Veteran Dalhousie coach Rick Scott is doing his best to bring some routine to his women’s volleyball team during a time when normalcy has gone out the window.
With university sports competitions across the country shut down for the year, not every program has been fortunate enough to practise. Even though it’s been in fits and starts, Scott and his players are thankful for the court time as the province grapples with the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We were fortunate when I look back to get into our gym in September,” said Scott. “I thought our athletic department did a great job being able to have the COVID protocols in place and have the facility (Dalplex) open.”
When COVID-19 shut down the sports world last March, the Dal women were one day away from opening play at the U Sports championship in British Columbia, where they were one of the favourites.
The Tigers have won the last eight Atlantic conference volleyball titles and were geared up for a run at No. 9 this season, so it would be understandable if players were bitter about losing those opportunities. But that’s not the attitude the players have adopted.
Just seeing people at practice and bonding there and in the weight room as well, has been super positive with the social interaction that we all need.
- Julie Moore, star Dalhousie player
Star outside hitter Julie Moore is going with the glass-half-full outlook on a year without meaningful matches.
“You can’t really have gatherings, so it’s definitely not a regular university year,” said the Commerce student and three-time first-team AUS all-star. “Just seeing people at practice and bonding there and in the weight room as well, has been super positive with the social interaction that we all need.”
“I don’t find the practices monotonous because I love coming to the gym. I feel so fortunate that we do have the opportunity to practise because I know a lot of teams in Canada don’t have that opportunity. And it also allows me to leave my house.”
The Tigers roster includes 17 players from all parts of the country and Scott is proud to say they all found their way to the Halifax campus.
“We have some local players, but we have girls from Alberta, Ontario, Manitoba, New Brunswick and Newfoundland,” said Scott. “They didn’t have to come because there were online classes. I think they really wanted to be here and involved in the training.
“They wanted to do their sport and be involved with the team. That’s what it takes to become good and improve. It’s not magic. You have to really work.”
Making it fun
Scott has made the necessary practice adjustments, following the provincial health guidelines, beginning with the pods of 10 in September.
As the number of allowed participants grew, so did his options for practice.
He has found several ways to spice up the team’s gym sessions, including shorter practices and a team badminton tournament that was well received.
“Rick has made it fun for us,” said Moore. “We have a bit of a younger team this year and I think it allows us to get a lot of reps in and bond as a team.”
Probably the highlight of each week during the fall was their version of Friday Night Lights.
Friday Night Lights is a fictional TV story of a Texas high school football team that follows the struggles of players and coaches in small-town America. The Dal takeoff featured inter-squad matches on Friday nights.
“Once we were able to have the numbers to compete, we played inter-squad games," said Scott. "They put the uniforms on and the girls loved that. We brought in officials and had the tunes going. Of course, it was us against each other, but they were in uniforms.”
Moore, who has only missed one of her team’s 60 conference matches in three years, said she craves competition and the Friday nights helped fill the void.
“We walk into the gym with our jerseys in hand, lay them on the bench and warm up as we would for a game,” said Moore. “Definitely it has been a highlight for our team just because we do miss that competition.”
Helping hand
Scott is mindful of the pandemic-related challenges that his student-athletes face like online learning, quarantining and the loss of many social norms.
“We needed to adjust and make sure they were in a good place mentally and emotionally with COVID. We were really cognizant of how they were doing in school. The one thing I noticed is the girls loved to come to practice more than ever because they didn’t have that social network. They loved that physical activity and it showed them how much they appreciate playing sports and how valuable activity is.”
Scott credited his leadership group of Moore, Victoria Turcot, Catherine Callaghan, Sarah Dawe, Dani Trodel and Abby Jenkins for their role in helping the younger members of the team adjust to school and in the COVID-challenged year.
Moore relishes the leadership role and said she had big shoes to fill after the graduation of stars Courtney Baker and Tori Haworth last spring.
“I think a lot of our leaders this year, myself included, have learned a lot from them and the way they led the team on the court but also as people. They taught us a lot and I’m super thankful for them.
“It means a lot to me to be a leader, especially in such a different year. Online school is very different, especially for first-years it can be a big challenge. It’s really rewarding to help out the rookies with school and volleyball.”
Making news
Since the Tigers will have to wait to make a run at a ninth consecutive conference crown, the only news they are making this year is on the recruiting front.
In December Scott announced the commitments of Bella Noble and Ella Hornby.
Noble, a setter from Chester, just wrapped a three-month stint in British Columbia with Volleyball Canada’s National Excellence Program and Hornby, from Calgary, is a six-foot middle blocker.
Noble and Hornby join a strong recruiting class from last year - Talia Vydykhan, Brett Boldon and Sydney Thompson – to ensure the Tigers will remain among the contenders in the AUS for years to come.
“I think last year getting Talia, Brett and Syd Thomson, who was a walkon, we added three good players and we are excited about them. Then add Bella and Ella Hornby, two more great athletes for next year.”
Looking ahead to 2021
Moore can’t wait for the participant numbers to increase so the team can return to their Friday Night matches. But the prospect of playing provincial rivals Acadia and Saint Mary’s, should the respective universities allow, would be a major bonus.
“I guess we are hopeful for the potential of getting some scrimmages in the province against SMU (Saint Mary’s) and Acadia. We are pretty lucky with our team and the scrimmages. Even playing against ourselves, I find we improve. Playing someone else other than a black or white jersey would be fun.”
