High school athletes are struggling right now, and no one knows that more than Michael Wahbi.
The guidance counsellor and volleyball coach at Msgr. Percy Johnson Catholic Secondary School in Etobicoke, Ont., has seen first-hand the physical and psychological toll on students caused by the halt in high school athletic competition and training due to COVID-19.
The ones most deeply impacted, he says, are the Grade 11 and 12 students, who beyond missing out on key years of development may also lose opportunities for recruitment and scholarships at the post-secondary level.
“I can tell you that there are a number of athletes here, male and female, who are really, really struggling with the loss (of sports),” said Wahbi, who also owns and coaches at Waves Volleyball Club, which has closed due to COVID-19 as well. “At this time last year, our boys’ program was competing at OFSAA (Ontario Federation of School Athletic Association championships). We’ve been having a conversation with some of the boys about how one year could make such a difference. Their time management is struggling because there’s so much time to fill.”
The school’s senior boys team finished second at the City Championships in 2019 and was looking forward to fighting for the title this year. With weight training suspended and fitness rooms at the school closed, Wahbi says the situation has been “demoralizing” for teens for whom much of the social aspect of the high school experience revolves around sport.
Joshua Hernandez, a Grade 12 student who competed on both the school and Waves team, was poised to be team captain this year and says the biggest challenge for him has been the loss of time for fellowship and building camaraderie.
“I feel that it’s been taxing physically, emotionally and mentally,” said Hernandez. “For a lot of us, volleyball was our little break from reality where we got to compete and put our effort into something else that wasn’t school or family related. We had a brotherhood.”
Hernandez says photos from last year’s OFSAA championships have been painful to look back on. With high school students spending the morning at school and rushing home afterwards to complete online learning, there is little opportunity for the usual socializing after the bell rings.
“We finish class at noon, but everyone’s gone right away,” said Hernandez. “When we had games, we’d be staying until 6 p.m. just sharing that positive energy between all of us.”
For both Wahbi and Hernandez, faith has been a major pillar in helping them navigate through this challenging time. Wahbi completed studies at St. Augustine Seminary in 2017 and as a guidance counsellor and coach, he says the opportunity for greater spiritual growth is the silver lining of the experience.
“I think that our athletes had the ability to see the best of both worlds when it comes to exploring their faith and at the same time exploring sport,” said Wahbi. “Now that sport has kind of been taken away, it’s a great opportunity for them. We’re pushing them to explore their faith more and to continue to have faith, because these can be really, really dark times.”
As the students enter the Advent season, Wahbi and Hernandez are encouraging team members to focus on reconciliation. Priests have also been on hand at the school to provide encouragement and support. With no real guarantees for a 2021 season, students have started writing in gratitude journals to maintain a positive outlook.
Though they may not be spending time on the volleyball court, Wahbi continues to do mental health check-ins with his athletes. He believes that with respect, trust and their shared faith, they will persevere through this and continue to nurture emotional connections as they weather these challenges together.
“It’s just about taking one day at a time and giving thanks,” said Wahbi. “Our team motto is ‘One team, One family,’ and we take the family component very, very seriously.”
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