sure what happened . . . I think adrenaline was going, so I didn’t feel that much pain in the moment,” said Zanette.
Zanette originally believed that he was relatively unscathed and had gotten lucky. It was only after a few minutes that he would realize how badly he was injured.
The outfielder would later be diagnosed with an intermediate grade partial thickness tear of the ACL, a complete tear of the proximal PCL, a grade one MCL strain, a radial tear involving the posterior root of the medial meniscus, an impaction fracture at the medial femoral condyle and several other less significant injuries throughout his leg.
It has already been three months since the incident and, although Zanette has gone a long way, there is still a long path ahead with several more months of recovery.
“I avoided surgery, which helped a bunch. In terms of a [recovery] timeline, I’m not really sure . . . By the end of the school year, I won’t be back to normal, but pretty functional again,” said Zanette.
As bad as that may sound, Zanette may have actually gotten the better of the two. Zanette may have a longer recovery period, but Velocci had a much more difficult time thus far, with his site of injury being his head.
Velocci would incur fractures and breaks to his nose, jaw, orbitals and cheekbones, while also dealing with a concussion. He would spend 14 days in the hospital in a time when hospitals were trying to get people out as quickly as possible due to the pandemic.
In the recovery process Velocci would have his jaw wired shut with screws and elastics for three weeks, causing a 30-pound weight drop. He also needed a breathing tube inserted in his throat (tracheotomy) and went through two surgical procedures.
“I can say whole-heartedly that it was the biggest challenge of my life. In the beginning I didn’t even know if I was going to be alive — it was that big a shock to me. I remember asking the doctors while half out of it if I was going to live . . . It was traumatic,” explained Velocci.
“I can say whole-heartedly that it was the biggest challenge of my life. In the beginning I didn’t even know if I was going to be alive — it was that big a shock to me."
Nicolas Velocci, Shortstop
Velocci described the early days of the injury with a very dark tone, elaborating as to just how terrible an experience it all was.
“It was bad. It was so painful that I kept passing out. I wasn’t even awake,” said Velocci.
Through the interview, Velocci continuously brought up the number 53. This was the number of days in which he called the recovery period. This is the timeline from the day it happened to the day he was finally able to function somewhat normally and unassisted.
He hopes to begin training with the team again before the winter is over as he is already doing much better and hopes to be fully recovered over the next month or so.
The event was very traumatic, not only for the players involved, but also for their teammates who witnessed it all. They would soon develop the hashtag #DoItForNicolasandMark, which helped inspire their playoff run.
The team would go back to the tournament after two losses, facing elimination and win both games to advance for their chance at a medal. In a past interview with the Silhouette, pitcher Josh Kalmin commented on the situation and how badly the team wanted to do it for their fallen teammates.
“Going back on that bus Sunday morning, we knew we were going to win. No one on our team ever said anything about [possibly losing]. We were going to do it for Nicolas and for Mark,” said Kalmin.
As badly as Velocci and Zanette wanted to be on the field, they were thrilled to see the success the team had. They both plan on a full return next season, where they will once again have their eyes set on the gold.
cw: this article references eating disorders/disordered eating
Body Brave Canada is a charitable organization that provides resources and support for individuals struggling with eating disorders/disordered eating. On Nov. 10, they will be holding a Book Swap at The Spice Factory (121 Hughson St. North) in order to being the community together and raise awareness about their work. There will be a reading by local author Anne Bokma for her new book, “My Year of Living Spiritually: From Woo-Woo to Wonderful” and a pop-up shop for the body-positive clothing brand Mettamade.
Julie Shea, the chair of Body Brave’s Board of Directors, says that she hopes the event will help people realize how important it is to have adequate resources for eating disorders/disordered eating.
“Eating disorders are sometimes not given the validation that they need to have. They’re a very serious mental health disorder and I don’t think enough people realize how serious and prevalent they are, and that they have a 10% mortality rate. This is in our community. There are people dying in our community, there are people suffering in our community, and there are no resources,” said Shea.
Body Brave Canada seeks to fill the gap left by traditional health care. They offer a number of accessible options and resources, both in-person and online.
Mettamade is a manifestation of the good work Body Brave has done for the community. It was created by mother-daughter duo Carol Davies and Morgan MacDonald, both of whom have worked with Body Brave in the past. They create clothing that is more forgiving for people who struggle to shop and find clothes that fit. They have designed a sizing system based around gemstones instead of numbers. Rather than a size eight or a medium, you might be a topaz. The fabric is bamboo-spandex, making it both comfortable and sustainable.
“When you wear them it’s like giving yourself self-compassion,” said Davies.
Mettamade frequently collaborates with Body Brave and donates a portion of their sales to the organization. For the Book Swap, 50 per cent of the proceeds will be donated to Body Brave.
“We’re giving back to a group that was instrumental in my daughter’s recovery,” said Davies.
Mettamade was in part created to make more forgiving clothes for MacDonald while she was struggling with an eating disorder. It was during that time that she and Davies started to work with Body Brave. MacDonald wasn’t able to find resources elsewhere, but Body Brave helped her.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B4j2oHtHiCo/
The Book Swap takes place this Sunday Nov. 10 from 2 p.m.-5 p.m. at The Spice Factory. Tickets are $20 each. Bring five books with you and take five away. If you are interested in supporting Mettamade, they have a few pop-up shops coming up this month and a brick-and-mortar store in Westdale.
“We need people to know we’re here, and to support the cause,” said Shea.
To find out more about Body Brave Canada, you can take a look at their website or drop by the Book Swap. If you or someone that you care about is struggling with disordered eating and are not sure where to turn, reach out.
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