Sports stars Short brothers talk about COVID-19 impact

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, competitive sport has come to a standstill.

We have had a lot of disappointed boys who are missing out on playing sport for both St Patrick’s College and their community clubs.

Likewise, Old Collegians playing sport at a professional level have also had their seasons and competitions heavily impacted.

So, this week we asked Students and Old Collegians how COVID-19 has impacted their sport and what they are doing to stay motivated during this time.

Brothers Matt (SPC 2008-13) and Sam (SPC 2011-16) both play professional sport – cricket and basketball respectively. Here, they reflect on how their jobs have changed in recent months.

Name: Matt Short

What sport do you play? Cricket

What teams do you currently play for?

Victoria (State Team)

Adelaide Strikers (Big Bash League)

Northcote Dragons (Victorian Premier League)

Did you have any sport events cancelled or postponed due to Covid19?

We had one home-and-away match and potentially the final after that cancelled at the end of March. Preseason for the 2020/21 season is scheduled to start on June 1^st.

What has changed with your sport with Covid19?

Nothing much has changed with cricket. We were pretty lucky in that a majority of this ‘isolation period’ has been during our off-season where not much cricket takes place.

How has your training been impacted/changed?

I’ve been training individually this off-season in my garage gym and at remote grounds as opposed to with my teammates in at the Junction Oval or MCG.

What creative/different training techniques have you implemented whilst in isolation?

I’ve been following Dr. Angie Mueller’s ‘Core Recovery’ and taken up breathing techniques and other unique and effective methods for optimizing human core flexibility and function. Definitely worth taking a look at!

What does a typical training session look like right now?

I’m doing three running sessions and two gym sessions a week, as well as two ‘Core Recovery’ sessions and two short plyometrics sessions.

I won’t start cricket specific skills until July/August just to give the body a bit of a rest leading into pre-season.

What goals have you set yourself recently?

Over the last two years I’ve been trying to play more consistently for both Victoria and Adelaide which has been a tick.

My next goals are to really progress my performance consistency- more runs/wickets.

Has your motivation to train been impacted? What have you done to stay motivated?

I’m a pretty self-motivated person. If something needs to be done, I’ll make sure I get it done. And enjoy doing it!

It’s important to have a good life-balance as well. I’m studying a Bachelor of Health Science- Nutrition and Exercise online, kicking the footy with my housemate, and trying a bit of handy work around the house.

What are you most looking forward to when your sport returns?

Mostly being around everyone and going through the challenges of cricket with all my teammates.

Other

I know the current situation we are all in is tough and challenging, but there is always light at the end of the tunnel. Make sure you check in with your family and friends to help get through this together.

Name: Sam Short

What sport do you play? Basketball

What teams do you currently play for?

Melbourne United (NBL) and

Ballarat Miners (NBL1)

Did you have any sport events cancelled or postponed due to Covid19?

Yes, the entire NBL1 season for Ballarat was cancelled as well as a delayed start to free agency and off season for NBL.

What has changed with your sport with Covid19?

Nothing is official as of yet but if I was to have a guess it would be playing games with limited or no fans for the first few months which is a shame as the fans create the atmosphere!

How has your training been impacted/changed?

Nearly all indoor sport stadiums are closed so I haven’t been able to do any basketball workouts since Covid19 began. Gyms are also closed so I have had to train completely at home.

What creative/different training techniques have you implemented whilst in isolation?

I started off completing an 8-week challenge with my partner which featured all different types of workouts incorporating body weight techniques which was quite different to gym sessions specific to basketball. I have also been doing some cycle spin sessions to get some cardio in.

Now I am just completing normal weight sessions at home.

What does a typical training session look like right now?

Very limited basketball right now, trying to just keep my feel of a basketball with some little ball handling drills. Mainly I have been doing weights sessions during isolation, chomping at the bit waiting for stadiums to open again.

I usually just combine my workouts from what I was doing in season and lift for 45-90mins.

What goals have you set yourself recently?

Just to stack on as much muscle and mass as possible at the minute. I’m using this time of no basketball and limited cardio sessions to lift as much as possible to get stronger for the next season.

The goal I set was to land on an NBL roster for the next season, so this period of time is vital for me.

Has your motivation to train been impacted? What have you done to stay motivated?

Yes, it has. It has been hard to stay focused with everything going on around you with no date locked in to begin training or playing. My motivation stems from the last couple of seasons I have had in the NBL. I’m feeling more and more at the level each year so I’m focusing on working as hard as I can to crack into solid game time. Every time I feel my motivation slightly slacking, I think of all the work of put in up until this point and realign myself with my goals and I find myself on the right track.

What are you most looking forward to when your sport returns?

Being able to play again is a massive one, there is no better feeling then competing against the best. Also being around my teammates again in a sporting environment is one that cannot be matched.