Image credit: Canada West

By Earl Seitz

COVID impact on Canada West

What impact will COVID-19 have on WolfPack Athletics and Canada West?

Apr 16, 2020 | 6:30 PM

KAMLOOPS —- While some winter sports and leagues and most all spring and summer sports have been postponed or cancelled because of the coronavirus, TRU WolfPack athletics got a break.

All of its Canada West teams seasons in basketball and olleyball were over when the pandemic really kicked in.

Only baseball in the Canadian College League is feeling the full impact, with the spring season cancelled.

However, it’s still too early to say what will happen with the 2020-21 Canada West season.

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One thing that does appear likely, is that if there is a season, it could have a significantly different look.

It’s over four months until the first league season in Canada West is scheduled to begin —– that’s soccer.

But the impact is already being felt.

“With what everybodies facing,” says TRU Athletic Director Curtis Atkinson “that’s not being able to train. Not having access to facilities. Coaches not being able to spend that one on one time with individual athletes that they’d normally be doing at this time of year.”

It’s more than that.

TRU Athletics runs summer programs, fund raisers and other activities that are now on hold, or possibly facing cancellation.

“The golf tournament we run in June, the breakfast we run in September — do we postpone, do we cancel, do we push them back and still find a way to execute them during the year.” says Atkinson. “They are important events and fund raisers for us.”

Atkinson is in constant communication with other athletic directors, with Canada West and with USPORTS. Working together to look at contingency plans for the 2020-21 seasons. Canada West sports committe has been working on alternate sports formats that will be brought to the board, of which Curtis Atkinson is a member.

“I suspect they will look quite different from what people are used to.” says Atkinson. “In my view they really have to be in a position to accomodate disruption next year. We all watch our provincial health authorities, and know this could spike again in the fall.”

Atkinson is pushing for schedules that are more regional in nature for more flexibility.

Like many others in business, the business of sports is feeling the financial pinch — it costs money to operate. Some of those revenue wells are in danger of cutting back or running dry altogether.

“We have to be very smart financially with how we roll things out and do business.” says Atkinson. “Certainly from a league perspective, when we talk about league formats that are more regional in nature, there could be some significant cost savings there for us. So we’re all trying to adjust how we do business and this could see some impacts for some time. We may get back there over the next couple of years. But for this year status quo isn’t an option. I’ve spoken to large school, small schools, charter schools and the messaging has been very consistant throughout. We have to really work hard and make sure we can execute seasons in some way.”