UFV golf has been the subject of some significant changes in the past few weeks, as new coaches and new recruits have joined the men’s and women’s squads. One of those new coaches, Aaron Pauls, has been with UFV golf for over 10 years. Starting out as varsity golfers and then transitioning to coaching, the hire of Pauls and Cody Stewart (the new UFV women’s golf head coach) made sense. That said, the Cascades’ 2020 golf season hasn’t been so easy, and it was dealt another blow when Canada West announced that they would be cancelling their golf championships. Coordinating safe preparation for the tournament was hard enough for the Cascades, but Pauls explained that golf was one of the few sports at UFV that stood a chance of having a competitive season this year.
“It was a huge challenge,” Pauls said. “Our team was the only one who looked like they were going to have a season this year of sorts. It obviously wouldn’t be exactly what we would normally do, but we would be able to have seasons.”
The preparation dates back to June, when the Cascades began discussing options pertaining to competing against other schools with the hopes that a season was possible. The Cascades began discussions with the athletic directors of several other programs to see what could be done in 2020.
Pauls was getting ahead and planning out ideas with other schools until Canada West made their official decision to cancel the golf championships. Record-high spikes of COVID-19 in B.C. suggest that their decision fell in line with Canada West’s previous decisions to pause all sports competitions indefinitely in light of COVID-19, dating back to March of 2020.
Pauls has not given up, and despite the decision from Canada West, UFV golf is continuing their search to find schools and conditions that would be suitable for play during the pandemic.
“We’re still day to day, figuring out how to put a season together in the fall. So, it’s a big challenge,” Pauls said.
The season Pauls is talking about would likely consist of some local exhibition games, as teams try to stay competitive for next year’s season. Travel is a big concern for Canada West, so large tournament-style play is unlikely. That said, Pauls is confident that the team will be able to compete, but when this will happen is unknown at the moment.
“It’s going to happen at some point. We will be playing golf tournaments. It’s just a matter of when and where,” Pauls said.
According to Pauls, athletic departments have to issue approval for teams to compete before they can play against athletes from other programs. Once they are given permission, the teams can proceed so long as the plan they have with their schools is followed through completely.
Though nothing is set in stone for 2020, UFV golf could be starting a trend if other socially distanced sports think they have the protocol to compete despite COVID-19. Unconfirmed but undeterred, the Cascades continue to talk with schools and UFV Athletics about a season they hope will happen this year.
Photo: UFV Cascades, Aaron Pauls in photograph
