The Lambton College administration, staff, coaches, and most importantly, our student-athletes stand united with the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA), its other 25 member colleges, and Ontario University Athletics (OUA) in the right to play after recent legislation did not include both leagues on the list of elite amateur sport leagues permitted to continue participation in athletics training.  

By all definitions of the word, varsity athletes are ELITE. 

Whether it’s on the playing field, in the classroom, on long road trips, in training sessions, or in the community, the Lambton Lions exhibit what it takes to be ELITE day in and day out.  

Over the course of the pandemic, our student-athletes have gone above and beyond to ensure that they have followed the regulations and mandates put forth by the Provincial Government, not only to ensure a safe return to sport, but also the safety of themselves and others in and around the Sarnia-Lambton community as well as the province of Ontario.  

The potential of playing sport at the post-secondary level in Ontario is something that youth from across the province, across Canada, and even around the World, strive to achieve while receiving a top-quality education. There will be some student-athletes who will graduate in 2022 without having realized their dream of playing post-secondary sport in the OCAA due to the restrictions put in place by the provincial government. 

Past, present, and future OCAA student-athletes are more than deserving of respect, recognition, and support for their ELITE efforts, both in the classroom and on the playing field. 

Lambton College is committed to supporting, respecting, and defending our own student-athletes, as well as our fellow competitors from across the OCAA. We hope that the Provincial Government will follow suit and recognize them for what they are. 

ELITE.