By Dashawn Stephens
The COVID-19 pandemic has been a rough time period for the members of the OUA student-athlete community. Suddenly faced with the loss of sport, many OUA athletes found themselves learning how to manage a life without the one thing that brought them structure, balance, and purpose. One of those athletes was fourth-year Ontario Tech soccer player, Ashlynne Koly.
“It was definitely just a bit of a shock, and we were just confused,” said Koly. “And then when we realized it’s been three months and things aren’t going back to normal, it was more [frustrating]..but also having to understand it wasn’t just us, it was everyone in the world.”
The fourth-year kinesiology student was coming off a 6-7-2 season with the Ridgebacks, where she appeared in 14 games. Deep into an offseason where she had hopes of helping lead Ontario Tech to a run at an OUA Championship, Koly was faced with the new challenge of navigating how to stay ready for a season that had no start-date.
“I would go down to the basement and be staring at a set of dumbbells and a barbell and not know what I’m doing, even after doing it for almost 21 years.” Said Koly. “Yea, I know how to lift weights but you’ve always had people tell you what to do.”
After heading back home to British Columbia to be with her family during the pandemic, Koly decided to take a break from training to register the realities of the “new normal”. Having no answer as to when she would touch the field again, Koly resumed her training regimen with the same mindset but new approach.
Home workouts, running along the beach, tapping back into her origins as an athlete; these were the workout methods that carried Koly through the numerous waves of the pandemic. This forced the fourth-year Kinesiology student to tap into her creativity and make her own workouts, something she credits as igniting her newfound passion to become a personal trainer.
“I found that through COVID, being away from the team, I found myself in the gym a lot,” said Koly. “I kinda fell in love with that.”
One of the glaring effects of the COVID-19 pandemic has been its impact on mental health. Recognizing this, Koly has a new outlook on the importance of both helping others and seeking help from others. Whether it be the wise words of her father, or motivational messages from her roommates, Koly has no shortage of gratitude for the support she received through her moments of academic burnout and pandemic fatigue.
“I was kinda feeling down and going through hard times because you miss what you do.” Said Koly. “Having people there for you is so important, but also being there for people is so important.”
The support Koly received motivated her to take action within the Ontario Tech athlete community to ensure fellow Ridgebacks were feeling supported throughout the pandemic. Through her involvement with the Ridgeback Leadership Council, Koly was able to help rebuild a sense of connectivity in the Ontario Tech athlete community through uniting Ridgebacks in a variety of ways such as online meetings, activities, and fundraisers.
The Ridgeback Leadership Council (RLC) is an athlete-led group that seeks to create unity among all Ontario Tech Ridgeback teams, while enhancing Ridgeback pride both on campus at Ontario Tech and in the surrounding community of Durham Region. Serving as president of the RLC, Koly often finds herself sitting at the center of creativity as she and fellow executive members brainstorm innovative ways to bring the community together.
“It’s really about staying connected to people and doing as many things as possible to feel connected.” Said Koly. “I love so many of the teams here...not being able to have that interaction was tough.”
Regardless of the struggles, Koly and the RLC persevered and were able to put together events such as online trivia, while participating with motionball to raise over $2,000 to support Special Olympic athletes.
One of Koly’s goals is to play soccer professionally. With no domestic professional Women’s soccer league in Canada, the 5-3 midfielder has been forced to look into opportunities abroad.
Given the success of Women’s soccer in Canada, a domestic professional Women’s league is long overdue. This is something that Koly and many Female soccer players are well aware of.
“The growth of Men’s sports is rapid, but I believe there should be no reason why that's not simultaneous with Women’s sports.” Said Koly. “I would love to stay in Canada and play professionally.”
Before taking a shot at chasing her professional dreams, Koly is focused solely on winning at Ontario Tech. With the 2021 OUA Women’s soccer season approaching, Koly’s intentions are clear. She wants to help the Ridgebacks win an OUA Championship.
“Got a lot of goals for sure, but all eyes are on getting to the OUA Finals.” Said Koly.
In a recent fan poll conducted by the OUA, the Ridgebacks Women’s soccer team was ranked eighth in the conference Power Rankings that included 19 teams. Heading into the season, Koly believes Ontario Tech is ready to make a push to the top.
“We’ve been here long enough to know what to do to prepare ourselves physically, mentally, spiritually and motivationally to be successful. Now it’s about taking care of responsibilities.”
The 2021 OUA Women’s soccer season kicks off on Wednesday, September 22, when the Windsor Lancers host the Guelph Gryphons (5:00 p.m. ET). Action continues the following day when the York Lions travel to Oshawa to take on Koly and the Ontario Tech Ridgebacks (6:00 p.m. ET).
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