COVID-19 Closeup: Brian Duguay
COVID-19 Closeup
Subject: Brian Duguay, head coach Niagara Spears varsity football team.
What would you be doing right now with the Niagara Spears if the pandemic hadn’t hit? We would be preparing for our fourth game of the season in Ottawa. Coaches would have had the game plan all set by Monday and we would’ve been going over our system and adjustments for this game. The executive would’ve been busy getting the travel arrangements completed as it’s complicated when you have three teams travelling that distance. The game times would have seen one team leaving the night before or really early and one team returning early the next morning.
What are you doing now with the Niagara Spears? We are getting our equipment return set up. Because of COVID, we have to follow the distancing rules and ensure the safety of the players and the people who are working the returns. There have been Zoom meetings with players and coaches.
What is the biggest obstacle to coaching during the pandemic? Being the only person on a field. All the fields have been shut down by COVID. When you have been doing this with the Spears organization since 2004 and you know every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, you will be with 14 coaches, 70 players, two trainers, a governor, executive and parents of the players, it’s a dramatic change to go to being with my wife and three pugs at home. It really hits you hard how you miss that extended family.
What do you miss the most about the pre-pandemic world of the Niagara Spears? Being with coaches and the players and seeing the improvements being made; the social part of talking to the players face to face; and, the chicken wings and pizza with coaches after practice. This has been a huge adjustment in everyone’s life. A lot of people are having a hard time with this.
What do you miss the least about the pre-pandemic world of the Niagara Spears? There is nothing I dislike other than the weather changes from April 1 to Aug. 3. You can have winter to summer in one practice but, right now, I would take that.
What is the biggest thing wrong with travel football that you can reveal without getting fired or demoted for your honesty? There needs to be unity.
Is there an easy way to fix the problem? Everyone needs to be on the same page and work together.
Is there a hard way to fix the problem? I don’t think so we just need to look at the players and what’s best for them.
What would be one suggestion to make travel football better? I think it’s really good now.
Has the pandemic changed how you will approach coaching with the Niagara Spears? I don’t think so but let’s see what comes out of this. There might be some changes being made by our provincial or federal bodies.
What is the first thing you are going to do when life returns to normal? High five and hug every player and then let’s get into it.
What daily activity do you miss the most? Being on the field with the coaches and the players.
What guilty pleasure do you miss the most? Chicken wings and pizza.
What is your favourite outfit to wear around the house if you are working from home? Shorts.
What do you do to replace the time spend coaching the Spears? Online clinics and getting caught up on the stuff that usually takes a back seat during this time of year.
Are you most likely to be a hunk, chunk, drunk or sasquatch when the pandemic ends? I’m always going to be chunk and a sasquatch.
What is the worst habit you have picked up during the pandemic? How easy it is to just sit back and yell the TV during rerun games. I already know the outcome but I think it would have been fixed.
What is the best habit you have picked up during the pandemic? Getting things completed right away that I usually could put off, like mowing the lawn.
What is something good about yourself you have discovered during the pandemic? How much I really care how people are doing during this time. I feel for everyone as there is so much uncertainty.
What is something bad about yourself you have discovered during the pandemic? How much I miss chicken wings.
In the weeks ahead, BPSN is hoping to get people in Niagara’s sporting community to share their COVID Closeups. If you want to volunteer, shoot Bill or I a text. You have our numbers.
BPSN and the COVID-19 pandemic
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Bill and Bernie.
