University of Arkansas-Monticello player Torrin Vaselenak attempts to hit a pitch. Photo supplied.
Even in an ongoing pandemic, Canadian athletes are still heading south to complete their education and to compete in athletics at a collegiate level.
Canadian student-athletes are still able to travel across the Canada-US border, despite the border being closed since the third week of March.
Chris Ewanik, of Spruce Grove, Alberta is currently attending Husson University, an NCAA Division III in Bangor, Maine while completing his degree in Data Analytics. Ewanik said the decision to move down in the middle of the pandemic was because of Maine’s strong public health measures the state has had in place.
“Maine was one of the best states per capita. It has a pretty low population density and some pretty progressive mask mandates, so we were pretty lucky.”
According to Ewanik, it had been a pretty routine fall for the Husson University Eagles prior to the campus being shut down due to rising case counts of COVID-19.
“We had honestly a completely normal fall up until our campus got shut down. We had a really good fall schedule and we were in the weight room and everything was going good.”
Husson University is a relatively small institution with about 2,800 students enrolled in undergraduate studies according to USNews.com. Ewanik had to travel home after COVID-19 cases started to rise. He says the small size of the campus made the situation a lot more frightening.
“Towards the end it got kind of freaky. After Halloween, more and more people started testing positive. Husson’s is such a small campus that you’re always worried this person is going to have it or that person is going to have it, especially when contact tracing got overwhelmed.”
Ewanik got his start in collegiate baseball with the Prairie Baseball Academy in Lethbridge spending three seasons with the program, two with the varsity team and one with the JV team.
Torrin Vaselenak, of Coaldale, Alberta is a member of the baseball program at the University of Arkansas-Monticello, an NCAA Division II program in Monticello, Arkansas. Vaselenak is currently working on his degree in exercise science. Like Ewanik, Vaselenak got his start with the Prairie Baseball Academy in Lethbridge playing four seasons with the program, two years as a high school player and two years with the varsity team. Vaselenak is an alumni of the Lethbridge American Legion Baseball program and was named Elk of the year in 2018.
Vaselenak says the public health measures have been a lot more strict in Canada compared to Arkansas.
“When I went down to Monticello, I had to get a test before I left and that was about it. In Canada, we have to do our whole quarantine thing, get tested and all that. I’d say the restrictions are a lot more strict in Canada then down there.”
Vaselenak is planning on going back to Monticello in the new year when the new semester starts. He says the only concern he has is any potential border restrictions put in place by the American government.
“I’m planning on going back, as long as the new president allows it.”
Any Canadian student-athlete returning home must follow all quarantine restrictions as per public health measures.