Victoria field-hockey player Stefanie Sajko is back home after what she describes as the “surreal” experience of being trapped in South Africa after flights were grounded because of the Omicron variant.
Sajko and her four fellow Island players on the Canadian junior women’s field-hockey team are now quarantining in their family homes until Dec. 23.
Emergence of the Omicron COVID-19 variant didn’t just cause a sudden postponement of the Junior World Cup in South Africa, which was scheduled for Dec. 5-17, it left the Canadian team stranded, with most commercial flights out of the country cancelled. The Canadian team had arrived in South Africa on Nov. 21.
“There were so many ups and downs and so many uncontrollable factors and it was very emotional,” said Sajko.
“I’m a big planner, so the loss of control was the biggest thing for me to adjust to. You had to learn to keep calm and be flexible and just take it day-by-day.”
Through assistance from the Canadian government and various agencies, a flight was secured Dec. 8 from Johannesburg through Frankfurt to Calgary for the western players, and Toronto for the eastern players. Team members were quarantined in Calgary and Toronto for four days in hotels before taking flights to finish their 14-day quarantines in their hometowns.
“Obviously, we are very relieved and happy to be home safely,” said Canadian team manager and two-time Olympian Nancy Mollenhauer of Victoria.
Players and team staff were required to test negative before boarding flights home, and all did.
Sajko found one bright side of her quarantine experience: “Most girls get their bedrooms but I’ve got my brother [Alexsei’s] entire basement man-cave.”
Canadian team members included Sajko, Libby Hogg, Nora Struchtrup and Tayler Guy, all from Victoria, and Jenna Goodman of Duncan. Sajko, Hogg and Struchtrup won the U Sports national championship this fall with the University of Victoria Vikes. Goodman plays for the UBC Thunderbirds and Guy for the University of Calgary Dinos.
“It’s a big rush of emotions. I’m happy and relieved to be home, even if it means being in my little bedroom, and talking through the door to my family,” said Guy.
The Canadian team was conducting its pre-World Cup training camp at North-West University in Potchefstroom, about 130 kilometres from Johannesburg.
“There was a sense of disbelief that the World Cup was not going to happen — t’s the World Cup, after all,” said Guy.
Since all the Canadian junior players are students, they spent much of their ample down time studying in their rooms in between the training sessions that filled their days.
“It was training, dinner, board games, studying. We even befriended a couple of campus cats who became our therapy animals,” said Guy, who is majoring in law and society.
The World Cup will likely be held next year at a time and venue not yet determined.
“That’s the best-case scenario we can hope for,” said Guy.
Canada qualified for the Junior World Cup in South Africa by winning the Americas’ regional qualifying tournament in September in Santiago, Chile. The Canadian junior team players are being prepared for the 2024 Paris, 2028 Los Angeles and 2032 Brisbane Olympic Games.
“That’s the dream,” said Guy.
