REGINA -- At a time when the Regina Riot would usually be preparing for the start of a new football season, some of their players are currently doing what they can to help the community battle COVID-19.
This weekend, the team was supposed to be preparing for their Western Women’s Canadian Football League (WWCFL) season opener.
However, due to COVID-19, the entire season has been cancelled. Linebacker Adrienne Zuck would typically by defending the run, but now, she’s tackling the Coronavirus.
“I’m a registered nurse, and I work on an acute care unit,” said Zuck from outside the Regina General Hospital.
However, Zuck is not the only essential worker with the Riot.
Julianna Cornish plays on both the offensive and defensive line, but now she’s also on the front line.
“I’m an educational assistant as well as a youth care worker at Ranch Ehrlo,” Cornish said.
Both are on the front lines of the pandemic in different capacities.
Zuck provides personal care to patients at the General hospital, and Cornish provides programming and rehabilitation to youth. Football might seem like a distant memory, it the duo feel like they’re still on the field.
Zuck compares her work as a nurse to her role as a defender on the gridiron.
“The coach is the health authority so they’re making calls and our job as front line workers, nurses, doctors, environmental care, everybody, is to do your job or part of the puzzle as best you can.”
Cornish agrees that her job feels like a unit, with the team above the player.
“As a team we’re all doing different things but we all have one focus and that’s our kids. So it would be the same as we all have one focus on winning a game,” said Cornish.
She suffered a concussion in the 2019 season, forcing her to the sidelines for the year.
However the time off the field taught her about perseverance, a lesson that is paying off with her work at Ranch Erhlo.
“Not having activities that we can do with the kids has challenged me to go outside of my comfort zone and engage in arts things and have the kids cooking.”
