By Curtis Gordon
It’s been a challenging year for Laurentian University’s student-athletes, to say the least.
This year has been full of unpredictability: canceled seasons, a second lockdown, closed practice facilities, and an uncertain future. Many student-athletes are unsure of what the future is going to bring.
For Lauren Beaulieu, a first-year student in Law and Justice and member of the women’s hockey team, adjusting to this new reality has come at an accelerated pace.
“To do this during a pandemic is pretty difficult considering all the COVID testing and not being able to participate fully with the team and having to train in smaller groups, but we’re lucky enough to be here,” Beaulieu said.
After going through the recruiting process, Beaulieu said she knew Laurentian was the right fit for her.
“As soon as I stepped on campus it felt like home and I knew I wanted to be there for the next four years,” Beaulieu said.
“Everyone was so friendly and so welcoming; it was like joining a family right away.”
Her transition to university was made more difficult due to the pandemic. However, after 13 years of playing hockey, Beaulieu said she was determined to continue her journey at Laurentian.
After moving onto campus for the Fall 2020 semester, the reality of COVID-19 restrictions set in.
“On campus it was definitely not what I expected, considering it’s kind of from the room, back to the rink and the gym and then back to the room,” she said.
Despite the disappointment that comes with not being able to explore campus or meet new people in the same way that a first-year student ordinarily would, Beaulieu is grateful for the way her teammates and coaching staff have supported the incoming players.
“Our transition was very supportive, but a slower transition than usual,” she said.
Although practice facilities re-opened in September (before the December lockdown came into effect), teams were faced with significant restrictions.
“We were still lucky enough to get in the gym and on the ice five days a week,” Beaulieu said.
The team trained at the gym in small groups. Beaulieu said this made it difficult to establish team chemistry, something that is vital to a team’s success.
“You’re not with the full team and you’re not experiencing a full team training session and our coach really could not be there often because of COVID rules,” she said.
However, Beaulieu has discovered a positive side to the small group training method the team implemented throughout the fall – it allowed her to build strong relationships with the teammates she did get to train with.
“It had its challenges, but it definitely helped you get closer to some teammates,” Beaulieu said. “Socially it’s kind of hard to get to know [all of] your teammates in that setting.”
As the fall progressed, a degree of normality and routine had finally begun to set in. Unfortunately, the second wave arrived and caused even more disruption on campus. With this came the official cancellation of the season, as well as a second lockdown that caused all training to come to a halt.
Along with a number of her teammates, Beaulieu has returned home for the 2021 Winter Semester because of the lockdown and the closure of training facilities. Despite the roadblocks, Beaulieu and her teammates have remained optimistic.
“We are looking at the brighter outcomes hopefully for next year and just keep training and stay optimistic that we will have a season,” she said.
“What’s good about our team is we are so optimistic and so hard-working that we’re still putting 110 percent into everything we can for next season.”
Beaulieu and her teammates have also found creative ways to train and retain a sense of togetherness. The team has made use of a training app and have had regular zoom meetings. Beaulieu said she has been appreciative of her team’s welcoming and friendly environment.
“We have zoom meetings quite often. Coach likes to touch base with us which is really awesome because she sees where we are not only physically, but mentally and emotionally, making sure everything is going well.”
Beaulieu admits that there have been disappointments along the way this year:
“I’m sure [the second wave] hit all of our student-athletes pretty hard. No one wants to hear that everything has stopped, and we have to go into lockdown.”
She has also found it harder to stay motivated at times since “we don’t see an outcome to COVID and it’s so unpredictable.”
Despite the hardships that Beaulieu and her fellow student-athletes have faced, she has remained resilient and positive. She views this year as an experience that has made her and her teammates stronger. She is looking to take whatever positives she can take out of this difficult time moving forward.
“What we’ve been through collectively has strengthened us emotionally and mentally. We survived this. We can survive whatever bump comes in the road.”