Just one month ago, Matthew Croft became the first member of the University of New Brunswick (UNB) Reds men’s swimming team’s 2020 recruiting class.
It was a decision he didn’t take lightly.
“It’s a nerve-wracking experience,” Croft says, “especially when we’re in the middle of a pandemic. It’s really hard to be making these big life-changing decisions.”
An accomplished young swimmer, Croft is one of many young athletes who were set to move up to the university sport level for the 2020-21 season.
But that season has been dealt a blow by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This fall is going to be different,” says Croft, “and right now we still don’t know exactly how it’s going to go.”
“One thing we do know for sure is that there’s not going to be any competitions in the fall, but there will be training so we will be ready when the time comes.”
Monday’s announcement from Atlantic University Sport saw varsity competitions sunk throughout the region, followed shortly by a wider decision from USPORTS, the national governing body of university athletics.
READ MORE: Atlantic University Sport suspends all competition until January 2021
Lisette Johnson-Stapley, chief sport officer with USPORTS, says conversations had been ongoing for months before the decision was finally made to put off the season.
“The student-athletes are our number one priority,” Johnson-Stapley says, “and national championships are the highest peak for student-athletes performance so it’s really devastating actually.
“Sad for them and their coaches.”
USPORTS also co-ordinates Athletic Financial Awards, more commonly referred to as sports scholarships.
With an unprecedented season ahead with significantly less playtime, USPORTS allowed institutions to make the decision whether or not honour them on an individual basis.
Acadia University was quick to announce they would do what they can to support their student-athletes and others like UNB, Croft’s soon to be school, have since said they’ll also honour previously awarded scholarships.
“It’s a time where students need that support,” says UNB Athletics Director John Richard, “and we’re going to honour those supports and the commitment we made.”
READ MORE: As pandemic progresses, Maritime universities plan for all possibilities next semester
And though Croft wasn’t headed to UNB on a scholarship and didn’t have to worry about that, he’s still diving into a unique freshman year.
“I’m hopeful that come spring we might be able to continue swimming and maybe have a competition.”